Encourage my company and/or organization to measure and manage their carbon footprint
Organizations have a responsibility to make sustainable business decisions. To understand how to improve sustainable practices, it’s important to start with understanding the current impact. I will share the Tradewater Business Carbon Calculator with my organization.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
Reduce Animal Products (Gradual Version)
My goal has been and is to eat any red meat (beef, pork, lamb) as a way to start progressing toward eating meatless/with no animal products. I believe that in doing this, I can learn how to prepare meals using products that do not have a negative environmental impact, while also sustainably working toward a diet that helps reduce carbon emissions.
COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS
Land Sinks
Support a Community Garden
Multiple Solutions
I will support a community garden by volunteering, donating, or advocating for a new or existing one.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Action Track: Healing & Renewal
Eat Mindfully
I will eat all of my meals without distractions, e.g., phone, computer, TV, or newspaper.
COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
Support Indigenous Peoples' Land Management
Indigenous Peoples' Forest Tenure
I will donate to Native American Rights Fund, which protects tribal natural resources and environmental rights and promotes Native American Human Rights.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Transportation
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 10
DAILY ACTIONS
Buildings
Install A Toilet Tank Bank
Low-Flow Fixtures
I will reduce the amount of water flushed and save up to 11 gallons (41 L) of water a day or 330 gallons (1,230 L) a month by installing a toilet tank bank.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
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.
UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Industry
Invite a friend to calculate the carbon footprint of their household
Individual actions are important, but people and organizations working together can make a real impact. I will share a carbon calculator with a friend and invite them to calculate the carbon footprint of their household.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Industry
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
Action Track: Building Resilience
Communicate With My Elected Officials
Onshore Wind Turbines, Offshore Wind Turbines
I will write or call 2 elected official(s) telling them not to support fossil fuel subsidies and instead support wind energy generation.
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 4
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
BuildingsInstall A Toilet Tank Bank
How can your region/household prepare for changing water situations in order to become more resilient?
I think the use of a toilet bank is a great example of the kinds of actions my household and those around me can be taking to help address the increasing rate of water shortages. With the toilet bank, all I had to do was fill the bank and insert it into my toilet, and by doing so, I am able to help save 330 gallons of water by essentially doing nothing. I believe that especially in communities that are still fortunate enough to have consistent access to clean, usable water, the best path toward resilience to water shortage is effective water conservation now. There are many small changes we can make like the toilet bank that cost very little money or time, yet in the long run, save significant amounts of water that may help slow down the intensity of water changes globally. I believe starting from these passive, small changes can then progress to larger evaluations of areas of water waste within our community, and sustainably progressing toward addressing those areas. For me personally, my next goal is to install a sink stopper to reduce the rapid water flow from my sink that often results in wasted water every time I turn on the faucet, as I believe this is a gradual, yet meaningful change I can make to fight water shortages. Conservation is key, and installing a toilet bank showed me how easily these practices can be incorporated into my life, so I believe those around me can begin to adopt these practices as well, resulting in large scale water conservation.
As someone who recently started working in the food industry, I have seen firsthand just how wasteful restaurants can be in both how they prepare their food and clean and operate the business. In addition to simply just making owners aware of the areas that their restaurant may be wasteful, I think having repercussions for how much waste our restaurant is actually producing might be an impactful step in progressing toward a more environmentally friendly business. For example, our restaurant generates a lot of trash, to the point where our bins become overfilled. When these bins are overfilled, there is an additional charge that our business has to pay, something I’m sure the owners would like to avoid. As a result, I think that encourages a reexamination of the supplies we use, and trying to cut down on shipments that result in a lot of packaging waste. I also think trying to push for changes to a business that may be helpful to the environment but not harm the business is a sustainable way of progressing toward change. For example, I noticed that my work has a vast set of lights to turn on, including an emergency light set. Normally, these switches are all turned on, so I plan to ask to see if we can turn the emergency lights off to conserve electricity. I believe this change will not make any significant impact on our ability to sell food, while also passively helping preserve energy. I believe changes that balance both the needs of the business and the environment are the most sustainable route to lasting change.
I think for my friends and I, just even seeing our carbon impact put into perspective through monetary amounts is plenty to start a discussion. For example, with my friend Jeana, I immediately noticed how her price to offset her carbon impact was lower than mine. Naturally, I plan to ask about her responses to the questionnaire, and I hope to see what differences in her lifestyle versus mine allow her to have less of a carbon footprint. I think this can lead to discussions of personal habits, such as driving, diet, etc., and can maybe even lead to suggestions for how I could transition my habits to be more environmentally friendly. I think this would be an interesting thing to send to other friends, and we can all compare our numbers, habits, and hopefully through these conversations, reach a conclusion to how each one of us can lower our carbon impact.
