EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Emily Smith

Woodstock Day School

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
869 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

19

conversations

with people
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

14

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

350

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

11

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill

Emily's actions

Women and Girls

Host a Film Screening

#6 Educating Girls, #7 Family Planning, #62 Women Smallholders

I will host a film screening and discussion about women's and gender equality issues.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Learn about Local Indigenous Practices

#39 Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning how local indigenous tribes are caring for the land by attending a training, workshop, or presentation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Research Peatlands

#13 Peatlands

I will spend 5 minutes researching the environmental benefits of peatlands and what is being done around the world to conserve and restore them.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Choose Recycled Paper

#70 Recycled Paper

I will plan ahead to only use paper products made from post-consumer recycled paper for my home or office.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Buy Bamboo

#35 Bamboo

When they are available, I will purchase products made from bamboo instead of wood, plastic, or metal.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Research Retrofitting Incentives

#80 Retrofitting

I will spend at least 15 minutes finding out if my city, region, or state offers incentives for retrofitting existing buildings.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Plan to Insulate

#31 Insulation

I will find out how to make my home more energy efficient through better insulation and weatherization.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Research Heat Pumps

#42 Heat Pumps

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching heat pumps to see if installing one makes sense for my home/building.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME 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 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Women and Girls

Support Women-Owned Businesses

#62 Women Smallholders

I will spend 15 minutes each day researching women-owned businesses I can support when shopping.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Women and Girls

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 1 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Recycle Everything I Can

#55 Household Recycling

I will recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 5 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME 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?

Emily Smith 4/24/2019 4:11 PM

Time spent with loved ones. We just bought a small cabin to encourage time spent together as much as possible. We aim to only own material possessions that bring us happiness and not in any way seek to keep up with the newest material trend item. Enjoying time with people we love and exploring the outdoors is far more important than dumping money into material possessions 🤙🌲

Read More
- Harrison Bardel 4/24/2019 4:38 PM
  
  I agree. Spending time with people is far more important than dumping money. Every day I try to spend at least 15 minutes with my parents and my sister.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Women and Girls Learn about the Need for Family Planning

What did you learn about the need for family planning? Share some of the learning with your friends!

Emily Smith 4/23/2019 4:22 PM

After watching the documentary, I was impressed with the connection many of my students had between family planning, educational opportunities, and climate change. We have been talking about human rights all year and I often challenge them to zoom in on a construct or idea. Having the chance to watch them apply critical lenses and analyze a complicated relationship such as climate change and women’s rights was pretty cool.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Eliminate Toxic Plastics

What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

Emily Smith 4/19/2019 5:38 AM

We buy products that are in plastic containers and haven’t found an alternative yet. The biggest one being hummus. We recycle them but would much rather not buy them in the first place.

Read More
- Amy Shapiro 4/19/2019 7:36 AM
  
  I've started making my own hummus for exactly this reason. I still have some waste, like the bag or can the chickpeas come in, but I'm enjoying it anyway. Now if I could just find fresh chickpeas when they're in season.... I used to find them at the Union Square Farmer's Market.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use Research Peatlands

Much of Indonesia's peatlands have been drained so they could be replaced with palm oil or pulp and paper plantations. How can you make choices that help to protect peatlands, even if you live far away from one?

Emily Smith 4/17/2019 5:56 PM

I think the first step is knowing there is a problem. I just learned a ton by doing 5 minutes of reading, I had no idea peatlands were the largest natural storer of carbon. Learning about the complex interaction of peatland and climate change was fascinating and I definitely will be reading more!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Women and Girls Support Women-Owned Businesses

Globally, women typically invest a higher proportion of their earnings in their families and communities than men. How can you better support communities by supporting women? Can you share any past experiences that may help others take action?

Emily Smith 4/16/2019 6:37 AM

I searched through the database of woman owned businesses on the website and noticed they all seemed to be located in the United States. I wonder how buying from women owned businesses in the US will help the effect of a growing global population on climate change. Is the main benefit the statistic concerning the amount of money women put back into their families and communities versus men?

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Choose Recycled Paper

Good job on choosing recycled paper! How can you take your action a step further?

Emily Smith 4/15/2019 7:52 AM

I can continue to encourage my students to br more cautious of the paper they use. We have a scrap paper bin that has only been used on one side available but many students still choose to use a whole new blank sheet of paper for notes, drawings, etc

Read More
- Josh Orlinsky 4/15/2019 8:33 AM
  
  Nice Emily! I can do a better job of this at home as well!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Learn More about Silvopasture

Had you heard of the term "silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?

Emily Smith 4/14/2019 4:02 PM

I had never heard of the term “silvopasture” but aftrr watching only 2 videos, it seems obvious that thr symbiotic relationship exists between the animals, crops and trees. The biggest advantage to the planet being the protection of the natural ecosytems the planet offers.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Recycle Everything I Can

How could you incorporate other "R's" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle? How does considering implementing these "R's" make you feel?

Emily Smith 4/11/2019 3:38 PM

One of Lew’s favorite things is throwing the glass recycling down the shoot. We recycle everything they accept and find myself frustrated at having to throw thinfs away that seem like they should be recyclable.

Read More
Emily Smith 4/11/2019 2:14 PM

Lewis and I learned we need to be more intentional
about the companies we buy coffee from...shade grown yall!

Read More