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Welcome to Drawdown EcoChallenge!

Watch the short video below to learn the basics.
You'll be an Drawdown EcoChallenge expert in no time!

Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown
Drawdown EcoChallenge
April 4 - April 25, 2018
Jan Dietrick's avatar

Jan Dietrick

Citizens Climate Lobby

"In unified action to prevent toxic stuff."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 418 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    2.0
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    25
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    10
    public officials or leaders
    contacted

Jan's actions

Land Use

Learn about Temperate Forests

#12 Temperate Forests

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning more about the environmental services provided by and the environmental issues affecting temperate forests.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

#18 Geothermal

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Advocate for Forest Protection

#38 Forest Protection

I will contact 5 congress people or representatives to advocate for public policy that protects forests and the enforcement of existing anti-logging laws.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Choose Renewable Energy or Purchase Renewable Energy Credits

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore), #8 Solar Farms

I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option. If my utility does not offer one, I will purchase Renewable Energy Credits to match my usage.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 5 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

#1 Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

COMPLETED
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

Food

Contact your Elected Officials

#23 Farmland Restoration

I will contact 5 elected officials to voice my opinion on the importance of restoring farmland in my region, including both public and private land.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

#29 Wave and Tidal

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of wave and tidal energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

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

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Women and Girls

Start a Social Media Campaign

#6 Educating Girls

I will share stats on gender inequity in education with my social media feed to raise awareness.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity Generation

Communicate With My Elected Officials

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore)

I will write or call 4 elected official(s) telling them not to support fossil fuel subsidies and instead support wind energy generation.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Biomass

#34 Biomass

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Research Heat Pumps

#42 Heat Pumps

I will spend at least 5 minutes researching heat pumps to see if installing one makes sense for my home/building.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Micro Wind

#76 Micro Wind

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of Micro Wind.

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
    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?
    Jan Dietrick's avatar
    Jan Dietrick 4/20/2018 8:08 PM
    The decision of where micro turbines might be placed in Ventura County may depend on where the first community microgrids are built that might need to even out supply. Also, proximity to the most remote substations might be a factor for resilience. Unfortunately there is no financial incentive in the greater LA Basin because SCE has overbuilt gas-fired power generation by about 3K+ MW. They killed the rationale for a strong program of DERs because they make their money from transmission and now they will have it whether we need it or not. It is politics, not technology, that is the barrier here.
    Read More
  • Jan Dietrick's avatar
    Jan Dietrick 4/18/2018 5:52 PM
    This past week a large group of climate activists delivered many pages of policy ideas to our County of Ventura for its Climate Action Plan. We included several solutions straight from Drawdown, especially refrigeration management and regenerative agriculture and of course all of the building and renewable energy solutions. We were happy to see one Supervisor included carbon sequestration as an important policy area. All ten Planning Commissioners and the Board of Supervisors appeared to be taking the process seriously. Ventura County could end up with the best Climate Action Plan yet!
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Buildings and Cities Research Heat Pumps
    Why do you care about taking action on climate change?
    Jan Dietrick's avatar
    Jan Dietrick 4/18/2018 5:36 PM
    My life has been fairly easy--privileged--at a cost to the environment. I didn't create the system that I am stuck in, but I benefited. So taking action on climate change is partly to pay back for the negative impacts I've caused. Also, the future looks grim and being active helps me focus on the bright side.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Electricity Generation Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy
    What did you learn about wave and tidal energy? Were you surprised by the information you found?
    Jan Dietrick's avatar
    Jan Dietrick 4/15/2018 11:51 PM
    Things are progressing with the grants from DOE for commercial scale demonstrations. The challenge is the wear and tear more than the energy generation aspect.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Land Use Advocate for Forest Protection
    Higher standards of living are very often dependent on moving our environmental costs elsewhere. What are some specific ways in which the environmental impacts of your own lifestyle might be shifted elsewhere?
    Jan Dietrick's avatar
    Jan Dietrick 4/12/2018 11:24 PM
    I am able to afford a Leaf and a Volt, but I understand the batteries have cobalt and the mining maybe is done by children and it is hard to recycle.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Contact your Elected Officials
    In what other ways can you exercise your civic duty to protect the environment and reduce carbon emissions?
    Jan Dietrick's avatar
    Jan Dietrick 4/10/2018 11:59 AM
    I am submitting goals and policies and program strategies to my county for its first Climate Action Plan. I am organizing hundreds of people in the 350 Ventura County Climate Hub list to also submit their ideas of what should be in the Climate Action Plan. I am incorporating information from Drawdown in the justifications for some of those goals and policies.
    Read More
  • Jan Dietrick's avatar
    Jan Dietrick 4/10/2018 12:30 AM
    Having seen the memes provided, I am not sure they are the best way to reach the people who follow me on social media. I am going to have to develop more personal ways of expressing the essential prerequisite of gender equality for world stability. 
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials Properly Dispose of Refrigerants
    How do you address your own feelings of concern, fear or despair about climate change?
    Jan Dietrick's avatar
    Jan Dietrick 4/08/2018 4:33 PM
    The negative feelings that visit me about climate change are hopelessness and rage at big bad actors doing things to make it worse. But I meditate an hour every morning and evening to let negative feelings flow off. It's the same addressing any negative feelings. There is a quote from the Baha'i writings: "I charge you all that each one of you concentrate all the thoughts of your heart on love and unity. When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger thought of peace. A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love." So I destroy thoughts of hopelessness or rage about climate change with a more powerful thought of curiosity and engagement to do what I can about it. 
    Read More
    • Emily Ndungu's avatar
      Emily Ndungu 4/08/2018 5:40 PM
      Jan, I like your post. The quote you have shared fits well with all humanity of "goodwill" can do to the environment. There is a song that says, " It is love that makes the world go round..." If we shine wherever we are, there will be change through the positive actions we do. What a noble call we have!  
      Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food Reduce Animal Products
    What do you think contributes to people in North America eating more meat than other countries, and what does this say about North American values and ways of living? How do we start shifting a meat-focused food culture?
    Jan Dietrick's avatar
    Jan Dietrick 4/06/2018 8:38 PM
    The taste of meet has a high satiety value. Also meat is a convenience food for busy people; it usually takes a short time to throw a chop or burger in the pan and flip it over. Fast food places put sweet and salty flavorings to drive people's cravings. Ads make people crave that taste. There's a lack of education about how to create diverse low-meat meals that are tasty as meat. Part of shifting is to learn and understand the consequences, but also to learn skills and develop rewards and habits for making food with less meat enjoyable.  
    Read More
  • Jan Dietrick's avatar
    Jan Dietrick 4/05/2018 10:50 PM

    Read More