Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Ryan Kincheloe

SustainableSCU

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
347 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

3.0

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

75

minutes

spent learning

Ryan's actions

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Micro Wind

#76 Micro Wind

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of Micro Wind.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Biomass

#34 Biomass

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 3 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

#29 Wave and Tidal

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of wave and tidal energy.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Support Nutrient Management

#65 Nutrient Management

I will buy from organic and local farmers who have made the decision to not use synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.

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 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity Generation

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

#18 Geothermal

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 15 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Explore Other Buildings and Cities Solutions

All Buildings and Cities Solutions

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching other Drawdown Buildings and Cities Solutions.

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
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?

Ryan Kincheloe 4/21/2018 9:25 PM

I try to buy as much of my produce as I can from local producers and I eat a reduced meat diet. These both ensure that I don't support the industrial farms and pastures, created through deforestation, that are currently monopolizing our food system

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?

Ryan Kincheloe 4/21/2018 9:17 PM

In Santa Clara micro turbines could be used at SCU on the larger buildings for energy generation on site as well as in downtown San Jose as their large buildings can provide the steady breeze necessary for increased micro turbine efficiency.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation Learn More About Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy is reliable, abundant, and efficient. Project Drawdown states that public investment will play a crucial role in its expansion. What kind of investment seems most feasible for you?

Ryan Kincheloe 4/21/2018 9:14 PM

Once the technology associated with Geothermal energy generation gets more efficient and the practice becomes more widely known I believe it will be a lot easier for the public to get behind large scale investment as it can provide one of the most stable and eco-friendly forms of energy.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities Choose LED Bulbs

Changing lightbulbs is an excellent first step toward energy efficiency! What's next?

Ryan Kincheloe 3/18/2018 10:47 PM

A great next step would be to upgrade the windows in my house to more sustainable and efficient (heat retention) alternatives

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?

Ryan Kincheloe 3/18/2018 10:35 PM

I found out that the most impactful ways we can improve building efficiency and increase sustainability are relatively simple such as better insulation, more efficient LED lighting and improving building automation. The most interesting fact I learned was that District heating, aka centralized heating for buildings and communities, would have an initial cost of 457 billion and would save 3,500~ billion in operational costs, this is a massive savings and one of the largest ratios of cost to savings I read about

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Learn More about Silvopasture

Had you heard of the term silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?

Ryan Kincheloe 3/18/2018 8:29 PM

I had not heard about silvopasture before now and upon learning more about it seems like a very interesting sustainable alternative. I think the biggest advantage of silvopasture so far is that it shows there are sustainable options being developed and promotes more discussion on sustainability in agriculture and raising livestock.

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?

Ryan Kincheloe 3/18/2018 8:09 PM

It becomes harder to over eat which can lead to weight related health issues. Additionally smaller plates and smaller portions lead to less food waste overall as you are less likely to overfill your plate and waste food.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Support Nutrient Management

How does environmental quality influence your sense of community?

Ryan Kincheloe 3/18/2018 8:00 PM

If I am walking in an environment of cement and underutilized open space with little to no people around and no greenery it is difficult for me to feel invested or have a sense of belonging and it can make me feel down. Though when the local environment is full of life, greenery and people I actually feel rejuvenated and can connect with my surroundings and the other people that appreciate the space.

Read More