Denise Frizzell

ERUUF 2021

"My mission is to wake up, grow up, clean up, and show up to contribute to a more healthy, just, and sustainable world for all. "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
873 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

7.0

public officials or leaders

contacted
UP TO

100

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

20

trees

planted
UP TO

75

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

1.0

donation

made

Denise's actions

Buildings

Upgrade My Windows

Insulation

I will upgrade the windows or weatherstripping in my home or office to reduce air leaks and save on energy costs.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Buy Bamboo

Bamboo Production

When they are available, I will purchase products made from bamboo instead of wood, plastic, or metal.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Research Cement Alternatives

Alternative Cement

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching cement alternatives that reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Building Resilience

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

Conservation Agriculture, Regenerative Annual Cropping

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Building Resilience

Support Microgeneration in Low Income Countries

Small Hydropower, Micro Wind Turbines, Microgrids

I will make a donation to a nonprofit that installs microgeneration in low income countries.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Building Resilience

Learn About Drawdown Solutions

I will watch the introductory video on Drawdown Solutions with Dr. Elizabeth Bagley of Project Drawdown. This excellent presentation provides a primer on how Drawdown solutions reverse greenhouse gas emissions and shares stories of congregations and groups putting solutions into action. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHoA25g1tys

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Healing & Renewal

Explore My Area

Sometimes protecting nature requires feeling connected to nature. I will invest 60 minutes in exploring and appreciating a natural area in my region, whether a forest, wetland, coastal area, or somewhere else.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Healing & Renewal

Plant Trees

Temperate Forest Restoration

I will plant 3 tree(s) in my community, public parks, or backyard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Learn More about Biomass

Biomass Power

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Explore Other Electricity Solutions

All Electricity Solutions

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching other Drawdown Electricity Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Communicate With My Elected Officials

Onshore Wind Turbines, Offshore Wind Turbines

I will write or call 4 elected official(s) telling them not to support fossil fuel subsidies and instead support wind energy generation.

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?

Denise Frizzell 6/09/2021 6:08 PM

Our new windows were installed this week so I am eager to see if they translate into a reduction in our energy use and bill.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Explore Other Electricity Solutions

What is the most exciting solution you explored? Why is it exciting to you?

Denise Frizzell 6/09/2021 6:06 PM

The most exciting solution I explored is actually more the array of renewable solutions available to replace oil and gas. Solar, wind, biomass, hydro coupled by battery storage are all here now. The barriers are primarily political which are very real but crazy-making given that our collective fate hangs in the balance.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry Research Cement Alternatives

Concrete is a good example of a material that most of us encounter every day, but its carbon footprint may not be obvious. What other everyday materials might have a large carbon footprint? How can you find out more?

Denise Frizzell 6/03/2021 5:59 PM

Concrete is a good example of a material most of us encounter every day with minimal awareness of its carbon footprint. Other such everyday materials with high carbon footprints might include any that require high inputs of petroleum at any point along the production process. For example, plastics, furniture, building materials come to mind as possibilities. I can and will check this by searching the Internet for "high petroleum-based materials and products" to see what I find.

Read More
Denise Frizzell 5/25/2021 6:16 PM

I distributed woodchips to garden beds in our townhouse community on Monday as part of an ongoing effort to help restore the soil and slow down erosion.

Read More
- Emma Orabelle 4/09/2023 6:44 PM
  
  That's great to hear! Adding woodchips to garden beds is an excellent way to improve soil health, retain moisture, and prevent erosion. exhibit of sorrows
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Building Resilience Learn About Drawdown Solutions

What drawdown solutions do you now want to put into action individually and collectively in our congregation?

Denise Frizzell 5/25/2021 6:07 PM

While always room for improvement, I have adopted several of the individual drawdown solutions as part of my lifestyle. Collectively, our congregation, Eno River UU Fellowship in Durham, NC, is in year 4 of a formal UUA greening initiative, Green Sanctuary (GS). Our GS accreditation plan includes 12 projects in four areas of congregational life. Some of the projects are drawdown solutions. For example, the projects range from education (youth & adults) to solar panels to waste reduction. We hope to complete the certification process by the end of 2021.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Learn More about Biomass

Had you ever heard of biomass technology before you took this challenge? What did you learn that surprised you? Share your new knowledge with your friends!

