Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Mara Cige

NJDEP EcoLogicals

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
746 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

117

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

16

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

12

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

60

minutes

spent learning

Mara's actions

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

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

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Use Muscle Power

#49 Cars

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 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

#29 Wave and Tidal

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Fix Leaky Faucets

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will fix faucets or report leaky faucets to facilities that have been wasting up to 9 gallons (34 L) of water per faucet every day.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Go Paperless

#70 Recycled Paper

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by opting into paperless billing and subscriptions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Advocate For Greener Vehicles

#26 Electric Vehicles

I will assess the vehicles used by my company or college and advocate for a purchasing policy focused on electric and fuel-efficient vehicles.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Choose Recycled Paper

#70 Recycled Paper

If I have to buy paper products, I will only purchase products made from post-consumer recycled paper for my home or office.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 13
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

#26 Electric Vehicles

I will spend at least 60 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

composting

#60 Composting, #3 Reduced Food Waste

I will start a compost bin where I live.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 16 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 2

#5 Tropical Forests

I will replace or remove products in my current diet that are known to contribute to deforestation.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will save up to 15 gallons (56 L) of water a day by installing a low-flow showerhead.

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?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Choose Recycled Paper

How can you take your action a step further?

Mara Cige 4/25/2018 5:52 AM

For Take Your Kids to Work Day my group is using recycled paper for arts projects with kids and teaching them about organic farming.

Read More
Mara Cige 4/24/2018 6:10 AM

I cannot believe that tomorrow is the last day of this challenge and that Earth Day has already passed. This challenge has definitely helped me to see how many different initiatives I can advocate for the help improve my habits and the status of our planet.

Read More
- Carey Compton 4/24/2018 6:02 PM
  
  Mara, that's awesome! We are so glad you are part of our team. There typically is another Eco Challenge - the original one in the fall. I don't know what the NW Earth Institute will do this year in the fall. Stay tuned and keep up the good work.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Reducing (or eliminating) exhaust emissions and improving public health are two benefits of green vehicles. What other motivators inspire you to consider switching to a more fuel-efficient vehicle?

Mara Cige 4/24/2018 6:07 AM

Public health is obviously a great concern of exhaust emissions. But the driving factor (pun intended) that will help us to motivate other to switch to ZEVs is the economic value. While currently the cost on an EV is more expensive up front, there are state and federal incentives to offset that additional cost over a comparable ICE vehicle. Over time, the cost will be less with the reduction in maintenance costs, and the elimination of filling up on gas. In NJ, the average cost of electricity "per gallon" is half the cost of gasoline. That money being saved on vehicle cost is now being put back into the local economy. While charging at the mall you may spend more time and money since you know you have a longer time to charge.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Advocate For Greener Vehicles

How does advocating for green vehicles in your community connect to your values? How might you be able to get others involved in advocating for the shift to fuel-efficient vehicles?

Mara Cige 4/24/2018 5:59 AM

Advocating for green vehicles aligns with my values perfectly. I encourage actions that not only benefit ones self, but the environment and others as well. I thin you get more out of something when you do it for a greater purpose. I am able to get others involved in this switch by educating them on the benefits and incentives associated with green vehicles. Many people assume that electric vehicles are lacking in some creature comforts that gasoline vehicles have.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

What would a sustainable water future in your region look like? What needs to change?

Mara Cige 4/19/2018 7:02 AM

Unfortunately a sustainable water future seems unlikely where I live. People are used to having clean, accessible water wherever they go and don't think twice about the actual cost. Water bottles are still being used daily when we have waste water management systems ensuring safe to drink water coming out of every faucet.Perhaps if we increase the cost of water, it will impact how people view it as a commodity and they will be more frugal. Especially bottled water because it is also contributing to plastics that are generally not recycled.

Read More
Mara Cige 4/13/2018 8:41 AM

Exciting to see that my team of only 5 members is having just as big of an impact as a competing team of 15. It just goes to show that a little motivation and passion goes a long way.

Read More
- Mara Cige 4/16/2018 5:49 AM
  
  Thanks Carey! That is good to know since I was having trouble checking in from home.
  
  Read More
- Carey Compton 4/15/2018 10:18 AM
  
  Thanks Maria, did you also know that if you did one of daily goes but did not log in that day you can go back to that day and check it off, getting points? Back up by using the arrow to the left of the date on your dashboard to do that. FYI.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Go Paperless

What do you want to prioritize over material 'stuff' in your own life?

Mara Cige 4/13/2018 8:38 AM

I am reassessing my priorities to be less material and more experiential. For the holidays my family has decided to not buy material things but exchange gift cards to experiences such as restaurants of tickets to a show. For my birthday I have also made a goal to visit all our national parks over my lifetime.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use Forest-Friendly Foods 2

How difficult or easy was it to change your diet?

Mara Cige 4/09/2018 6:39 AM

This is difficult. You would be surprised how many food products contain palm oil or other High Fructose Corn Syrup substitutes that cause deforestation to make room for more plantations to keep up with increasing demand.

Read More
Mara Cige 4/08/2018 8:48 PM

Today I didn’t meet any of my selected challenges. I had a relaxing Sunday, but the good news is with my minimal attitude today, I conserved electricity and water, did not use my vehicle, and enjoyed the warmth of the sun. Sometimes taking a step back to enjoy the natural world around us is just as helpful.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Smaller Portions

Fun fact: Your brain and stomach register feelings of fullness after about 20 minutes of eating. While dishing food out, we tend to load our plates with more than we need. Using smaller plates helps to mitigate this. Aside from the environmental benefits, what other benefits might come out of this?

Mara Cige 4/06/2018 5:59 AM

Getting myself into shape and helping the planet at the same time! Half portions help to control over-eating which leads to increasing portions over time. I have been taking small portions of what I like and waiting before helping myself to seconds. A big contributor to this is I am not waiting until I am STARVING. I have been eating meals around the same time everyday with healthy snacks in between to curb my appetite.

Read More