Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

James Martin

University of Cambridge

"Drawing it down. "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
468 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

12

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

35

minutes

spent learning

James's actions

Transport

Use Muscle Power

#49 Cars

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips, and I will only use muscle-powered transportation for all other trips.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

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

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Biomass

#34 Biomass

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Micro Wind

#76 Micro Wind

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of Micro Wind.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 30 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

#18 Geothermal

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

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

Electricity Generation

Explore Other Electricity Generation Solutions

All Electricity Generation Solutions

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching other Drawdown Electricity Generation Solutions.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

#29 Wave and Tidal

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of wave and tidal energy.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Support Companies Leading in Green Energy

#8 Solar Farms

I will use my spending power to reward companies leading in purchasing green energy and incentivize others to invest more in green energy.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

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?

James Martin 4/15/2018 10:59 AM

We have accepted a challenge by team UK North West!

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James Martin 4/06/2018 4:53 AM

International travel can be a major challenge for beginner vegetarians (BV). Traveling BVs are more dependent on prepared meals, tempted by smells in transit hubs and faced with the desire to sample local fare. Strong flavor combinations like this curried peas with mango chutney sandwich are satisfyingly satiating.

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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?

James Martin 4/05/2018 12:43 PM

I think the physical geography, economy and over time the culture have all contributed to the people of North America eating more meat than people on other continents. We also suffer from higher rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and malnutrition. Waking up to this reality may shift us away from such a meat-focused food culture.

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?

James Martin 4/05/2018 12:30 PM

I think the biggest advantage to silvopasture, essentially the combination of trees and pasture/livestock, is that it promotes biodiversity (both plant and animal) in a complex, self-sustaining system that mimics nature while also producing food, fiber and natural inputs (i.e. compost) for other agricultural endeavors.

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James Martin 4/05/2018 12:14 PM

One of my EcoChallanege actions today had me learn about Silvopasture, essentially the combination of trees and pasture. We don’t have livestock at our farm but we do source manure from ranches in the area (see photo). We combine the manure with plant and woody material to create compost, which we incorporate into our soil.
I would like to try silvopasture, incorporating livestock and fruit trees into our agricultural system, while also brining closer wood and manure for compost, but some of the risks and barriers would include food safety regulations for our fruit and vegetable crops in the area and market, infrastructure, personnel development for the silvopasture area.

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James Martin 3/29/2018 10:48 PM

Regenerative Agriculture is ranked by Drawdown at #11 and is described as “one of the greatest opportunities to address human and climate health.” At our farm we employ regenerative growing techniques including cover cropping and also companion cropping. Microorganisms feed on root exudates (largely carbon) and release nutrients to the plants, reducing the need for external nutrients. Feed the soil! Here you can see arugula planted as a companion crop alongside our mini sweet pepper plants. The arugula will help to build carbon in the soil over time and also help to control root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne), which can have devastating effects on crop production.

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James Martin 3/28/2018 10:16 PM

Drawdown ranks Reducing Food Waste at #3 of the 100 most substantive solutions to address climate change. In higher-income countries major interventions are needed at the retail and consumer level. Here is an example of a mini sweet pepper marked off for quality due to “zippering.” This zippering was caused by colder temperatures in the field in January. Would you eat this mini sweet pepper with a zipper on it?

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James Martin 3/27/2018 12:04 PM

As a farmer it's especially important to think about the role of ecosystem services. Here's a photo of one of my favorite beneficial insects, Orius insidiosus or, in Spanish, 'el chinchi pirata' (the pirate bug). This insect protects our mini sweet peppers from another insect called thrips. Thrips scratch the outside of peppers, leaving a silvering on the fruit. Peppers with silvering, though perfectly edible, are graded as lower quality and may not be sold, resulting in food waste. Food waste creates methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Fortunately, we compost our organic material at the farm and reincorporate it into the soil. But it's still a shame to see good peppers go to waste. Thank you chinchi pirata and the service you provide to the complex ecosystem of our farm.

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- James Martin 3/27/2018 12:41 PM
  
  Absolutely! Thank you, Jennifer!
  
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- Jennifer Linton 3/27/2018 12:13 PM
  
  Love it! Yes, ecosystem services are priceless and cannot be manually recreated without breaking the bank exponential times over. when will we see how priceless our environment is?
  
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