EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Benjamin Silvia

Team SouthCoast

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
425 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

72

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

105

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

4.0

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

2.0

public officials or leaders

contacted
UP TO

2.0

zero-waste meals

consumed

Benjamin's actions

Action Track: Social Justice

Learn about Local Indigenous Practices

#39 Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how local indigenous tribes are caring for the land by attending a training, workshop, or presentation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Fix Leaky Faucets

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will fix faucets or report leaky faucets to facilities that have been wasting up to 9 gallons (34 L) of water per faucet every day.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Go Paperless

#70 Recycled Paper

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by 0.11lbs (0.05kg) a day or 41lbs (18.6kg) a year by opting into paperless billing, ending unwanted subscriptions and opting out of junk mail.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Social Justice

Advocate for Forest Protection

#38 Forest Protection

I will contact 2 congress people or representatives to advocate for public policy that protects forests and the enforcement of existing anti-logging laws.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

#1 Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 45 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 2 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Food

Keep Track of Wasted Food

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during the EcoChallenge, either because it went bad before I ate it, I put too much on my plate, or it was scraps from food preparation.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Materials

Eliminate Toxic Plastics

#47 Bioplastic

I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl and instead replace them with bioplastic or durable options.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Participant Feed

Reflection, encouragement, and relationship building are all important aspects of getting a new habit to stick.
Share thoughts, encourage others, and reinforce positive new habits on the Feed.

To get started, share “your why.” Why did you join the challenge and choose the actions you did?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Go Paperless

What do you want to prioritize over material 'stuff' in your own life?

Benjamin Silvia 4/22/2019 9:23 AM

That material stuff is just waste and it is not necessary.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

How do you address your own feelings of concern, fear or despair about climate change?

Benjamin Silvia 4/22/2019 9:23 AM

By reducing my own impact such as not trying to use products that cause pollution, or not try to drive a lot.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Fix Leaky Faucets

What are other easy and low-cost ways to reduce your water usage at home?

Benjamin Silvia 4/22/2019 9:22 AM

Take a shower for a duration of 3 songs.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Social Justice Learn about Local Indigenous Practices

What did you learn about indigenous peoples' land management that you can apply in your own life?

Benjamin Silvia 4/22/2019 9:21 AM

That I can grow my own food without using pesticides.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Keep Track of Wasted Food

An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Where would you rather use this money?

Benjamin Silvia 4/22/2019 9:17 AM

I would rather invest that money in the stock market, or a pension plan, or put it in a savings account.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Smaller Portions

Fun fact: Your brain and stomach register feelings of fullness after about 20 minutes of eating. While dishing food out, we tend to load our plates with more than we need. Using smaller plates helps to mitigate this. Aside from the environmental benefits, what other benefits might come out of eating smaller portions?

Benjamin Silvia 4/22/2019 9:16 AM

Other benefits that can come out of smaller portions is there is less food waste as we will eat as much as we get. Also health benefits as your body will not get a lot of excess fat or sugars ingested.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?

Benjamin Silvia 4/22/2019 8:51 AM

Because the food is not always bad and can still be eaten instead of wasted.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Zero-waste Cooking

How are environmental issues like black carbon and other emissions from cooking fires or rudimentary cookstoves also human health and social justice issues? Why do these issues matter to you?

Benjamin Silvia 4/22/2019 8:50 AM

These issues matter to me as these emissions can release dangerous greenhouse gases into the air causing pollution.

Read More