Denise Frizzell 5/23/2021 6:55 PM

I had heard of biomass technology before I took this year's EcoChallenge. One of the disturbing learnings I had is that Europe is purchasing massive volumes of wood pellets made from trees clear cut from North Carolina USA forests under the auspice of clean-renewable energy. The company, Enviva, is one of the corporate culprits of this deceitful and destructive practice in NC. Fellow eco-stewards in Europe, please educate yourselves on the where and how of the wood pellets you purchase! ONE human family and ONE Planet Earth!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Healing & Renewal Plant Trees

How is planting trees good for your mental, physical, and spiritual health?

Denise Frizzell 5/18/2021 6:13 PM

Planting trees and being around trees is good for your mental, physical, and spiritual health in several ways. If I am recalling some of the research, I've read on the health benefits of trees correctly, trees lift or elevate human psychological and emotional well-being and reduce depressive moods. In the realm of physical health, trees help clean the air and cool the environment with shade cover. Trees also sequester CO2 which keeps greenhouse gas emissions out of our atmosphere. In the realm of spiritual health, the beauty of trees moves or touch many (most?) people in a deep and often unconscious and archetypal way that transcends simple explanations.

Read More
- Thomas Fletcher 5/22/2021 9:36 AM
  
  I got a serviceberry treee from Trees Durham during their tree giveaway and planted it in February. Of course at the time it was bare branched. So, as spring approached, I watched it closely to see it would take and then came the buds and blossoms. Then the leaves and and now there is a little bunch of serviceberries that has formed. I understand that serviceberries are loaded with anti-oxidants so I'll have to see if I can get a few before the birds when they ripen. And I've got a photo of the bunch and surrounding leaves that will be the subject of a painting. Cheers!
  
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Denise Frizzell 5/16/2021 6:07 PM

I still continue to be a little less engaged in this year's eco-challenge. I could do much better at recording daily actions but I do not see them on my dashboard? For example, I eat 95% plant-based weekly, support local farmers weekly via The Produce Box, compost, garden sustainably, strive to reduce/limit the use of single-use plastic, recycle, and walk in my community three to four times a week. Advice on capturing these points for the team?

Read More
- Denise Frizzell 5/18/2021 5:56 PM
  
  Thanks, Tom and Lucinda.
  
  Read More
- Thomas Fletcher 5/17/2021 11:53 AM
  
  Denise, looks like you got a response from beyond the team. All of your actions are fantastic, and because they are ongoing, very appropriate to count toward the ecochallenge. Seems like there is an "action" included in the Drawdown EcoChallenge that you can connect them to. Maybe this is old news and not a helpful comment, but daily actions are ready to click on again the day after you've claimed them, and if you miss recording on some days, there is a row of circles at the bottom that allows you to claim actions from several days ago by clicking on the appropriately dated circle or circles.
  
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- Lucinda Young 5/16/2021 9:33 PM
  
  Your dashboard will only show the activities that you select to work on/improve on during the Challenge. You select them from "manage actions" tab. Activities that you were already doing before the challenge (though they may be super important) are not the activities that you select.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks Buy Bamboo

Are bamboo alternatives readily available in your community? If not, what are other sustainable alternatives?

Denise Frizzell 5/16/2021 5:57 PM

Bamboo alternatives are available in my community on a small scale; however, online shopping outlets obviously increase availability. Local wood sources, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood, and wood alternatives offer additional options.

Read More
- Denise Frizzell 5/18/2021 5:58 PM
  
  I remember it, Tom. It closed shortly after we moved here. I actually drove there one day to check it out and discovered a note on the door stating they were closing the business.
  
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- Thomas Fletcher 5/17/2021 11:46 AM
  
  There used to be a very cool store in Durham called "Common Ground" that had all kinds of alternative products for the home, including bamboo flooring. It is too bad that they went out of business a couple of years ago.
  
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Denise Frizzell 5/12/2021 7:10 PM

While a small action, we requested the lowest VOC (and effective) possible adhesive for a bit of tiling work we are having done in our kitchen.

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