Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge

Robert Wildman

Fantastic No Plastics

"Striving to change my behavior for the betterment of the planet"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
903 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

330

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

120

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

42

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

65

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

25

conversations

with people

Robert's actions

Food

No Pork or Beef

I will not any any pork or beef today. My understanding is that both have a far more negative impact on the planet than poultry and seafood. So on top of eating less meat, when I do eat meat, I want to choose less impactful meat.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

Ocean Power

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of wave and tidal energy.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Biomass

Biomass Power

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Watch a Video about Methane Digesters

Methane Digesters

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Micro Wind

Micro Wind Turbines

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of micro wind.

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Eliminate commute

I will work from home today to avoid my 50 mile round trip commute.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

Plant-Rich Diets

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

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

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 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Replace Manual Thermostats

Smart Thermostats

I will replace manual thermostats with smart ones.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Online Energy Audit

Multiple Solutions

I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Recycle Everything I Can

Recycling

Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will research and recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community, making sure to not contaminate recyclables with non-recyclables.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

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

Electricity Generation

Climate Change Documentary

Watch an Inconvenient Sequel and learn more about climate change and what is being done on a global scale to combat it and the challenges that is presents.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

Bioplastics

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching how to properly dispose of bioplastics in my city and share this information with 25 friends, family and/or colleagues.

COMPLETED
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?

Robert Wildman 1/31/2020 5:39 PM

Come on you guys, let's catch those Carbon Killers! Only about 6 hrs left. Who is going to go big to close the gap? No time like the present to take more actions. Many of them are research to increase your knowledge and awareness. What better to do on a Friday night!?

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation Learn More about Micro Wind

Micro turbines can be placed on large structures to take advantage of stronger, steadier breezes. The Eiffel Tower now sports vertical axis turbines that produce electricity for use on site. Where could micro turbines potentially be installed in your city?

Robert Wildman 1/31/2020 5:37 PM

They could really be installed anywhere. We get a fair amount of wind and often big winds. There are two mico wind turbines installed on the north side of I5 and they seem to always be spinning. There is really only one tall building in town - Ashland Spings Hotel - so that would be a good option. But you could add them to any roof top. I wonder how they compare to solar in Ashland. Does anything have any data on this?

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Robert Wildman 1/30/2020 11:17 PM

We are tied with Carbon Killers. We have been going point for point! Wow - what a competition! Wonder if this post will put us ahead?

Read More
Robert Wildman 1/30/2020 11:12 PM

One more day to go. I'm looking forward to continuing this journey beyond the challenge and hope to share in that effort with many of you.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

What concerns you the most about how we are affecting the planet? Consider both local and global actions.

Robert Wildman 1/30/2020 11:11 PM

This reflection is for my bioplastic research so I'll focus on that. THere are about a half dozen different types of bioplastics and they all have their pros and cons. In theory they are all better than hydrocarbon plastics because they require less energy to produce and the produce less GHG when they degrade in a land fill. But for them to have their greatest potential impact they must have a full life cycle system in place. Unfortunately this is currently hardly the case. Some of them are compostable by the consumer so they are easiest but others are only compostable by industrial processes requiring high heat. And another group require recycling to degrade most beneficially, and they recycling requirements are often different. It seems to me that the best thing we could do would be to standardize to consumer compostable types. Unfortunately there are no compost or recycle options in the Rogue Valley. And the emissions from trucking them to a suitable location quickly offsets the benefit. So, look for consumer compostable plastics like PLA.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Reduce Animal Products

Why do people in richer countries eat more meat than people in other places? How does eating more meat affect our bodies, our planet, and other people?

Robert Wildman 1/30/2020 10:23 PM

I have always been a huge meat eater. This challenge has really opened my eyes. The whole month I have only had pork or beef once or twice and only one or two days that I had meat in more than one meal. And many days were vegetarian. I even ordered a vegetarian pizza - this was unheard of in the past! My motivation was learning what a significant impact that producing meat has on the planet. It has a huge carbon foot print driven primarily by growing the food needed to feed the animals and then the animals waste off gassing methane. I'm sure I'll still eat some bacon every once in a while but I will try to continue with reduced meat and when I eat it focus on natural caught seafood and poultry.

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- Erin M 1/31/2020 4:37 PM
  
  Wow Robert, amazing! I love reading this!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Install A Toilet Tank Bank

How can your region/household prepare for changing water situations in order to become more resilient?

Robert Wildman 1/29/2020 9:55 PM

Install low flow regulators for all house water sources. Replace appliances with water (and energy) efficient ones. Reduce shower lengths. Take fewer baths. Plug the sink when washing dishes and only use limited water to rinse once you have enough for washing. Don't water the lawn in the dry season. Use efficient drip systems for plants and trees that require water. Wear clothes until they fail the smell / dirty test before washing - kids will love that! Create water catchments. Use gray water for outdoor water needs.

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Robert Wildman 1/29/2020 9:51 PM

Finally took care of the toilet bank challenge! It was simple. Why did it take me until day 29?! I just put a brick in a ziplock in each tank.

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- Robert Wildman 1/31/2020 5:31 PM
  
  That's right - should have mentioned I got the brick idea from you Erin!
  
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- Erin M 1/30/2020 6:35 PM
  
  YES! BRICKS!!! :D
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation Watch a Video about Methane Digesters

What does your vision of a sustainable community look like? What would need to be changed in order for such vision to become reality?

Robert Wildman 1/29/2020 6:23 PM

Ideally it would be a locally supported community. If all "daily use" items like food and hygiene were made locally and sold in bulk then we could eliminate tons of plastic and dramatically reduce the transportation carbon footprint. Hard to see how we could transition to this any time soon as so many things would need to be changed. But if a small community was motivated enough it could be done. Greatest opportunity to transition most easily to this type of community I think would be in rural farm lands.

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Robert Wildman 1/28/2020 10:43 PM

Final push team. Only a few days left! I’m going to try to knock out some of my challenges that have been hanging around for way too long. Let’s finish strong and more importantly, keep the momentum and change in behaviors going beyond the challenge!

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