Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Meghan Jones

Built Ecology & Friends

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
824 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

conversation

with a person
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

27

miles

traveled by bike
UP TO

155

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

302

pounds of CO2

have been saved

Meghan's actions

Buildings and Cities

Explore Other Buildings and Cities Solutions

All Buildings and Cities Solutions

I will spend at least 25 minutes researching other Drawdown Buildings and Cities Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

#47 Bioplastic

I will spend at least 5 minutes researching how to properly dispose of bioplastics in my city and share this information with 1 friends, family and/or colleagues.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

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

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Explore Other Transport Solutions

All Transport Solutions

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching other Drawdown Transport Solutions.

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

Food

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

#11 Regenerative Agriculture

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Biomass

#34 Biomass

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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.

COMPLETED
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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Purchase a Carbon Offset

#43 Airplanes

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Explore Other Electricity Generation Solutions

All Electricity Generation Solutions

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching other Drawdown Electricity Generation Solutions.

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

Explore Other Food Solutions

All Food Solutions

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching other Drawdown Food Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

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

Buildings and Cities

Go by Bike

#59 Bike Infrastructure

I will commute by bike 9 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 10.22 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
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

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

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 5 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

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
Transport Explore Other Transport Solutions

What did you find out? What is the most interesting fact you learned?

Meghan Jones 4/25/2018 12:51 PM

The most interesting fact I learned when researching transportation solutions was that the first electric vehicle prototype was built in 1828! Great to see that WSP is on the forefront of many of these transportation innovations, from bus rapid transit and high-speed rail to research on ridesharing and freight.

Read More
- Liz Zavodsky (EcoChallenge Staff) 4/25/2018 2:06 PM
  
  Wow, so cool - 1828!? Thanks to WSP for all the work you do in that space.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Explore Other Food Solutions

What did you find out? What is the most interesting fact you learned?

Meghan Jones 4/24/2018 12:28 PM

The most interesting thing I learned while exploring food solutions is that eating a plant-based diet is the most effective way for an individual to combat climate change.

Read More
- Liz Zavodsky (EcoChallenge Staff) 4/25/2018 2:05 PM
  
  Such a powerful statement!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Purchase a Carbon Offset

A round-trip flight from New York City to Los Angeles emits just over 1 ton of CO2. Imagine a giant balloon with a diameter of 10 yards. If this balloon were filled with CO2, it would weigh about 1 ton. This flight would fill just about one of these balloons. What can you do to reduce the number of flights you take per year?

Meghan Jones 4/24/2018 12:05 PM

Most of my flights are to visit family and friends outside of Oregon. I will look for opportunities to combine visits when possible so that I don't have to take as many different trips.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use Forest-Friendly Foods 1

How is your diet currently impacting deforestation? What can you do to decrease your negative impact and increase your positive impact?

Meghan Jones 4/24/2018 12:03 PM

I was disappointed to see coffee and chocolate on the list of top foods causing deforestation! I will try to reduce my consumption of both and look for Rainforest Alliance certified products. I also learned that palm oil production causes significant deforestation, so I am being more careful about purchasing products that do not use palm oil. Surprisingly palm oil sneaks into a wide variety of foods and household items.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities Explore Other Buildings and Cities Solutions

What did you find out? What is the most interesting fact you learned?

Meghan Jones 4/14/2018 5:29 PM

Exciting to see that WSP is helping implement these Drawdown actions to make buildings and cities more sustainable. The green roof concept intrigued me. I'm planning to organize a group green roof tour of Portland's Central Library. Our local green team is also collecting ideas to make our patio more beneficial to urban wildlife.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation Explore Other Electricity Generation Solutions

What did you find out? What is the most interesting fact you learned?

Meghan Jones 4/05/2018 9:42 PM

The most interesting fact I learned when researching energy generation solutions was the Marco Polo recorded evidence of small methane digesters in ancient China.

Read More
- Meghan Jones 4/14/2018 4:45 PM
  
  Narada, here's the link! The fact is in the penultimate paragraph. http://www.drawdown.org/solutions/electricity-generation/methane-digesters-small
  
  Read More
- Narada Golden 4/07/2018 2:32 PM
  
  Whoa, that's cool Meghan! Post the link, I gotta hear more about that. Thanks for all of your posts!
  
  Read More
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?

Meghan Jones 4/05/2018 9:39 PM

I have seen several microturbines on top of tall buildings in downtown Portland. Perhaps we could get some on our windy office patio!

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?

Meghan Jones 4/05/2018 9:25 PM

I was surprised to learn that wave and tidal energy, though reliable, are not always efficient. I am excited for research efforts that find more efficient and environmentally friendly ways to harness this energy.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation Learn More about Biomass

Had you ever heard of biomass techonology before this? What did you learn that surprised you? Share this with your friends!

Meghan Jones 4/05/2018 9:23 PM

I had not heard of biomass technology before watching the video about Burns. I was surprised to learn that this technology is typically not carbon neutral but that some communities are ideally suited for its use.

Read More
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?

Meghan Jones 4/05/2018 6:06 PM

Now I will view expiration dates more as guidelines than as rules, relying more on my own observations than on the numbers.

Read More