Davis Wilkins

"“Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” Barak Obama “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It's not.” The Lorax "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
784 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

87

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

660

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

45

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

18

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill

Davis's actions

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

Learn More about Silvopasture

Silvopasture

I will spend at least 20 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

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

Food

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

Conservation Agriculture, Regenerative Annual Cropping

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

COMPLETED
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).

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Explore Other Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Solutions

All Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Solutions

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching other Drawdown Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Purchase a Carbon Offset

Efficient Aviation

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

Plant-Rich Diets

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

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Support Nutrient Management

Nutrient Management

I will research and support local farmers who have made the decision to not use synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

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

Transport

Purchase additional carbon offsets for student tournament travel & support trip

One of my goals was to begin to always purchase carbon offsets when we fly. Since our daughter was playing the weekend before finals in Salt Lake City in the winter with lots of snow/icy road conditions, we all 4 flew. We DID opt to pay more and fly at less convenient times to fly directly MFR-SLC and back on Delta instead of via Seattle, which we usually do with Alaska miles.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Research Non-toxic/biodegradeable homemade laundry detergent

Wondering how to decrease my use/dependency on laundry detergents that come in plastic containers. Was given homemade soap for christmas by a friend and wondered about that option vs soapnuts.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Plant Trees

Temperate Forest Restoration

I will plant 1 tree(s) in my community, public parks, or backyard.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Re-useable Take-Out Food Containers for Local Restaurants

I heard that a group of restaurants in town has started a program where you pay $10/container and then you 'own' a container that you can use for take-out food. We eat out at least once a week and two of us often do not finish food. We always take it home and eat it ourselves as leftovers or feed to our dogs, but we feel badly about the containers. Mostly they are plasticized cardboard--bad. We re-use the plastic ones but feel badly they are 'bad' plastic. Even though these re-usable ones ARE plastic, we at least will be reusing them over and over again and hoping that the more people in town that join the project, then more restaurants will get on board.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Choose Recycled Paper

Recycled Paper

I will plan ahead to only use paper products made from post-consumer recycled paper for my home or office.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Transport

Stay on the Ground

Telepresence, High-Speed Rail

Instead of traveling by plane, I will find an alternative way to accomplish the goals of an upcoming trip (i.e. telepresence, vacation locally).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion

Multiple Industry Solutions

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

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?

Davis Wilkins 1/28/2020 11:30 AM

One of the disappointing things about this month has been trying to motivate (unsuccessfully), other members in my family...of COURSE they are busy...we all really are in our own ways. I just find this compounds my feeling of helplessness against the tides of climate change, so to speak. I know the Jan weather/darkness can start to bum me out this time of year...but also I feel like my family shoudl really know better and take the time -even if its 5 mins--to try and do some small thing...and when they don't, I don't want to have it be another thing to harp on/guilt them about...but inside I feel sad and it compounds depressive feelings I have about ever being able to turn things around. Guessing I am not the only one feeling this way...?

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- Robert Wildman 1/29/2020 6:29 PM
  
  I hear you. That's a tough one. Maybe you can think of them as your own personal lab rats and once you figure it out with them you can translate it to get others on board. Motivating people to change their behaviors and spend energy to make a difference is the hardest thing and most important needed in the global transition.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Keep Track of Wasted Food

An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Where would you rather use this money?

Davis Wilkins 1/21/2020 9:19 PM

I have been keeping track of food that has gone bad thus far and its not as much as I thought...and 95% of it has gone into the compost...the other 5% into the bellies of our two labradors. In fact, in worrying about waste and food spoilage, I feel like we've eaten a few things we shouldn't have that made us near sick...SO there is the line...right? But I HAVE been more vigilant about eating what is sitting there waiting to be cooked in the fridge...instead of following the whims of what we want or crave....kind of a "just eat it now' Nike attitude...and that has actually made a difference. It feels like a more practical mindset..like, cooking a stirfry when that's what we have fresh, instead of putting that off anothernight andmaking pasta or some other ask or crave from my family.

