Rishya Narayanan

Mass Audubon Climate Action

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
934 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

270

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

120

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

3.3

pounds of paper

have been saved

Rishya's actions

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

Tropical Forest Restoration

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

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 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

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

Food

Smaller Portions

Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

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

Food

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 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Conduct Virtual Meetings

Telepresence

I will encourage my office to hold meetings virtually whenever possible instead of requiring travel.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Learn about Local Indigenous Practices

Indigenous Peoples' Forest Tenure

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how local indigenous tribes are caring for the land by participating in a training, workshop, or presentation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Electric Cars, Hybrid Cars

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Go for a Daily Walk

Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 45 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 0
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?

Rishya Narayanan 4/29/2020 11:52 AM
Hi team! We're so close to the finish line of this challenge and Earth Month. I'm incredibly proud to be a part of this amazing community, and it's been a great month watching our collective climate action grow in impact. Tomorrow is the LAST day to check in for all the actions you've selected. So hop on over for one last check in (and see if you can win any competitions you set with your family and friends)!

Climate action doesn't end after this challenge. If you've found the Ecochallenge experience valuable, we encourage you to stay a part of the Mass Audubon Community. Follow us on all social media (@MassAudubon) and visit our website (massaudubon.org/climate) for more information on our climate action initiatives and how we can continue to work together to fight climate change. Let's see if we can keep 7th place - or better - until the end of this challenge. Go team!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities

What have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?
Rishya Narayanan 4/07/2020 11:47 AM
I've noticed that there are a lot of sidewalks in my neighborhood, but there aren't a lot of green spaces. This is really frustrating for me, especially during COVID-19 social distancing, because everyone has the same idea I do (obviously): go for a walk when it's nice out for mental health and exercise. We're even getting visitors from other towns to our green spaces, so it's almost impossible to socially distance while going outside. All this to say: I don't think this would be as big of an issue if we had more green spaces in our neighborhood, so we wouldn't have to travel elsewhere to get fresh air and exercise safely during and after COVID. It's something I'd be willing to bring to my local elected officials, since we're so heavily focused on residential development and not maintenance of green space, which has massive climate implications.

On a more positive note, I did see a beautiful little starling today and listened to it sing for 5 minutes. Definitely got some weird looks for standing in the middle of the sidewalk staring at a tree, but super worth it!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

Many states and countries have advisories on eating fish. Find out what is advised for your region. Do you think your diet choices fall within these guidelines? What steps do you need to take to make sure that they do?
Rishya Narayanan 4/02/2020 11:37 AM
My diet choices definitely fall within National guidelines of fish consumption, as I don't eat seafood too often. What I found more interesting, and challenging, are local suggestions for seafood. It's fascinating how food sustainability and climate change intertwine, and just by purchasing something local and in season, I can save money AND fight climate change! I do wish there was a way to buy seafood more directly - sustainable providers (like Red's Best in Boston, for example) come with a much higher price tag that I can't quite afford just yet. Additionally, it can be hard to put Seafood Choice's suggestions into action. I don't have the mobility to travel that far to buy rainbow trout that was caught with x tool at x location - and often I don't have the time to go store hopping to find the one place that fits sustainability criteria. This is definitely a work in progress action, and I really enjoyed learning more!

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