Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge

Jane Burch-Pesses

PlanetCon

"Learn to do more, not just donate."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
797 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

person

helped
UP TO

2.0

donations

made

Jane's actions

Transport

Buy an electric car

I have wanted an electric car for decades and in 2015 I bought one and I love it!

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Support pollinators

Take an action to support our planet's pollinators. Learn about bees and butterflies. Make your yard more attractive to pollinators by planting native plants or reducing chemicals. Sign up for the Backyard Habitats Certification program. Share what you've learned.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Plant Native Plants

I will plant 12 native yarrow (Achillea millefolium 'Calistoga') in my yard that I buy from Xera Plants, a nursery specializing in low water plants, including many Oregon natives. Favorite of butterflies and other pollinators.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Contact City of Hillsboro about trees for bus stop

I will call them and find out who to talk to about this.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Enhancing bus stops

Now that I have contacted the right person, I will talk to him about the specific steps to enhance the bus stop nearest me. Also ask him about the most used bus stops.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Talk to Dept of Transportation

Need infö on their right of way around the bus stop.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Use Muscle Power

Multiple Transportation Solutions

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 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Protect our watershed - learn and do

The Tualatin watershed is crucial to our community's well-being. Learn more about the conservation and restoration activities of the past and present that are ensuring the health of our watershed. Pick an action from the following options: 1) Switch to organic or slow-release fertilizers, 2) Replace a non-permeable surface with a permeable one, 3) Always pick up after pets (if you notice a location, park, or greenspace with a pet waste problem, find a way to improve the disposal infrastructure), 4) Plant tough/hardy plants that require little or no extra water/fertilizer, 5) Use roof water or greywater in the garden instead of having it run directly to the street or down the drain.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

LEARN MORE ABOUT PLASTICS IN THE WASTE STREAM

The history of recycling programs is complex. Much of the confusion about what is and isn't recyclable started decades ago. Take some time time to learn about the evolution of plastic recycling efforts. Click 'learn more' for suggested videos and articles.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Talk to neighbors

Talk to one of my neighbors about planting milkweed.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Help Students Overcome Health Barriers

Health and Education

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Support Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

Indigenous Peoples' Forest Tenure

I will donate to Native American Rights Fund, which protects tribal natural resources and environmental rights and promotes Native American Human Rights.

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?

Jane Burch-Pesses 7/10/2020 4:47 PM

Finally, I have my muscle powered transport! I set this goal back in April or May, but first I had to research the best kick scooter for me and order it. Then I needed to locate some elbow and knee pads locally. Then I had to research the best helmet and order it. Long process. But I have a Fred Meyer about 4 blocks from my house and I made my first trip there yesterday. Bicycles are wonderful machines but I have seen the results of stopping too short and going over the handlebars and heard the reports of the deaths in traffic accidents. I will happily trade off less speed for more safety and my scooter is plenty fast for me. Faster than walking, at any rate.

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Jane Burch-Pesses 7/04/2020 3:10 PM

Here's the bag that has empowered me for years to refuse plastic bags. I used it so often (and for such heavy things) that I had to sew some grosgrain ribbon into the handles to reinforce them! LOL! Hope you had a great International Plastic Bag Free Day yesterday!

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Jane Burch-Pesses 7/02/2020 9:12 AM

Hi, Michael! I am so glad you brought this up!

Tomorrow is International Plastic Bag Free Day!

The single use plastic bag ban started in Oregon on Jan. 1 and then when the virus hit there was some backtracking. Not because it's not important anymore, but because there was concern that clerks might be exposed by handling customers bags. With more information, that is no longer a concern. Those who are still cautious are simply asking customers who bring their own bags to bag their own stuff.

We have been bag refusers for years, but plastic bags are ubiquitous and can be challenging to eliminate. We always bring our own bags. We use Stashers and Mason jars in the refrigerator instead of plastic bags. Anyone have a good option for getting produce home from the store without plastic bags? It wouldn't be so difficult if supermarkets didn't keep the produce so dripping wet.

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Jane Burch-Pesses 6/18/2020 9:11 AM

I took this photo on Nature Photography day (June 15) in my backyard! This is why I try to plant native plants, in addition to my fruiting plants and favorites.

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- Jane Burch-Pesses 6/19/2020 12:52 PM
  
  Thanks so much for commenting, Sahara!
  
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Jane Burch-Pesses 5/24/2020 11:55 AM

We're #10! And 33 points away from 10,000 points!

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Jane Burch-Pesses 5/22/2020 6:24 PM

Earlier in the sheltering in place, people were doing scavenger hunts for the kids, to get them out walking around and visually finding things in their neighbors' property. One scavenger hunt was for native plant week and they asked us to label any native plants in our yards. Here is a photo of my red alder, complete with sign. If you want to read a lyrical description of alder and its role in PNW forests, read the alder chapter in Natural Grace: The Charm, Wonder, and Lessons of Pacific Northwest Animals and Plants by William Dietrich. I was also intrigued by the statement "...serious butterfly gardeners will want to plant alders," on page 380 of The Encyclopedia of Northwest Native Plants for Gardens and Landscapes. This is consistent with Tallamy's designation of alder in Nature's Best Hope as a local keystone species that supports 210 kinds of local Lepidoptera.

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Jane Burch-Pesses 5/22/2020 9:20 AM

We are team number 12! Yay, us! Also our total points stand now at 9,281 - Very close to our team captain's predicted 10,000!

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- Roberta Sommer 5/22/2020 12:27 PM
  
  Now, we are at 11th place! By the end of the weekend, Team PlanetCon could reach the top ten AND 10,000 pts. This team is blowing my mind.
  
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Jane Burch-Pesses 5/21/2020 2:33 PM

Tomorrow is our last day. I feel a bit sad. At least I can stay in touch with Lori Gates through the Facebook habitat page.

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- househol delsewhere 11/28/2022 2:00 AM
  
  Bicycles are amazing machines, but I've seen what happens when you don't give yourself enough room to drift hunters stop and go flying over the bars, and I've read about how people have died in traffic accidents because of it. My scooter is quick enough for me, so I'm happy to sacrifice speed for security. Certainly more quickly than walking.
  
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- Lori Gates 5/21/2020 7:36 PM
  
  Hi, Jane, I have really enjoyed your posts and commentary! Besides joining the habitat facebook, you should also join here https://www.facebook.com/westsidemasterrecyclers/ ,Westside Master Recyclers page, which covers mostly Washington County sustainability items. I hope to meet you in person at an upcoming PlanetCon event, the next one is **hopefully** January 2021. (unless Covid gets in the way again).
  
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Jane Burch-Pesses 5/21/2020 2:32 PM

The cedar waxwings are back on my red hot pokers! No, red hot pokers are not a native plant, but how can I dig them up when the cedar waxwings come? They always look to me like they are wearing racing caps!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials LEARN MORE ABOUT PLASTICS IN THE WASTE STREAM

Did you learn anything with this challenge action that changes your perspective on recycling? What about plastics specifically?

Jane Burch-Pesses 5/17/2020 11:47 AM

I was aware of the scope of the problem and the difficulties addressing it. The quote, "Recyclability is a poor predictor of environmental benefits," is frustrating, although accurate in the case of plastics. As always, reduce and reuse are better options than recycle. They also make a good point that recycling codes 3 through 7 should not have the triple arrow recycling symbol on them, since very few plastic items with those codes are ever recycled. An end to cheap oil would be the most effective thing to drastically reduce single use plastics, and also have many other effects.

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