For my daily walks, they mainly consisted of two paths: one from my apartment to my workplace and back, and one on campus. For the first path, I first noticed and was encouraged by the greenery near the apartment complexes. While they may be decorative in purpose, I think having green spaces in such a densely populated urban area is important for both physical and mental health. I think if these green spaces could maybe be expanded to a community garden of sorts, it would have made me want to walk around my neighborhood even more. Second, I noticed in contrast to nature, the infrastructure was relatively poor, and in a way discouraged walking and biking over driving. Third, I noticed on the way to my work the sheer amount of waste produced by each of the businesses in Westwood, as I saw these large recycling and trash bins outside. It made me wonder if this waste was being removed sustainably, and how such immense waste may contribute to climate change. Lastly, my walks on campus allowed me to see the nature present on our campus without the sheer amount of students. I think what may have made these walks even more enjoyable would be to see more expansive green spaces and community gardens/areas for people to bond and study as opposed to more buildings.
Hi Andy! It's so great to hear that you've been going on daily walks - I know that having online classes, the first thing to go was the amount of time I spent outside, especially because most of my daily steps actually came from just walking around campus. I definitely agree with you that a little greenery definitely makes a huge difference when going outside - I always feel so refreshed going back home after being in LA and I've never noticed how much more green and how many more plants there are at home in the suburban area I'm from compared to the urban capital that is Los Angeles. Here's a picture of what the average park looks like where I'm from!
Definitely a stark contrast from what it's like around in Westwood, I feel. I also have been enjoying walks both with my family and with my dog these past few months! Not just has being outside been good for my physical and mental health, but being able to take time away from being around technology and freshen up my mind and my body everyday has been a really nice experience too. Hopefully we can see more green in LA soon!
Having the opportunity to volunteer at a community garden last year, I have witnessed firsthand the immense benefit of having such a space. The community garden I volunteered at was actually in the middle of a middle school, and was an open space for students to come and spend their lunch, and even harvest vegetables and fruits to eat and cook together. I was amazed to see middle school kids, who generally have a reputation of wanting to be cool and not caring about something like nature, actually take a huge interest in growing and maintaining a garden. For one, it brought together students that I think normally wouldn't interact and provided them an opportunity to bond and work together as a team to plant and harvest crops safely. I believe that all community gardens can have the effect of bringing a diverse group of people within a community, and giving them a shared purpose to work toward together. Second, the garden introduced the students to a healthy eating lifestyle very early own, showing them how homegrown vegetables and fruits can be delicious, and encouraging them to potentially begin to start planting their own food at home. I believe a community garden can have the same effect - allowing people to discover the immense joy of growing and cooking their own food, potentially motivating them to adopt similar practices at home. The community garden there also offered a space for students to learn, have fun exploring, and catch a break from all the technology they indulge in. I believe that a community garden is powerful in its ability to draw people away from the screen, have them be with people they met not have ever interacted within their community, and give them a space to enjoy a sustainable and healthy pleasure humans can enjoy. To me, these benefits are a huge step in convincing more people to adopt healthy lifestyle changes. Healthy living and eating is often made out to be hard and a sacrifice, but these community gardens show how sustainable living is actually very refreshing and enjoyable.
Hi Andy! Love that you were able to volunteer at a community garden, that’s definitely something I’m hoping to be able to do this summer! When I researched community gardens, I found a lot of information and statistics about how great gardens are for the environment and for communities, but something I didn’t realize is how impactful having a garden can be for education! It’s amazing that your local garden is actually part of a middle school where kids have the chance to come together to learn about the environment and take part in such an amazing experience! I actually have a vague memory of my elementary school trying to implement a community garden on campus, but from what I can recall, it was quickly abandoned and turned into a muddy square of dirt near the playground. Now, thinking back, I do wish I could have taken advantage of that opportunity and learned about all the benefits of community gardens earlier.
While reading your post, I thought about how cool it would be if UCLA invested in creating a community garden on campus. I’m sure students would be happy to donate their time to help with the garden’s upkeep, and the fresh fruits and vegetables from the garden could be donated to local food banks or given to students who need it. Just like you said, having a garden could also be a great way to support mental health and mindfulness by providing a space that is not connected to a screen or laptop or phone (something I think would be very welcome in a post-zoom university world).