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Davis Wilkins 1/12/2020 5:07 PM

I REALLY appreciate learning from everyone else's learning. I DO feel like this is one of the most helpful things about this challenge: the learning. And how the readings are easy to access--I don't have to go to digging myself--because some of these terms, I don't even know myself to go punch in and research, but once I learn the term, or learn from you all, I can go research it on my own.

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Davis Wilkins 1/12/2020 4:51 PM

A friend gave me homemade eco-friendly laundry soap for christmas...I researched this vs soapnuts so I can consider not buying detergent (even if its eco-friendly) in plastics. Lots of reviews say soapnuts aren't really helpful for clothes that are actually dirty (not our family). I am really liking the soap she made for me and am including the recipe here in case you want to make some, along with a link to the site which also answers questions--Does it actually work? What are the ingredients in the soap that are bad for the environment and why? etc. https://brendid.com/grade-a-laundry-detergent/. I would love to know others' thoughts on or experiences with this.

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- Davis Wilkins 1/14/2020 9:24 AM
  
  I haven’t made my own yet, but my friend (Jen Gibbs, if you know her) said she got all the ingredients at ShopNKart. Has anyone else ever done this? I know James Properzio is a huge proponent of home made laundry soap...but would love anyone else’s experience with it. Like is the labor & quality of wash over long haul worth it? Of course it is re less plastics....but would appreciate any commentary pro or con of other folks have tried this.
  
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- Amy Stewart 1/12/2020 7:13 PM
  
  Thank you for this, Davis. Where do you get the bars of Kirk's soap (never heard of it) and the "super washing soda" (also haven't seen that before)?
  
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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?

Davis Wilkins 1/12/2020 4:23 PM

It's pretty interesting going vegetarian for a month. I haven't done it for years--probably since my 20's ...After 2 weeks of it, I will admit I feel less full, more often, and generally just a bit healthier. I think I don't 'need' meat or have those huge hunger cravings like I did when I was younger..thinking it is much easier to vegetarian/plant-based when we are older--is this one of the few benefits of menopause??

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials 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?

Davis Wilkins 1/12/2020 4:21 PM

I gave myself this book for Christmas and HIGHLY recommend reading it (you can borrow mine!)..it's simple, and perhaps beyond some of you who have eliminated single-use plastics from your daily routine...1/3 of these things we already do...but 1/3 were new or good reminders and 1/3 were websites and recommendations about things I hadn't thought of (biodegradeable floss in non-plastic containers? For us rafters: a return to using wooden matches instead of the plastic Bic lighters, using soapnuts like my mom does or making my own laundry detergent -more in another post on this). Also a biggie for our family--decreasing snacking via plastic-coated bagged items (chips, bars....and foregoing the little cups of water and beer and peanuts on airplanes)....It's a little depressing seeing how much our culture's lifestyle is based on these 'conveniences' that are ending up choking our wildlife, oceans...and ultimately us. Let's go eco-challengers!

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- Erin M 1/14/2020 8:54 AM
  
  TOTALLY want to read this! Love the title! :D
  
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- Davis Wilkins 1/13/2020 1:57 PM
  
  I saw it at Paddington Station, of all places. Happy to pass around after my family has read/absorbed our copy too!
  
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- Sky Stewart 1/12/2020 7:41 PM
  
  I want to read it too!
  
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- Amy Stewart 1/12/2020 7:15 PM
  
  I would love to borrow this if it's available. :)
  
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Davis Wilkins 1/04/2020 8:23 PM

Hi crew, when I read about regenerative farming today, not only did it remind me of family farms I have seen overseas, but it also reminded me of The Biggest Little Farm documentary film that came out last year. Maybe many of you have watched it (https://www.biggestlittlefarmmovie.com/) but it was such an honest and fun and heartbreaking and beautiful film about a young couple in LA a few years ago (that could have been any of us 20 years ago living in a city) working jobs, deciding to try something that seemed small and do-able before they had kids...and then of course it turns out to be bigger and more revolutionary than they could have imagined. The cinematography was incredibly captivating and you felt ‘in the moment’ with bees, coyotes, pigs, dogs...and inspired about how much better farming can be....Apparently now you can stream from home too. A good family film this month on a cold and stormy night!! Matt got me an owl box for Christmas because of my reactions to it. 🦉 You will know the scene when you see it.

