EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Galen Tromble

ClimateYogi

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
940 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

90

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

510

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

33

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

1,152

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

57

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

1.0

donation

made

Galen's 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

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 3 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

#11 Regenerative Agriculture

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Conduct Virtual Meetings

#63 Telepresence

I will encourage my office to hold meetings virtually whenever possible instead of requiring travel.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Purchase a Carbon Offset

#43 Airplanes

If I buy a plane ticket, I will purchase a carbon offset.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Go for a Daily Walk

#54 Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 30 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Support Local Food Systems

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will source 25 percent of my food from local producers each day. This could include signing up for a local CSA, buying from a farmer's market, visiting a food co-op, foraging with a local group, or growing my own ingredients.

COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Advocate for Forest Protection

#38 Forest Protection

I will contact 3 congress people or representatives to advocate for public policy that protects forests and the enforcement of existing anti-logging laws.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 2

#5 Tropical Forests

I will replace or remove the palm oil, coffee, and cocoa products in my current diet that are known to contribute to deforestation.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 60 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Materials

Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency by mulching the base of trees and plants in my yard.

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 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Social Justice

Donate

#21 Clean Cookstoves

I will donate to nonprofits that install clean cookstoves in low-income countries.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

Galen Tromble 5/01/2019 3:45 AM
I was reminded that it takes some effort and energy to make even little changes. The first day or two are easy, but when concentration is lost, such as for an intention to walk more instead of drive, the autopilot of habit takes over right away and the car is on the road. There's much teaching in yoga about living intentionally rather than habitually. The samskaras (grooves, habits, unconscious patterns) that our life runs in can be powerful and deep. Yoga helps us uncover those patterns, make choices about the ones we want to change, and focus our mind and energy on the change we want.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

Name some of the human activities impacting the health of water systems, both locally (your watershed) and globally (freshwater and oceans). What can you do to improve the health of water systems?
Galen Tromble 4/15/2019 8:54 AM
This year in my garden I've focused on adding a lot more organic matter to build the soil and using more mulch. It's amazing to see water that would pool on top of bare soil and run off disappear into the organic layer like it's being absorbed by a sponge.

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Galen Tromble 4/08/2019 2:58 PM
So far, so good. I'm going to look for another challenge or two to do. No stress!!

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- Lore Rosenthal 4/09/2019 7:42 PM
  Hey Galen. Greetings from Team Greenbelt. Your team seems to be doing very well.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

Clean air, clean water and healthy food are three reasons to care about regenerative agriculture. What are some other reasons?
Galen Tromble 4/06/2019 5:41 PM
I spent the afternoon today at Forested, a permaculture forest garden that is on the site previously used to grow GMO corn. I helped move the flock of ducks to a new pasture, place logs in a tank of water to initiate fruiting of Shiitake mushrooms, and planted some perennials. I learned a great deal about the process of working over a period of years to transform a degraded site into a productive food forest ecosystem.

Read More
Galen Tromble 4/03/2019 3:27 PM
Lovely day today, and got off to a good start on the challenge.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport

How can you ensure that your virtual meetings honor your values and your company's culture?
Galen Tromble 4/03/2019 3:26 PM
I do a LOT of Zoom meetings. I'm finding that even within the metropolitan area, a Zoom meeting is much better than trying to meet in person most of the time - there's too much traffic. Zoom lets us stay off the roads and saves a lot of time too.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities

What have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?
Galen Tromble 4/03/2019 3:22 PM
We have a nice trail in a stream valley park that is great for recreation. Walking into the downtown area is mostly OK, but one road needs sidewalks.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport

A round-trip flight from New York City to Los Angeles emits just over 1.5 tons of CO2. What can you do to reduce the number of flights you take per year?
Galen Tromble 3/26/2019 5:53 AM
Simply being aware of the climate impact of air travel makes it a more weighty choice. Rather than traveling by air because it's easy to do or the first thing that comes to mind, it becomes something I do when I feel I really need to, and there isn't a good option with less impact.

Read More