Another aspect of community gardens that could be extremely helpful is implementing them in places that typically don’t have great access to supermarkets or fresh produce. Food deserts are becoming more and more common and community gardens could be a great solution, especially if the weather and climate of the area allow for it. I really enjoyed reading your post, and it definitely made me think harder about how widespread the benefits of community gardens can be, beyond carbon sequestration and urban heat island reduction! It’s truly amazing how a little piece of nature can be so restorative to not only the environment but also humans by promoting better mental health, healthier choices and lifestyles, and better access to nutritious foods! I hope you get a chance to revisit that middle school community garden and see how much it’s grown since you last saw it!
Food, Agriculture, and Land UseSupport Indigenous Peoples' Land Management
Indigenous speaker and activist Winona LaDuke says that, "most indigenous ceremonies, if you look to their essence, are about the restoration of balance — they are a reaffirmation of our relationship to creation. That is our intent: to restore, and then to retain balance and honor our part in creation." Why is balance important to sustainability?
I think sustainability and pursuing sustainable practices cannot be done without a level of balance. For example, if someone wanted to start eating more sustainably, forcefully cutting out any meals not prepared sustainably and diving straight into organically sourcing cooking materials will likely become very unsustainable, as, without balance, a person is not given the proper time to adjust to that change. So, rather than immediately making a dramatic diet change, a person would be better off balancing small changes into their lifestyle, such as starting first with cutting out red meat, then meat, then slowly adjusting to sourcing food from more sustainable practices. Likewise, with Native issues, such as the restoration of land, Native land cannot be instantly be restored, as their are existing communities within that land that would be negatively impacted by such a drastic move. Rather, first learning about Native issues and donating, then progressing to stronger advocacy and eventually policy action would be best to promote lasting, sustainable change. Sustainability in itself requires balance in order for changes to be made in a way that does not result in them being given up after a few days.
Hi Andy, great work on supporting indigenous peoples' land management! They really are some of the best stewards of much of the land that we reside on, since they have been doing so for far longer than when America was colonized. I did a similar action in which I learned about the specific practices that indigenous peoples' do to take care of the land, particularly controlled/prescribed burns, to limit wildfires, increase diversity in plants and animals, balance the distribution of species and make sure they remain abundant, and to be able to find resources more efficiently. I think this practice relates to your post about sustainability because by doing controlled burns, the ecosystem and environment is continually stimulated and replenished, increasing sustainability in harvesting and hunting. Keep up the good work!
For me, I think when I am able to see the ways sustainable energy issues may impact my personal life in the near future or the population that I one day hope to work with, I become much more inspired to act. While writing to two elected officials in my hometown of Santa Clarita, I got to do research on Wind Turbines and saw the many areas of my life that implementing wind turbines could directly benefit both now and later in my career. Fossil fuels currently contribute to 25% of heat-trapping emissions globally, and because Santa Clarita is a city that struggles with almost unbearably high temperatures in summer, I was inspired to continue to advocate for the use of wind turbines within my city. Through my research (points summed up in the email below), I saw how wind turbines are both more cost-effective long-term and pose no risk to human health, which really makes me wonder why they haven't already been implemented. Additionally, I found that wind turbines pose an immense benefit to farming communities, and as someone who wants to work with more agriculture-dependent populations in the future, I am inspired to advocate for wind turbines in my future workplace as well.
While calculating my carbon footprint, I think the process of having to think about each question and seeing the CO2 levels changed really showed me which areas specifically my family can make changes. This past year, I obtained my driver's license, and while I primarily walk to places I need to be, having the option to drive has definitely lead me to a few scenarios where I chose to drive to a distance I either could have walked or found public transport for. While I only counted my driving contribution as 0.5 for a hybrid car, seeing the impact that made showed me how even a little bit of use in a vehicle I considered to be eco-friendly. The other area that I think stood out for me was my diet, as for a few weeks I did take on the challenge of trying to eat less meat in favor of plant-based alternatives like tofu and meatless options. While I ultimately put myself as one of five meat-eaters in my family, I toggled with the setting of being a less-frequent meat eater and even vegetarian and saw the impact that could make. I think having the number represented as a monetary fee really drives home the level of impact that my lifestyle has on the environment, and when I get the chance, I would love to talk to my family about possible lifestyle changes we could be making.
