Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Amber McElhose

Co-op Climate Action Network (CCAN) - Organic Valley

"Small Steps can make Big Impacts"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
821 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

216

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

20

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

20

minutes

spent learning

Amber's actions

Materials

Choose Recycled Paper

#70 Recycled Paper

If I have to buy paper products, I will only purchase products made from post-consumer recycled paper for my home or office.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY 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 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

#1 Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Fix Leaky Faucets

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will fix faucets or report leaky faucets to facilities that have been wasting up to 9 gallons (34 L) of water per faucet every day.

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

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 13
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 20 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Replace Manual Thermostats

#57 Smart Thermostats

I will replace manual thermostats with smart ones.

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 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

composting

#60 Composting, #3 Reduced Food Waste

I will start a compost bin where I live.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Upgrade My Windows

#31 Insulation

I will upgrade the windows or weatherstripping in my home or office to reduce air leaks and save on energy costs.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Transport

Conduct Virtual Meetings

#63 Telepresence

I will not travel for meetings and will instead conduct them virtually.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency by mulching the base of trees and plants in my yard.

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
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?

Amber McElhose 4/23/2018 2:15 PM

Using smaller plates on a regular basis helps to establish a regular portion size. As you adjust to cook to the smaller portion sizes, it should also help to minimize waste, as there could potentially less forgotten leftovers that eventually end up being disposed of.

Read More
Amber McElhose 4/19/2018 4:15 PM

What a great way to generate focus on the impact you have on the world.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Recycle Everything I Can

How could you incorporate other "R's" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle?

Amber McElhose 4/19/2018 8:21 AM

When an item can no longer serve it's intended purpose, maybe it could be used in a different way.
There are often ways to extend the life of an item far beyond it's original intention. The cup with the broken handle could be used for planting spring starter seeds. The shirt with an unsightly stain can be used as a towel or rag.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Choose Recycled Paper

How can you take your action a step further?

Amber McElhose 4/19/2018 8:16 AM

Choosing recycled items is important, however more important is making the choice as to whether or not you really need the item. We vote with our dollars and making choices that clearly speak to sustainability values help to drive the marketplace to make better choices as well.
Choosing items that come with minimal or no packaging or reusing whatever you can for as long as you can will help to make an impact as well.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Conduct Virtual Meetings

How can you ensure that your virtual meetings honor your values and your company's culture?

Amber McElhose 4/16/2018 9:21 AM

Virtual meetings have been a definite culture shift for our company. Meeting in person has it's benefits. Attendees are more easily able to react to facial expressions and body language.
Virtual meetings have separate benefits. With Multiple locations that employees are based in, there are time and cost savings for both employees and the company if travel is not required in order to conduct a meeting.
Benefits for each option point out the drawbacks for the other option. There are definitely situations that are better served under one option or the other, and the benefits to the business should be the bottom line in determining which approach is necessary.

Read More