Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will research and recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community, making sure to not contaminate recyclables with non-recyclables.
COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION
Action Track: Healing & Renewal
Go for a Daily Walk
Walkable Cities
I will take a walk for 30 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.
COMPLETED 17
DAILY ACTIONS
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
Smaller Portions
Reduced Food Waste
I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food.
COMPLETED 17
DAILY ACTIONS
Action Track: Building Resilience
Forest-Friendly Foods 2
Tropical Forest Restoration
I will replace or remove the palm oil, coffee, and cocoa products in my current diet that are known to contribute to deforestation.
COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS
Action Track: Building Resilience
Support Nutrient Management
Nutrient Management
I will research and support local farmers who have made the decision to not use synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.
UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Action Track: Building Resilience
Support Local Food Systems
Plant-Rich Diets
I will source 10 percent of my food from local producers each day. This could include signing up for a local CSA, buying from a farmer's market, visiting a food co-op, foraging with a local group, or growing my own ingredients.
COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS
Electricity
Calculate the carbon footprint of my household
I will calculate the carbon emissions associated with my household and consider how different lifestyle choices could reduce our carbon footprint and our impact on the environment.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Electricity
Choose Renewable Energy or Purchase Renewable Energy Credits
Onshore Wind Turbines, Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaics
I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option. If my utility does not offer one, I will purchase Renewable Energy Credits to match my usage.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Action Track: Healing & Renewal
More Fruits And Veggies
I will eat a heart healthy diet by adding 1 cups of fruits and vegetables each day to achieve at least 4 cups per day.
COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION
Electricity
Choose LED Bulbs
LED Lighting
I will replace 4 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Industry
Go Paperless
Recycled Paper
I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by 0.11lbs (0.05kg) a day or 3.3lbs (1.6kg) a month by opting into paperless billing, ending unwanted subscriptions and opting out of junk mail.
UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
Keep Track of Wasted Food
Reduced Food Waste
I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during Drawdown 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 5
DAILY ACTIONS
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates
Reduced Food Waste
I will spend at least 15 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.
UNCOMPLETED
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.
UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Transportation
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 0
DAILY ACTIONS
Industry
Practice the 5 R's
Recycling
I will Practice the "5 Rs" — refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle — to reduce my waste more than I can with just recycling alone.
COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION
Electricity
Watch a Video about Methane Digesters
Methane Digesters
I will watch a video about methane digesters (also commonly known as anaerobic digesters).
UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
Reduce Animal Products
Plant-Rich Diets
I will enjoy 3 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.
COMPLETED 18
DAILY ACTIONS
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
Action Track: Building ResilienceSupport Nutrient Management
How does environmental quality influence your sense of community?
When my environment is maintained, I'm more inclined to go outside and to want to explore my area, which develops a greater sense of connection to and enjoyment of my community.
Action Track: Building ResilienceSupport Local Food Systems
Dependable fresh food, supporting local farmers and building resilient communities are just a few benefits of local food systems. Which of these (or other) advantages inspire you the most?
I feel good about supporting local farmers and small businesses while enjoying fresh, quality food. I like knowing that I can help benefit the community in some way.
Certain items are easy, like chocolate, since I really don't eat chocolate anyway. Other items, like coffee, will be more of a work in progress. I'll have to research brands that are Fair Trade and are better options when it comes to the issue of deforestation. I would also have to do more research on palm oil and see if there are certain foods that I currently buy that contain palm oil that I could replace with better alternatives.
How do your transportation choices affect your engagement in your community? Does your experience or enjoyment differ while walking, riding transit, biking or driving?
When I'm out walking my dog around our neighborhood, I'm able to talk with some of the neighbors and also connect with them if they have a dog, too. It's nice to feel that sense of community and be able to connect and engage with people, which you can't really get while driving.
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?
I have been reusing and re-purposing packing materials from items that I've ordered online to ship some items that I've sold on Ebay. This way, they'll get at least one more use, if not more, and they'll stay out of a landfill just a little bit longer. This makes me feel good about doing my small part in helping to curb any extra unnecessary waste.
I am currently re-purposing packing materials from items that I've ordered online to reuse for when I sell items on Ebay. At least this way, they'll get at least one more use (and possibly more, if the recipients continue the cycle of reusing them), keeping them out of a landfill a little longer.
Spending time outdoors can have a calming effect and boost my mood. Taking time to appreciate the simple pleasures of being outside, going for a walk, or taking my dog to the park can be a much needed change of scenery and can also help me feel more connected to the world around me. It's so easy to get caught up in everyday life, which is why it's so important to "take time to smell the roses."
I can definitely make some small changes in my daily life, such as unplugging certain things when not in use, like phone chargers and small appliances. I can also possibly carpool sometimes into work, and now that the weather is starting to get warmer, I can ride either my motorcycle or bike locally instead of driving.
I made sure to seal the window AC unit in our apartment to minimize the escape of heat during the winter. I also try to not use the space heater as much as possible, unless it's really cold inside and the radiators haven't turned on.
