Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Becca Don

Drawdown Iowa City

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
571 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

66

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

95

miles

traveled by bus
UP TO

15

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

11

pounds of CO2

have been saved

Becca's actions

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Biomass

#34 Biomass

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Watch a Video about Methane Digesters

#30 Methane Digesters (large), #64 Methane Digesters (small)

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Use Public Transit

#37 Mass Transit

I will use public transit 5 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 0.57 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Support Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

#39 Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

I will donate to The Nature Conservancy, which works with Indigenous Peoples to secure land tenure and resource rights, support improved governance and local institutions, assist in natural resource mapping, planning and management; and strengthen livelihoods and sustainable economic development.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

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

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Keep Track of Wasted Food

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during the 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 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Women and Girls

Support Women-Owned Businesses

#62 Women Smallholders

I will support women-owned businesses when I shop this month.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Materials

Recycle Everything I Can

#55 Household Recycling

I will recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Eliminate Toxic Plastics

#47 Bioplastic

I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl and instead replace them with bioplastic or durable options.

COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Women and Girls

Give a Microloan

#62 Women Smallholders

I will give 1 microloan(s) to women who need help starting a business.

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?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Now that you know the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates, how will you view expiration dates differently?

Becca Don 4/23/2018 10:57 AM

Hmm, I think I've been pretty fast and loose with expiration dates to begin with. It's hard for me to let go if it doesn't smell funky. But after reading the information I am pleased to know that the information supports what I've already been doing.

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?

Becca Don 4/23/2018 10:48 AM

https://www.thesolutionsjournal.com/article/ecopolis-iowa-city-envisioning-regenerative-city-heartland/

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Go Paperless

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

Becca Don 4/23/2018 10:43 AM

Ugh. I'm moving in a few months and it's beyond apparent I have too much stuff. Most of the stuff is memories (old papers, letters) more than purchased things but still far to much of it. I'm working to take the memory out of the thing with photos, or just prioritizing if it is really important (probably not) so I can recycle or donate the thing. Having way too much stuff though has also made me more mindful of what I bring into the place, and I would say cut down on shopping and new items. And to answer the question more directly - certainly experiences are something to value more than things....and after I hopefully slim down, I'll be able to spend more time on experiences than sorting through stuff.

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?

Becca Don 4/10/2018 12:43 PM

I'll be able to fit into the clothes from my sister's closet. :)

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Women and Girls Support Women-Owned Businesses

Globally, women typically invest a higher proportion of their earnings in their families and communities than men. How can you better support communities by supporting women?

Becca Don 4/09/2018 9:19 AM

Actually Iowa City Downtown District is focusing on this exact thing looking at Iowa City women owned business, so that makes it more present in my mind. I think the first step is to figure out what those business are so I'll poke around their website and see if they have that information posted.

"Since 2014, the ICDD has made retail one of several focal points of the organization. After study and exploration over the last few years, the organization is moving on to its next phase of retail development by targeting a specific growing market of entrepreneurs: women.
The District currently has a strong cluster of 59 women-owned and operated businesses, but as a percentage of total businesses downtown, this segment remains underrepresented at roughly 20%.
Are you a business looking for a brick and mortar? Or are you looking to expand your business into a exciting market? Join us in Downtown! There are many opportunities available, check them out and give us a call (319-354-0863): http://downtowniowacity.com/vacancies/"

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Use Public Transit

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

Becca Don 4/04/2018 8:50 AM

I can't live in a city that doesn't have public transportation options to get to and from downtown. City driving (even downtown Iowa City) is stressful, and while I can pay for public transportation I can't bring myself to pay for parking...it seems so silly to pay for my car to do nothing.

Read More
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?

Becca Don 4/04/2018 8:47 AM

Better more expensive food. And rent.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Eliminate Toxic Plastics

What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

Becca Don 4/04/2018 8:42 AM

Oof, plastic bags. I need to be better about keeping the reusable bags in my car. I'm going to pat myself on the back and say that I started the reusable straw trend years ago, when I had to buy them as "lab equipment" on the internet.

Read More