Erin M

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips, and I will only use muscle-powered transportation for all other trips.

I will enjoy 3 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

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

I will spend at least 5 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

I will spend at least 5 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

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

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.

I will watch a video about methane digesters (also commonly known as anaerobic digesters).

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.

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.

I have heard that web hosting is on par with emissions rivaling the airline industry. I need to research this and if so, offset my carbon.

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

I get confused about a few items, so I am going to make a list that clearly shows what I can / cannot recycle, and then I'm going to ask my Recology representative to make sure I have it right!

Find our our household's carbon footprint.

Today I met with the Climate Analyst for the city of Ashland and we talked how to reshape the climate portion of the website to make it super user friendly and give Ashlanders vital information. We want to answer these questions: what is the city's plan? what can we each do to help? How do we know we're meeting our goals. We further drilled down into the topics people would learn about - water, buildings, energy, waste, transport, healthy ecosystems, green products / consumption, land use, preparing the community, and engaging citizens. Feels like we're making great progress!

Bamboo toothbrushes, toothpaste, collapsible cups, shampoo and conditioner bars, face soap not in plastic. Everything not in plastic. Go go go!

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

I will spend at least 5 minutes researching other Drawdown Buildings Solutions.

I will learn about sustainable fashion and begin trying to practice it in my own life.