Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge

Matthew Tsai

Blue and Gold Greenies

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
171 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

10

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

4.0

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

5.7

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

2.0

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

10

miles

traveled by bus
UP TO

5.0

minutes

spent outdoors

Matthew's actions

Action Track: Building Resilience

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

Conservation Agriculture, Regenerative Annual Cropping

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Reduce Single-Use Disposables

Bioplastics

I will avoid buying and using 1 single-use plastics and instead replace them with durable options.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Building Resilience

Support Local Food Systems

Plant-Rich Diets

I will source 33 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

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.

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 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Industry

Learn about Carbon Offsets

I will visit Tradewater’s website to learn more about carbon offsets, and why they are a necessary solution in combating a climate crisis.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Zero-waste Cooking

Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

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 1
DAILY ACTION

Transportation

Use Public Transit

Public Transit

I will use public transit 1 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Purchase a Carbon Offset

Efficient Aviation

If I buy a plane ticket, I will purchase a carbon offset.

UNCOMPLETED
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

Land Sinks

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

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Learn about Biochar

Biochar Production

I will spend 60 minute(s) learning about biochar and how it can help sequester carbon.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Reduce Animal Products

Plant-Rich Diets

I will enjoy 1 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Tend A Garden

I will tend to a garden, or prepare for one, each day using sustainable gardening practices.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Composting

Composting, Reduced Food Waste

I will start a compost bin where I live.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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?

Matthew Tsai 5/07/2023 8:54 PM

Meat and seafood are pretty common in a lot of the Taiwanese and American meals that I grew up eating, so for most of my life I assumed that even something like meatless Mondays would be too much of a shift from my normal routine for me to adopt it. The first time I tried a significant dietary change was in my freshman year at UCLA when I eliminated red meat from my diet and was surprised by how much easier it was than I had expected. Although I eventually stopped keeping up with the no-red-meat diet, I was always interested in picking it up again as I have learned more about the health benefits. For the past couple weeks, I’ve tried a bigger change by cutting out red meat again while also limiting my meat consumption to one serving per day (i.e. fish/chicken for either lunch or dinner). My experience has been pretty positive so far and I haven’t found it overly challenging; there are lots of yummy dishes I’ve come across that don’t use meat (some favorites are margherita pizza, shakshouka, and tofu fried rice), and I’m able to remind myself of the benefits for myself and the planet when I’m occasionally missing a steak. One meat substitute in particular that I’ve been enjoying more recently is mushrooms! When I find that when dehydrated during stir-frying, a meaty texture is achieved and it can be added to tacos, pizzas, or other dishes. From experiences like these, I’ve realized that eating more vegetarian meals starts doesn’t have to feel like a personal sacrifice but rather can be a great way to explore new foods!

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- Derek Ren 5/09/2023 2:51 PM
  
  Hi Matthew! I completely understand where you're coming from. As someone who also grew up in a culture where meat and seafood are staples can make it difficult to imagine changing your dietary habits. However, it's really inspiring to hear about your journey of trying out a meatless diet and finding that it's not as difficult as you thought it would be. I think it's great that you're experimenting with cutting out red meat and limiting your overall meat consumption, while still enjoying a variety of equally-tasty plant-based dishes. It's fantastic that you're also considering the health benefits of reducing your meat consumption, and it's really encouraging to hear that you're exploring new foods and finding vegetarian options. I totally agree with you that eating more vegetarian meals can be a great way to try out new foods and flavors, and it's also an important step we can take towards a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly future. I'm especially intrigued by your use of mushrooms as a meat substitute since I already know that I enjoy eating shitake and oyster mushrooms. It's always exciting to discover new ways of incorporating more plant-based foods into our diets.
  
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- Roy Song 5/08/2023 12:11 PM
  
  Hello Matthew, I completely empathize with your experience with this ecochallenge. I have been doing a similar ecochallenge where I decrease meat-based meals and rely more on plant-based ones as well as eating more fruits. Similar to your experience, like you described, I have been realizing how meat-based food are not the only good foods to enjoy out there. It is easy to think that steak, fried chicken, or usual types of food that contain meat are the best ones out there, but even things like tofu, salad, or vegetarian meals are very enjoyable as we appreciate it more. My research project 1 also deals with similar issues like this, which is to decrease carbon emission through switching to more plant-based diet. Through these experiences, I have also come to realize that less meat-based meals don't have to feel like personal sacrifices like you describes because they can certainly be as enjoyable, if not more, as meat-based meals while also helping our environment!
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Use Public Transit

How has your access to various kinds of transportation throughout your life influenced your current attitudes about transportation and your transportation behavior?

Matthew Tsai 5/07/2023 8:23 PM

Growing up in the suburbs, I was always accustomed to getting places by car, and the only times I had taken public transport were when I would ride the subway when visiting family in New York. Since I haven’t had my own car in college though, I would usually carpool with friends or Uber to most places instead of using public transit because I didn’t know how to get a tap card or use the LA metro. I eventually started using the bus instead of Ubering sometimes to save money, and still do whenever it’s convenient. Last week when I took the Big Blue Bus 8 to get to my haircut in Santa Monica, I got picked up from a bus stop that was right next to south campus where I got out of class and there was a stop conveniently located a minute’s walk away from the barber. As another very practical example, my friends and I once decided to use the bus when we went out for a birthday brunch with bottomless mimosas, a great way to drink responsibly while saving money on the Uber!

