Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge

Roxanne Kougasian

Parsippany Parsleys

"Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light. -Theodore Roethke"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
856 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

450

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

10

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

284

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

20

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

46

more servings

of fruits and vegetables
UP TO

1.3

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

15

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

2.0

zero-waste meals

consumed
UP TO

2.0

lightbulbs

replaced

Roxanne's actions

Buildings

Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

Low-Flow Fixtures

I will save up to 15 gallons (56 L) of water a day or 450 gallons (1,680 L) a month by installing a low-flow showerhead.

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 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Healing & Renewal

Eat Mindfully

I will eat all of my meals without distractions, e.g., phone, computer, TV, or newspaper.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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

Land Sinks

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

Tropical Forest Restoration

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Choose LED Bulbs

LED Lighting

I will replace 2 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
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 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Industry

Reduce Single-Use Disposables

Bioplastics

I will avoid buying and using 2 single-use plastics and instead replace them with durable options.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Smart Seafood Choices

Ocean Farming

I will visit seafoodwatch.org or download the app and commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Reduce Animal Products

Plant-Rich Diets

I will enjoy 2 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

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 1
DAILY ACTION

Action Track: Healing & Renewal

Go for a Daily Walk

Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 20 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Support Organic Growing Methods

Nutrient Management

I will buy organic cotton and foods grown without the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Zero-waste Cooking

Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 1 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

COMPLETED 2
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 14
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: Healing & Renewal Go for a Daily Walk

What have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?

Roxanne Kougasian 4/06/2021 8:53 AM

I noticed recently that the school field near my home was open for people to have access to the field and the paved pathway around it. This makes it very easy for me to simply walk to the field and then walk around the pathway. However, sometimes in the past I've noticed that the fence has been closed and locked. It would be nice to always have access to this and another track nearby which is also sometimes closed to the public. There is also a park with a pond in my town that has a pathway around it, which is another nice option for walking. These types of places make my walks much easier, accessible, and more enjoyable, rather than walking on a busy street.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

What would a sustainable water future in your region look like? What needs to change?

Roxanne Kougasian 4/06/2021 7:31 AM

Some small changes to support a more sustainable water future that people could implement right outside their own homes:
1. Install a rain barrel to collect rainwater to be used later when watering the lawn, flowers, plants, etc.
2. Choose drought-tolerant plants that require less watering.
3. Apply a thick layer of mulch to help keep the root zone cool and moisture in the soil, again, minimizing the amount of water needed to water the plants.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry Reduce Single-Use Disposables

What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

Roxanne Kougasian 4/06/2021 7:04 AM

I generally use the plastic fruit and vegetable bags at the supermarket. I could swap these out with the mesh reusable bags instead. I also use the plastic bags at the store to bag my groceries; however, I do reuse these in my garbage can at home, instead of having to go out and actually buy garbage bags. So I feel okay about reusing them in this way.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks Forest-Friendly Foods 1

How is your diet currently impacting deforestation? What can you do to decrease your negative impact and increase your positive impact?

Roxanne Kougasian 4/06/2021 6:31 AM

According to worldwildlife.org: "Beef production is the top driver of deforestation in the world's tropical forests. The forest conversion it generates more than doubles that generated by the production of soy, palm oil, and wood products (the second, third, and fourth biggest drivers) combined."

Knowing this information, I can be more mindful of the food and products that I buy and try to support brands that do not contribute to deforestation, or avoid certain items altogether, such as not eating beef. I generally don't eat beef anyway, so that's an easy first step! I can also be mindful of the brands of coffee and chocolate I buy to ensure they're Fair Trade and avoid products made with palm oil.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?

Roxanne Kougasian 4/06/2021 6:18 AM

Knowing the difference between these recommended dates can help me make better use of the food I buy and meal plan accordingly to minimize food waste. It's also good to know that the Best By dates are usually just a recommendation as to when the food will be at its freshest, and as long as the food looks, smells, and tastes good, it should still be okay to consume.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Zero-waste Cooking

In North America, up to 65% of food waste happens at the consumer level. Chef Steven Satterfield advocates for utilizing every part of a vegetable. How can you incorporate using an entire vegetable, including the skins, tops, and stalks during your next meal prep?

Roxanne Kougasian 4/06/2021 6:05 AM

Some ways to incorporate all parts of a vegetable would be to incorporate them when baking or when juicing.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Support Organic Growing Methods

It is often said that “you can’t feed the world with just organic food.” What is your response to that statement?

Roxanne Kougasian 4/02/2021 5:50 AM

I believe that we CAN feed the world with organically grown food. If everyone was more mindful of how much food they wasted (due to buying too much and not consuming it before it goes bad), we could better allocate resources. Also, if there were more systems in place along all steps of the food supply chain to prevent food waste and to provide more efficient distribution of food to supermarkets as well as to those in need, I believe we would have more than enough to feed everyone.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Smaller Portions

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 from eating/serving smaller portions?

Roxanne Kougasian 4/01/2021 9:19 AM

Starting out with smaller plates and portion sizes allows our brains and bodies time to process that we are full. It can take up to 15 minutes for our brains to get the message that we are actually full. In this way, we can maintain a healthier body weight by not overeating.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Choose LED Bulbs

Changing lightbulbs is an excellent first step toward energy efficiency! What's next for you?

Roxanne Kougasian 4/01/2021 8:15 AM

We already take steps at home to be more energy efficient, which both saves money and helps the planet. We try to always lower the thermostat when possible, have a low-flow showerhead, do not use space heaters, and have been using cold water when using the washing machine.

Additional steps we can take:
1. We can make sure to unplug unused chargers or small appliances when not in use.
2. When it's time to replace old appliances, we can make sure they are Energy Star-certified.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Calculate the carbon footprint of my household

After you determined your carbon footprint, did you see what different choices you can make in order to reduce it?

Roxanne Kougasian 4/01/2021 8:02 AM

I already take certain steps that have decreased my overall carbon footprint, such as: living only a couple of miles away from work, not traveling by plane, and trying to turn off lights and electricity when not in use at home. I will continue to be mindful of other small changes I can implement in order to further reduce my carbon footprint.

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