EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Rebecca Viets

The Food Fighters

"Looking forward to the collective effort to reduce our environmental footprint at VM!"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,302 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

5.0

conversations

with people
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

1.0

donation

made
UP TO

32

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

280

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

400

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

1.0

person

helped
UP TO

3.0

public officials or leaders

contacted

Rebecca's actions

Action Track: Social Justice

Express My Support

#54 Walkable Cities

I will find out who in my city makes decisions that impact neighborhood walkability and express my support for better walking infrastructure.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

#47 Bioplastic

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching how to properly dispose of bioplastics in my city and share this information with 5 friends, family and/or colleagues.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Watch a Video about Methane Digesters

#30 Methane Digesters (large), #64 Methane Digesters (small)

I will watch a video about methane digesters (also commonly known as anaerobic digesters).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Help Girls Overcome Health Barriers

#6 Educating Girls

I will donate 1 Femme Kit(s) to help girls overcome health and sanitation barriers to being able to attend school.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Biomass

#34 Biomass

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 11
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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Support Nutrient Management

#65 Nutrient Management

I will research and support local farmers who have made the decision to not use synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME 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

Transport

Test Drive an Electric Bike

#69 Electric Bikes

I will test drive an electric bike at a local distributor to see if it makes sense to use one in place of my car, or to extend the area I can cover by bike.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

#29 Wave and Tidal

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of wave and tidal energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Go for a Daily Walk

#54 Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 20 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 2 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 16
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 18
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Buildings and Cities

Express My Support

#59 Bike Infrastructure

I will find out who in my city makes decisions that impact bike routes and express my support for better biking infrastructure.

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 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 30 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

UNCOMPLETED
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.

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
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?

Rebecca Viets 4/22/2019 8:39 AM

There are so many resources now to find women owned businesses. It only takes a few minutes to find what stores and restaurants are woman owned. I was surprised to find that many of the women owned businesses that I found, did in fact have a focus on giving back to their communities or donating a portion of their profits to environmental organizations. A great example is a business called The Eco Collective - it's owned by three woman, they sell all zero-waste packaging projects, and hold workshops and events several times a month that all center around helping the environment.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

What concerns you the most about how we are affecting the planet? Consider both local and global actions.

Rebecca Viets 4/22/2019 8:03 AM

For me, one of the biggest concerns is single use plastics. Petroleum based plastics require fossil fuels to make, never fully return to their natural components, create a lot of greenhouse emissions as they breakdown, and are causing devastating harm to our river and ocean ecosystems. Locally we can work to cleanup our neighborhoods and beaches so that existing plastics end up in the landfill and not the oceans. Globally, there needs to be an effort to manufacture using less plastics and more with compostable or reusable products.

Read More
Rebecca Viets 4/22/2019 7:58 AM

I’ve really like this EcoChallenge so far. I’ve learned a lot about different types of renewable energies, how supporting women’s education helps the environment, and tried my first electric bike. There’s still so much we can be doing to help the environment, but it’s good to see people taking baby steps in the right direction.

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?

Rebecca Viets 4/22/2019 7:54 AM

I’ve really enjoyed just getting outside, stretching my legs, and getting a little additional exercise. Things that I’ve noticed that make walking more enjoyable: areas with street lights for walking at night, parks with trees or nice landscaping, sidewalks or streets with a large shoulder. Things that make walking less enjoyable: dodging people on their bikes or scooters (another reason to support bike infrastructure!), people who leave their dogs’ messes on the sidewalk, and heavily trafficked roads with little to no shoulder to walk on.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Social Justice Express My Support

How could better walking infrastructure make your city both more enjoyable and more equitable?

Rebecca Viets 4/22/2019 7:49 AM

Better walking infrastructure allows safer and easier transportation by foot. It gives citizens the opportunity to get more exercise, run errands without a car, and enjoy time with their neighbors outdoors. In densely populated areas, owning a car can be expensive due to parking expenses. In lower income areas, many people do not have cars. In these communities, providing safe ways to walk to and from public transportation in crucial. Additionally, making our neighborhoods more walkable gives us an opportunity to reduce greenhouse emissions by having to drive our cars less.

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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?

Rebecca Viets 4/21/2019 6:10 PM

Keep track of food waste as been very insightful for me. I realized that the majority of my food waste either comes from letting left overs or produce go bad in the fridge or from restaurants over serving food. I usually get to-go boxes, but things like French fries just aren’t worth taking home. I definitely will be more conscience about eating my leftovers before they go bad and not over buying food. With all that saved money, I’d love to put it towards traveling or I could buy an electric bike!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Use Muscle Power

How do your transportation choices affect your engagement in your community? Does your experience or enjoyment differ while walking, riding transit, biking or driving?

Rebecca Viets 4/20/2019 6:44 PM

Walking and biking definitely create the best sense of community. It’s creates an opportunity to say hi to your neighbors while walking your dog or see areas of your neighborhood that need some extra attention. Public transport has some element of community, but in general most people keep to themselves on the bus. Driving really doesn’t have much of any sense of community unless you are carpooling.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Support Nutrient Management

How does environmental quality influence your sense of community?

Rebecca Viets 4/20/2019 6:40 PM

A feel that clean, safe spaces create a better since of community. There is something to be said for everyone working together to care for their neighborhood and park. I think projects that better environmental quality such as planting trees in a park, cleaning up trash in our neighborhoods or volunteering at a community garden are another great way to connect with your neighbors.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation Watch a Video about Methane Digesters

What does your vision of a sustainable community look like? What would need to be changed in order for such vision to become reality?

Rebecca Viets 4/19/2019 4:45 PM

For me a sustainable community is one where people look at their daily activities and see what kind of small changes they can make. For example, using your own coffee mug, carrying your own water bottle, and stores not selling products in single use plastics. I also think a sustainable community is one where elected officials make alternative energy, public transit, and bike infrastructure a priority.

Read More
Rebecca Viets 4/18/2019 9:00 PM

Went on my daily walk today as the result of leaving my keys at work and having to walk home from the Park & Ride. Luckily I can take forested hiking trails most of the way home. It did get me thinking about how else I might be able to get to and from the Park & Ride. The walk took about 45 minutes, but I could take a connecting bus or look into getting that e-bike I’ve been thinking about (I live at the top of a very very long hill!)

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