Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Allison McPhail

Captain Planet and the Planeteers

"I want to help prevent climate change from getting any worse!"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,035 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

40

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

75

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

3.0

people

helped
UP TO

4.0

public officials or leaders

contacted

Allison's actions

Buildings and Cities

Replace Manual Thermostats

#57 Smart Thermostats

I will replace manual thermostats with smart ones.

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

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

Electricity Generation

Communicate With My Elected Officials

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore)

I will write or call 4 elected official(s) telling them not to support fossil fuel subsidies and instead support wind energy generation.

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

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Biomass

#34 Biomass

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Micro Wind

#76 Micro Wind

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of Micro Wind.

COMPLETED
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 20
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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Start a Social Media Campaign

#6 Educating Girls

I will share stats on gender inequity in education with my social media feed to raise awareness.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Women and Girls

Give a Microloan

#62 Women Smallholders

I will give 3 microloan(s) to women who need help starting a business.

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
Women and Girls Start a Social Media Campaign

How are people responding to the statistics you're sharing on social media?

Allison McPhail 4/25/2018 3:47 PM

How are people responding to the statistics you're sharing on social media?
Several people were sad or angry to learn how bad the disparity was in areas like Sub-Saharan Africa. Everyone seemed to agree that it's a bad thing. However, I only had 1 share in 22 days, and I don't think anyone went to donate money or even liked a charity online.

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?

Allison McPhail 4/24/2018 9:10 PM

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?
They might work on the skyscrapers downtown. From my reading, they're not much good at lower heights.

Read More
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?

Allison McPhail 4/24/2018 2:25 PM

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?

I have no idea, other than that meat is really tasty. There's no reason to have more than a small serving or two a day. I guess education is the key.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities Replace Manual Thermostats

How do you anticipate replacing your thermostats for smart ones will positively impact your life?

Allison McPhail 4/22/2018 5:09 PM

How do you anticipate replacing your thermostats for smart ones will positively impact your life?
Honestly, we've always been pretty good about turning the thermostat off when it's not needed, and keeping it to a low setting when it is in use. The only real advantage to the smart one is not having to remember to turn it off at night.

Read More
Allison McPhail 4/19/2018 12:38 PM

I'm having to work harder and harder to find new stats to share on inequality in education. But I am getting positive responses to the posts I've made so far.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation Communicate With My Elected Officials

What inspires you to act on sustainable energy and other energy issues?

Allison McPhail 4/18/2018 1:03 PM

What inspires you to act on sustainable energy and other energy issues?

I love nature. And I want it to still be around when I'm 75.

Read More
Allison McPhail 4/17/2018 1:46 PM

We were supposed to get a free smart thermostat installed this weekend, but there was a miscommunication somewhere. We will be getting it sometime later. In the meantime, we did get 2 smart power bars for our TVs, which turn off all power when we're not watching.

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?

Allison McPhail 4/14/2018 9:25 PM

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?

My 25 minutes of reading didn't reveal any Canadian development in this industry. For me to invest in it, I'd probably have to buy stocks in a foreign energy company.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities Online Energy Audit

What are your next steps for saving energy?

Allison McPhail 4/11/2018 1:19 PM

What are your next steps for saving energy?

Low-flow shower heads and a smart thermostat. The auditor (https://www.energyearth.com/energyaudit/) also recommended replacing various large appliances with Energy Star rated ones, but I think that's a bit beyond our budget.

Read More
Allison McPhail 4/08/2018 11:37 PM

FYI, since everyone here is obviously interested in combating climate change, there are a couple links I'd like to share. These sites use advertiser's money to purchase land for conservation and to plant trees: ecologyfund.com and therainforestsite.com!

Read More