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Welcome to Drawdown EcoChallenge!

Watch the short video below to learn the basics.
You'll be an Drawdown EcoChallenge expert in no time!

EcoChallenge.org
Drawdown EcoChallenge
April 3 - April 24, 2019
Zach Stevens's avatar

Zach Stevens

WSP USA

"Go Green or Go Home!"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,010 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    150
    conversations
    with people
  • UP TO
    1.0
    documentary
    watched
  • UP TO
    10
    lightbulbs
    replaced
  • UP TO
    9.0
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    160
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    85
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    2.0
    public officials or leaders
    contacted
  • UP TO
    1.0
    tree
    planted

Zach'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

Materials

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

#1 Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Communicate With My Elected Officials

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore)

I will write or call 2 elected official(s) telling them not to support fossil fuel subsidies and instead support wind energy generation.

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 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Women and Girls

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Install a Toilet Bank

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will reduce the amount of water flushed and save up to 11 gallons (41 L) of water per day by installing a toilet tank bank.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Plant Trees

#15 Afforestation

I will plant 1 tree(s) in my community, public parks, or backyard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Research and Advocate for High-Speed Rail

#66 High-Speed Rail

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching and advocating for a comprehensive high speed rail network in my country/region.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Go for a Daily Walk

#54 Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 10 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 10 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Replace Manual Thermostats

#57 Smart Thermostats

I will replace manual thermostats with smart ones.

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Online Energy Audit

Multiple Solutions

I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Explore Other Buildings and Cities Solutions

All Buildings and Cities Solutions

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching other Drawdown Buildings and Cities Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Social Justice

Learn about Local Indigenous Practices

#39 Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning how local indigenous tribes are caring for the land by attending a training, workshop, or presentation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 10 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
    Electricity Generation Communicate With My Elected Officials
    What inspires you to act on sustainable energy and other energy issues?
    Zach Stevens's avatar
    Zach Stevens 4/24/2019 10:00 AM
    I encourage everyone to contact their representatives and express support for environmental issues. be as broad or specific as you like, but its important that they see demand form their constituents for action on these issues. If you want here is a letter you can use as I template I wrote to my senators and congress woman. Please use!

    Dear Representative Cantwell:

     I am writing as a constituent to express to you my belief in the importance of the issue of renewable energy generation, and green infrastructure improvements including updating the electrical grid, building retrofit requirements, and improved car emissions standards.

    As a sustainability engineer in the buildings industry (Mechanical PE, LEED AP BD+C) this issue directly impacts industry, and would benefit from further state and federal support. I know Washington State has committed to 100% renewable energy by 2050, but federal incentives and commitments are lagging. I hope that with a new majority in the house and hopefully new leadership in 2020, you can help us recommit to renewable energy generation and combating climate change. We have a little over a decade to enact meaningful improvements on carbon production (if not the exact current Green New Deal, then similar efforts of the same scale) before locking in to some of the worst-case scenarios for climate change. The impacts to the global economy alone will be staggering.

    I know that you have expressed support for combating climate change, but I hope that you will view this as a top priority for your term. 

    Thank you for your consideration of my viewpoint on this matter. 

    Sincerely,

    Zachary Stevens

    Read More
    • Meghan Jones's avatar
      Meghan Jones 4/24/2019 1:48 PM
      Thank you for sharing an example. Very helpful and compelling!
      Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Buildings and Cities Online Energy Audit
    What are your next steps for saving energy?
    Zach Stevens's avatar
    Zach Stevens 4/24/2019 9:49 AM
    the department of energy links to an easy at home energy audit tool: https://www.energysavvy.com/

    I hadn't taken one of these in my new house yet. Making improvements to programmable thermostats, energystar refrigerator and washer dryer, and LEDs improved the house significantly. But i could still do better by upgrading to heat pump heating system from gas (I will once the furnace dies...) and improving insulation.
    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!
    Zach Stevens's avatar
    Zach Stevens 4/16/2019 11:02 AM
    This TED talk was really interesting: https://www.ted.com/talks/katharine_wilkinson_how_empowering_women_and_girls_can_help_stop_global_warming#t-552195

    2  standout things that drive home the connection between gender equity and climate change, which may not seem obvious at first.

    1) Educating and empowering women is directly correlated to birth rates. People don't always like to talk about this but tone of the largest ways to reduce the impacts of climate change is to slow population growth from its most extreme cases. My increasing women's access to education we could reduce the peak population estimates by 1 billion people.
    2) Climate impacts  (drought, storms, fires, and economic impacts) will dis-proportionally impact women in developing countries who are often responsible for water gathering, farming, etc and whose empowerment is contingent on improving economic conditions.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Reduce Animal Products
    In your opinion, what contributes to people in North America eating more meat than any other countries? What does this say about North American values and ways of living?
    Zach Stevens's avatar
    Zach Stevens 4/15/2019 12:48 PM
    Meat is the cultural default for meal planning and prep in the US. What are we having this week? Chicken, beef, etc. I am guilty of this, but it has helped shave this back for us to develop some 'favorite" veggie based dishes that are in our normal dinner rotation.

    Here's my current favorite veggies recipe: https://www.budgetbytes.com/roasted-cauliflower-salad-lemon-tahini-dressing/
    Super yummy spicy tahini chickpea cauliflower and red onion hot salad. Sounds weird but it's delicious! 
    Read More
    • Melanie Lulue's avatar
      Melanie Lulue 4/16/2019 6:20 AM
      I have vegan friends and I love having dinner at their home because it broadens my diet and gives me ideas for recipes.  I do eat meat, but I love veggies and a lot of my meals are meatless, but not without an animal protein such as eggs, cheese, or maybe Greek yogurt.  Have you tried making tacos using quinoa and all the other fixings, but no meat?  They are very delicious and very filling.  Let you imagination go for what vegetables you would add and of course add salsa.  I had two different ones this past weekend and now I plan to make them myself.  I may even make them without the tortilla as a delicious layered salad.  The possibilities are endless.  Enjoy your day!
      Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Buildings and Cities Go for a Daily Walk
    What have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?
    Zach Stevens's avatar
    Zach Stevens 4/10/2019 1:35 PM
    Got to walk around a different city for a change! NYC looking fine! Many steps recorded
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Buildings and Cities Replace Manual Thermostats
    How do you anticipate replacing your thermostats for smart ones will positively impact your life?
    Zach Stevens's avatar
    Zach Stevens 4/10/2019 1:34 PM
    I wanted to go full-out with a Nest thermostat, but didn't have the right wiring configuration on my old gas furnace. Sad. But when we upgrade I'll probably make that switch. That being said switching to a programmable thermostat was easier than I thought! And it gets mos of the energy savings benefits of even the smartest Tstats, as long as you remember to change your schedule for things like vacations etc.
    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?
    Zach Stevens's avatar
    Zach Stevens 4/10/2019 1:31 PM
    Really interesting article! https://www.nationalobserver.com/2017/12/04/news/first-nations-powering-bc?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker

    Canadian First Nations are doing some great work. Need to do more research about what is happening locally, given the First Nations presence and history in the Seattle area.
    Read More
  • Zach Stevens's avatar
    Zach Stevens 4/05/2019 3:00 PM
    I installed new recessed lighting fixtures with LED bulbs that let you chose the color temperature to optimize your circadian impact!
    Read More