EcoChallenge.org

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 3 - April 24, 2019

Cory Wyffels

WSP USA

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
578 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

132

miles

traveled by bus
UP TO

45

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

150

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

14

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

33

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

132

miles

not traveled by car

Cory's actions

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 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Use Public Transit

#37 Mass Transit

I will use public transit 12 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 3.04 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Research Cement Alternatives

#36 Alternative Cement

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching cement alternatives that reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

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 1 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

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 14
DAILY ACTIONS

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

#18 Geothermal

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

#29 Wave and Tidal

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of wave and tidal energy.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Biomass

#34 Biomass

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

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

Had you ever heard of biomass techonology before you took this challenge? What did you learn that surprised you? Share this with your friends!
Cory Wyffels 4/22/2019 2:48 PM
Yes, but did not know a ton about it. That the specific type of feedstock is so important, for example waste from mills or a sustainable perennial crops use less energy and deplete less groundwater than corn or sorghum which are annual grain crops.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation

Geothermal energy is reliable, abundant, and efficient. Project Drawdown states that public investment will play a crucial role in its expansion. In what ways (i.e. with money, time, advocacy) can you invest in geothermal energy?
Cory Wyffels 4/22/2019 2:09 PM
Supporting the research for geothermal energy, advocating for the technology/energy, and donating money are ways to help invest in geothermal energy. The biggest issues with geothermal energy are the costs of an experimental well location and the public perception. Advocating for the reliability of geothermal energy and encouraging more research as well as the need for funding would be influential.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

Concrete is a good example of a material that most of us encounter every day, but may its carbon footprint is not obvious. What other everyday materials might have a large carbon footprint? How can you find out more?
Cory Wyffels 4/17/2019 6:59 AM
Other construction materials and everyday plastic and rubber materials likely have a higher carbon footprint. The carbon footprint could be from the plant in creating the material or for the transport of the product throughout its life. This information can be searched for online in different journals and research studies.

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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?
Cory Wyffels 4/15/2019 10:10 AM
Since I work in the city it is very walkable. When I am able to walk near a park that makes a big difference in the separation from vehicles and pollution feel. Trees and parks, along with sidewalk space separated further from roadways makes the walk more enjoyable.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use

How is your diet currently impacting deforestation? What can you do to decrease your negative impact and increase your positive impact?
Cory Wyffels 4/15/2019 10:00 AM
The main causes of deforestation are from expanding plantations for soy, palm oil, cocoa, and coffee crops. My main contributors are soy and coffee with some palm oil in products. I can reduce my coffee and soy consumption and find alternatives for products that contain palm oil.

Read More
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?
Cory Wyffels 4/09/2019 1:27 PM
Health benefits, cost benefits, reducing food waste, increasing leftovers, less dish area to wash, etc.

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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?
Cory Wyffels 4/09/2019 12:59 PM
Knowing the difference allows me to make informed decision as to the true expiration of an item. The use by and best by are for food quality and the item will be the best if eaten before or by this date, but if soon after the item may still be fine, just the quality will likely have reduced. This will save in tossing items when the use by or best by dates are close or just passed. The sell by is for the retailers and that does not indicate the products self-life, the food item still typically has 1/3 of the useful life remaining when it is suggested to leave the store shelf. This will help in differentiating the best by and use by aimed at consumers and the sell by aimed at the retailers allowing for a better understanding of a products shelf-life.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

Good job on choosing recycled paper! How can you take your action a step further?
Cory Wyffels 4/09/2019 10:57 AM
Using recycled plastic or other materials! Also using less paper or going paperless at work when possible!

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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?
Cory Wyffels 4/09/2019 10:45 AM
Reducing is the main way to help in producing waste. Reducing plastic use and food waste are two items that I could incorporate more into my life. Reusing or repurposing items such as clothing or glass jars/bottles for a different capacity instead of throwing out or recycling is another way that the R's can be incorporated into my lifestyle. It makes me feel resourceful and impactful in terms of saving money, materials, and being sustainable.

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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?
Cory Wyffels 4/09/2019 10:39 AM
Living close to a city and having easy access to transportation has encouraged me to take advantage of public transportation, whether it is the bus or train, to get into the city or to work. I still use my car weekly out of convenience if I am going grocery shopping or going to a location where public transit is not an option. Growing up near public transit has definitely pushed me to be more accepting of it and take advantage of it on a regular basis.

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