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Davis Wilkins 1/01/2020 2:55 PM

Matt Tate Luke and I are setting some goals as a family and as individuals . We just offset our trip here to BC & will do so for all travel this year. We are going to investigate adding to our solar array and see if it is feasible for us to become nearly energy independent at home. Matt and I are going to commute more often in small vehicles from our rural home (via motorcycle and Vespa). I am going meat-free for the month & watching our family dairy to see how best to limit that.
Really looking forward to to learning so much from everyone here and welcoming this challenge. Happy New Year everyone!

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- Erin M 1/04/2020 6:44 PM
  
  Awesome goals Davis! I can't wait to get together to compare notes on the eco challenge! : )
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Purchase a Carbon Offset

A round-trip flight from New York City to Los Angeles emits just over 1.5 tons of CO2—per person. That’s a lot of carbon! What can you do to reduce the number of flights you take per year?

Davis Wilkins 1/01/2020 2:49 PM

Travel is one of my favorite things in life-as an individual and as a couple and family.
I feel like our family has learned a lot about the world and exactly WHY we should fight hard to protect and save it BY traveling.
My first challenge is to always now consistently carbon offset our travel. The second step will be to look more closely at our daily travel at home and daily travel once we are somewhere overseas to make sure that is as eco friendly as possible . Cutting out travel at this point in our lives does not feel like a choice we are willing to make, which feels hard to write and admit but utterly honest and our burden to try our best to address in other ways.

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Davis Wilkins 12/16/2019 12:50 PM

Hi crew! Excited to be doing this with you all--thank you Allie for pulling me and my family into the mix. So, I was just putting in an order with Rogue Produce for the holiday meals coming up and realized I should share about them just in case you all don't know about or don't use them (assuming most of you do, but still...I hope you will always post during this event even if you think I know something because I might not!!). Rogue Produce is a farm cooperative/CSA and home-delivery program that gets local produce and food products straight from our local/regional farmers right to your door. Especially in the winter when the farmer's market is harder to access (Phoenix/Medford) this is a great option and worth the extra cost to offset the driving. I notice that at the Co-Op and ShopNKart that during the winter months produce I can get locally/regionally is often from Mexico, so I feel better making sure my local farmers get supported during the harder winter times. Use this link to browse the site, set up a membership and make your first order if you'd like: https://rogueproduce.com?ref=DC45R9W
Go Team! Davis

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- Davis Wilkins 1/03/2020 3:58 PM
  
  Also-to Allie —I occasionally end up with wasted produce but it’s rare no more than I do when I shop at the grocery store for myself. I like to really challenge myself to find a new recipe to make something new out of something unexpected in the share...or it just makes me plow the extra kale or whatever into pasta sauces, sautés , etc.
  
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- Davis Wilkins 1/03/2020 3:55 PM
  
  Hey guys, sorry to leave you hangin! I replied once to this but think I did not have good WiFi in BC and it never showed. So, yes, you may have gone to the website and figured it out, but Rogue Produce has changed their bundles and ordering and you can now have 3 options: traditional CSA, a preferred bundle (vege, omnivore, breaky or keto shares) monthly. Or you can just become a member and only order the weeks you want OR you can just order a la carte each time off the list, which if you’re not a RP or CSS member will cost you an extra $10 for delivery fee. And it’s not just produce ...there are a lot of rogue valley items —Noble coffee, rogue creamery and by George cheeses, Grawnola, sauces, breads, pickles, eggs, butter, olive oil ...go check it out.
  
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- Amy Stewart 1/02/2020 9:03 AM
  
  I echo Allie's questions. Would love to know what they offer in their shipments.
  
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- Allison Wildman 1/01/2020 1:30 PM
  
  Thanks for posting this Davis. do you find that you use all of the produce you get from the CSA? In the past when we have done a CSA we ended up wasting food bc it wasn't always stuff we liked. Maybe it's more customizable now?
  
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