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- Sydney Dyer 5/12/2023 2:19 PM
  
  Hi Matthew! I can totally relate, as I also grew up in the suburbs of NY and felt like I needed my car to get anywhere. Once I moved to LA I started utilizing the public transit system since it was both convenient and cheap. I also don't feel like I need my car as much anymore since everything is so close and within walking distance.
  
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- Joshua Rhee 5/08/2023 3:36 PM
  
  I completely relate to your experience Matthew. It's interesting how New York gets a lot of flack for their subway system (i.e. cleanliness and timeliness) but it seemed so convenient while I was visiting as an LA native. Driving can be really convenient, but the cost of cars versus transportation and the convenience of being plugged to virtually everything in Manhattan thanks to the subway is really something that puts LA to shame in a lot of ways.
  
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- TASNIA RASUL 5/07/2023 8:54 PM
  
  Last quarter I used the UCLA FAC Transportation pass because I got it for free and I thought why not. I genuinely loved that experience because I started using it to go to random places in LA without a concern over the prices of bus fares. I went to Malibu, Pacific Palisades, my hometown in the Valley (several times), Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Koreatown, Sawtelle, and more using the pass because I did not realize how easy it was to get to these places using public transportation. Moreover, it made me learn how to navigate LA's public transport system and how timing and bus stops work. Google Maps is the best thing out there to track busses and really helps beginners go to different places. I also did not realize how the stops are very conveniently located. I have continued using public transport this quarter and will choose it over a pricey Uber from now on.
  
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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?

Matthew Tsai 5/07/2023 8:02 PM

One simple example of single-use items that I’ve tried to cut back on are paper/plastic grocery bags, which can really add up from every week. Instead, I just bring some tote bags (which I have quite a lot of), and if anything they’re only more reliable than those flimsy plastic bags that seem like they might rip at any moment. As another example, I noticed that I unnecessarily use disposable cups and stirrers when I get coffee almost every day from a shared break area in my lab office. I found an easy opportunity here to reduce waste by bringing a coffee mug from home — I also wash it afterwards in the sink and keep it at the office so it’s always there when I need a caffeine kick. There are also additional single-use items that I would like to reduce my consumption of. For example, on the topic of coffee, I want to look into buying reusable coffee filters to avoid having to throw away paper filters almost every morning. Meanwhile, I have also seen many people at the farmers’ market bring their own reusable produce bags, a practice that I would be eager to try out for myself too.

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- Sophia Dinh 6/06/2023 9:35 AM
  
  Hi Matthew, I think it's great that you're trying to cut back on plastic bags. This is definitely something that my apartment has also been trying to do, because we noticed that we had so many plastic bags piled up from our Ralph's trips. We try to bring out tote bags as well, and we've recently started leaving some extra bags in the car so even if we forget, there's some in the trunk! We also drink a lot of coffee, and we recently got a French press so we don't have to use a coffee filter or the coffee machine anymore!
  
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Matthew Tsai 5/07/2023 5:54 PM

I recently got a pair of mint and cilantro plants from the farmer’s market and have found that they are super easy to maintain while adding great flavor to home cooked meals. I like to keep regular house plants around my apartment but I appreciated how these herbs could provide fresh ingredients for cooking, a favorite hobby of mine. I was also inspired to try a tip I saw in an online article to regrow green onions by leaving the root in a cup of water. I ended up using the mint and cilantro for pasta, and used the green onions for some fried rice. It was also pretty surprising how many leaves regrew on the herbs and how the green onion continued to grow several times after cutting — I never knew that one plant could provide so much! The herbs are also really easy to maintain as I just need to water them every couple days. Especially if I’m able to find an apartment next year with space for a small garden, I would definitely be interested in trying to grow other vegetables too, like tomatoes or lettuce.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Building Resilience Support 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?

Matthew Tsai 5/05/2023 6:36 PM

Just last quarter, I started checking out some of the many farmers’ markets around LA at the recommendation of some of my friends. Since then, I’ve been going to the Mar Vista Sunday farmers’ market with my friends on most weekends to grab delicious coffee and breakfast and buy a portion of my weekly groceries. One of the main advantages of going farmers’ market in my opinion is of course the quality of the ingredients. I can definitely taste the difference in the fresh organic produce, and another benefit is that farmers’ market fruits and vegetables are more nutritious compared to general grocery market versions which are picked before they are fully ripe to account for shipping times. I also enjoy it as a fun way to spend time with friends while connecting with the local community. Since there are many recurring vendors, I have gotten to have interesting conversations with all sorts of different people.

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- Indy Bui 5/05/2023 8:15 PM
  
  Hey Matthew, thats great. I've honestly been wanting to incorporate going to the farmers' market way more into my life. I do like to cook, so using fresh ingredients would be great. The only thing is I always end up missing the farmers market times, I definitely need to put it on my calendar. Another thing is that most of the prices are a little higher than the grocery store and my college student brain is sort of against paying because its slightly more expensive. Though after recognizing the quality, and added benefit of supporting local farmers I definitely should try and find a few items to buy each week at the farmers' marker. I really like how you mention its a good way to spend time with friends. Inviting friends would definitely remind me to go every week.
  
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