EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Siri Vikan

WSP USA

"Working towards a better tomorrow with positive actions today"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,176 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

69

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

135

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

330

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

66

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

1.0

donation

made

Siri's actions

Women and Girls

Support Women-Owned Businesses

#62 Women Smallholders

I will spend 2 minutes each day researching women-owned businesses I can support when shopping.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

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

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Buildings and Cities

Go for a Daily Walk

#54 Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 15 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Fix Leaky Faucets

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will fix faucets or report leaky faucets to facilities that have been wasting up to 9 gallons (34 L) of water per faucet every day.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Make School More Affordable

#6 Educating Girls

I will raise funds to help make school affordable for girls around the world.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Explore Other Food Solutions

All Food Solutions

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching other Drawdown Food Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Launch a Recycling Program

#56 Industrial Recycling

I will set up a recycling center at my workplace or school.

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

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 1
DAILY 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?

Siri Vikan 4/24/2019 1:59 PM
THANK YOU for everyone that organized the WSP team! I have learned a lot and have been able to pass the resources on to my family! I am really grateful to be connected to an organization that takes the sustainability so seriously in our work and personal lives! Very thankful for this forum!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

What did you find out? What is the most interesting fact you learned?
Siri Vikan 4/24/2019 12:42 PM
So much amazing information in the webinar! I love that I found more reasons to be a vegetarian & how I am supporting our environment. We are vegetarians mostly due to the violation of animal rights but seeing how much water it takes to make a burger versus vegetables and almonds, there is no question that we are on the right track. We are moving towards vegan but still have some animal products. Seeing the information about veganism versus vegetarian, I think my family will continue to move towards becoming 100% vegan. I so appreciate the webinar!

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?
Siri Vikan 4/24/2019 8:11 AM
I added mulch to the base of 5 trees in my front yard at the beginning of the challenge. The difference has been pretty amazing along with the yard looks much better! In my area, there is little education about where the water goes. Out of sight = out of mind. I hear people say all the time that since we live by the Mississippi River, the water is clean and they do not see the problem with actions like dumping oil into storm drains.

Read More
- Siri Vikan 4/24/2019 8:46 AM
  I absolutely do discuss that there are other people! I came to StL after living in PHX and know the what we did to fight for clean water at the end of the Colorado. The mindset can be really challenging to change.
  
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- Jon Pope 4/24/2019 8:19 AM
  Please remind those that want to dump into the Mississippi that there's a lot of people downriver that depend on that water! We don't live on just bourbon in New Orleans.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

How can you take your commitment to sustainable living beyond yourself? How can you, personally, work toward broader change?
Siri Vikan 4/24/2019 8:08 AM
We are doing a week long electronic recycling drive! It is going great! I can live by example, share the changes I make on social media, and provide helpful tips to those I interact with daily.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

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?
Siri Vikan 4/24/2019 8:06 AM
We started a week long electronic and battery recycling program for the StL office. It is going really well & I finally got that box of old electronics out of the house to the electronic recycling plant! My goal is to get to a place of zero waste by incorporating the Rs. By making these small adjustments in my life, I know I am improving my daughter's life and future generations! I just need to continue to think ahead to have my on the go silverware and to go cups and my straw along with always bringing in reusable bags even if it is not a grocery store.

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Siri Vikan 4/24/2019 7:59 AM
Keeping track of wasted food has been eye opening for my family! It is great to be able to make adjustments in what we purchase, mainly, but also in what we are packing for lunch and making for dinner. We are going to keep it up to continue to find ways to make changes in our habits!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?
Siri Vikan 4/24/2019 7:55 AM
This was a good review for sure! It is great to be able to save money by purchasing items close to the sell by date and making sure not to throw away items because of that date.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

Had you heard of the term "silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?
Siri Vikan 4/24/2019 7:53 AM
I love the sustainable pastures & improvements in animals health and well-being!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

What are other easy and low-cost ways to reduce your water usage at home?
Siri Vikan 4/24/2019 7:52 AM
Turn off water when brushing teeth, shorter showers, collecting rainwater for watering plants, purchasing appliances that use less water, stay on top of any leaks or running toilets.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Women and Girls

Why is it important that girls have equal access to education in order to reduce our global greenhouse gas emissions?
Siri Vikan 4/24/2019 7:49 AM
Women are 51% of the world's population. Educating women provides opportunity and choices that are not available today. Educated women raise educated children! Women with choices, opportunity and freedom will be able to do make more environmentally friendly decisions.

Read More