EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Cassie Tingley

ETHS Bagasses

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
262 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

10

miles

traveled by bus
UP TO

70

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

4.0

miles

traveled by carpool
UP TO

8.9

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

9.0

public officials or leaders

contacted
UP TO

14

miles

not traveled by car

Cassie's actions

Transport

Use Public Transit

#37 Mass Transit

I will use public transit 5 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 2.83 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

#29 Wave and Tidal

I will spend at least 40 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of wave and tidal energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Try Carpooling

#75 Ridesharing

I will commute by carpool 2 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 1.61 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Action Track: Social Justice

Contact your Elected Officials

#23 Farmland Restoration

I will contact 9 elected officials to voice my opinion on the importance of restoring farmland in my region, including both public and private land.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

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 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

#11 Regenerative Agriculture

I will spend at least 120 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Use Muscle Power

#49 Cars

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips, and I will only use muscle-powered transportation for all other trips.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Women and Girls

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Biomass

#34 Biomass

I will spend at least 40 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Advocate for Solar Installation

#10 Rooftop Solar

I will create a plan to and advocate for solar installation at my business, apartment building, or campus.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Learn about Temperate Forests

#12 Temperate Forests

I will spend at least 120 minutes learning more about the environmental services provided by and the environmental issues affecting temperate forests.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

UNCOMPLETED
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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Social Justice

Give a Microloan

#62 Women Smallholders

I will give 2 microloan(s) to women who need help starting a business.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Social Justice

Help Girls Overcome Health Barriers

#6 Educating Girls

I will donate 5 Femme Kit(s) to help girls overcome health and sanitation barriers to being able to attend school.

UNCOMPLETED
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
Food

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?
Cassie Tingley 4/28/2019 3:43 PM
Eating smaller portions is also better for your health. Overeating can cause a multitude of diseases and, in addition, can make you feel gross (it makes me feel gross even though I still do it with some frequency).

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Social Justice

Do you have any personal connections to a farm or farmland? If so, what are they? What feelings are evoked for you when thinking about declining farmland?
Cassie Tingley 4/28/2019 3:42 PM
Since I was little, my family has gone to a family owned farm in Michigan close to our cottage to pick apples and berries and peaches. I know that their business has gotten tougher over the past few years, and it makes me really sad to think about them not being able to maintain their farm (for sentimental and human empathy reasons).

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation

What did you learn about wave and tidal energy? Were you surprised by the information you found?
Cassie Tingley 4/28/2019 3:39 PM
I learned about different types of tidal turbines that can be installed in different water environments. I also learned about the environmental downsides to these--they can disrupt fish populations and damming can lead to flooding and destruction of upstream habitats and downstream habitats (in case of dam breaking). The downsides surprised me because I assumed that there were no real downsides because this energy source is renewable.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?
Cassie Tingley 4/28/2019 3:36 PM
Honestly, I didn't pay too much mind to these dates before and went based off of the appearance and smell of the food. Now that I know the difference between these,I'll know not to throw away food if it's sealed and a few days beyond its sell-by date.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
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?
Cassie Tingley 4/28/2019 3:33 PM
My, or my sister's, college education.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Women and Girls

What did you learn about the need for family planning? Share some of the learning with your friends!
Cassie Tingley 4/28/2019 3:32 PM
I learned about the different types and success rates of different contraception methods, including ones that aren't taught at ETHS. Some of these are much more accessible to people in developing countries (like using body temperature to deduce fertile periods) than types of contraception (like an IUD) which require extensive medical services.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport

How do your transportation choices affect your engagement in your community? Does your experience or enjoyment differ while walking, riding transit, biking or driving?
Cassie Tingley 4/28/2019 3:26 PM
I like different forms of transportation for different reasons--the bus is convenient and allows me to be independent. I like biking because it is good for me and it's fun! It's also the most convenient for short distances and it's a good way to enjoy the weather. Carpooling is also fun because it allows me to spend time with my friends, but it isn't always convenient. Driving by myself is the least fun, but it is usually convenient and is the quickest way to get someplace father away. Walking is ideal for short distances and is also a good way to enjoy nice weather.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport

How has your access to various kinds of transporation throughout your life influenced your current attitudes about transportation and your transportation behavior?
Cassie Tingley 4/24/2019 8:38 AM
Last year, I could not drive and my host families did not drive me anywhere. So, I biked and took public transportation, which greatly reduced my carbon footprint.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport

List some of the places you frequent often (work, grocery store, natural areas). Could you choose one or two days a week to schedule driving with a friend, neighbor or co-worker to these places?
Cassie Tingley 4/24/2019 8:19 AM
I go to school everyday. I either bike, take the bus, or drive/get a ride most days, and when I drive, I often carpool.

Read More
Cassie Tingley 4/22/2019 7:15 PM
I started doing this project for my AP class (as you guys know). However, the challenges are more work than I expected and are forcing me to make actual changes to my daily routine.

Read More