Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Leah Hurwitz

ETHS ECO2Sustainability

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
191 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

2.0

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

2.0

miles

traveled by bus
UP TO

5.0

miles

traveled by carpool
UP TO

45

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

4.4

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

3.0

public officials or leaders

contacted

Leah's actions

Women and Girls

Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

#6 Educating Girls, #7 Family Planning, #62 Women Smallholders

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.

UNCOMPLETED
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 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Support Women-Owned Businesses

#62 Women Smallholders

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

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Food

composting

#60 Composting, #3 Reduced Food Waste

I will start a compost bin where I live.

UNCOMPLETED
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

Electricity Generation

Communicate With My Elected Officials

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore)

I will write or call 3 elected official(s) telling them not to support fossil fuel subsidies and instead support wind energy generation.

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

Try Carpooling

#75 Ridesharing

I will commute by carpool 5 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 3.48 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

#18 Geothermal

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Contact your Elected Officials

#23 Farmland Restoration

I will contact 3 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

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 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Use Public Transit

#37 Mass Transit

I will use public transit 2 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 0.91 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Women and Girls

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

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 0
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Land Use

Advocate for Forest Protection

#38 Forest Protection

I will contact 3 congress people or representatives to advocate for public policy that protects forests and the enforcement of existing anti-logging laws.

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
Women and Girls Learn about the Need for Family Planning

What did you learn about the need for family planning? Share some of the learning with your friends!

Leah Hurwitz 4/25/2018 11:06 AM

I learned that increased adoption of reproductive healthcare and family planning is an essential component to achieve the United Nations’ 2015 medium global population projection of 9.7 billion people by 2050. This is very important because our population is only increasing and we have to started preparing for this and coming up with ideas to help us sustain all of the people on earth. I also learned that if investment in family planning, particularly in low-income countries, does not materialize, the world’s population could come closer to the high projection, adding another 1 billion people to the planet.

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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?

Leah Hurwitz 4/25/2018 11:01 AM

I am very lucky to live in Evanston in which public transportation is very accessible and easy to use. I have been using CTA buses and L's for most of my life, though since I got my license, I have used it a lot less. I go to other cities, like LA, and they have really bad public transportation. They also have extremely high pollution rates. Having access to public transportation has made me very aware when I am somewhere without public transportation.

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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?

Leah Hurwitz 4/25/2018 10:59 AM

In America, we have completely shifted the way we farm in order to accommodate animals. For example, we feed cows corn because corn decreases the time to fatten cattle and increases carcass yield. The government also give subsidies for farmers who raise animals for meat. This gives farmers a lot of incentives and in turn, we produce a lot more. I think the most essential way to getting Americans to eat less meat is by informing and educating the public meat has on both our bodies and our environment. Movies like Food Inc. can show the true atrocities that is our meat industry.

Read More