Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Anderson Rose

Citizens Climate Lobby

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
469 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

10

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

1.0

public official or leader

contacted
UP TO

2.0

zero-waste meals

consumed

Anderson's actions

Materials

Eliminate Toxic Plastics

#47 Bioplastic

I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl and instead replace them with bioplastic or durable options.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Become A Master Recyler/Composter

#55 Household Recycling

I will sign up for a Master Recycler/Composter program in my area.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 1 meal(s) with zero-waste each day.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

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

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 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Purchase a Carbon Offset

#43 Airplanes

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Communicate With My Elected Officials

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore)

I will write or call 1 elected official(s) telling them not to support fossil fuel subsidies and instead support wind energy generation.

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

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

Food

Support Local Food Systems

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will source 1 meal(s) from local producers each day. This could include signing up for a local CSA, buying from a farmer's market, visiting a food co-op, foraging with a local group, or growing my own ingredients.

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?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Support Nutrient Management

How does environmental quality influence your sense of community?

Anderson Rose 4/20/2018 6:42 AM

I love shopping at the local health food store. It's nice to be around people who 'get it' about not wanting all kinds of industrial chemicals in my food and wanting to preserve a safe and healthy environment. And they have a community room that groups can rent for events, which helps create a strong community. I should maybe teach a meditation class there sometime...

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

Clean air, clean water and healthy food are three reasons to care about regenerative agriculture. In what ways can you support your closest regenerative agriculture farm?

Anderson Rose 4/18/2018 5:27 AM

I found a permaculture institute with frequent permaculture videos. Sounds like a good place to do more networking and learn what regenerative agriculture there is in the area. Also, Left Coast Cellars has excellent wine and they are VERY eco-conscious. They held a 10k race this year to support a forest restoration project on their land, and have done a lot of work on climate change in collaboration with Oregon Environmental Council.

Read More
Anderson Rose 4/18/2018 5:18 AM

Today I tweeted at Amazon asking them to consider using sustainable packaging like the recycled poly mailers I received my 100% renewably powered jewelry in yesterday. :D

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Eliminate Toxic Plastics

What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

Anderson Rose 4/17/2018 4:44 PM

My Nalgene goes everywhere with me, and I am getting better about bringing a reusable mug when I get coffee.

Read More
Anderson Rose 4/16/2018 10:56 AM

Anyone agree that fasting counts as a zero waste meal?

Read More
- Anderson Rose 4/18/2018 5:29 AM
  
  Thanks! I've read fasting can be very healthy!
  
  Read More
Anderson Rose 4/15/2018 7:06 PM

I can never remind people about this enough. Amazon will donate to the charity of your choice when you buy things on Amazon. All you have to do is go to smile.amazon.com and choose the charity. Then, remember to go to smile.amazon.com every time you buy something on Amazon. Over the last several years, Amazon has donated about $530 to Citizens Climate Education as a result of the smile program. I bet if every CCL volunteer signed up, that number would be a lot higher!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Zero-waste Cooking

In North America, up to 65% of food waste happens at the consumer level. Chef Steven Satterfield advocates for utilizing every part of a vegetable. How can you incorporate using an entire vegetable, including the skins, tops, and stalks during your next meal prep?

Anderson Rose 4/15/2018 6:55 PM

Today I ate leftovers instead of going out to get more food. That's one jar of mashed potatoes and one smoothie that didn't go to waste! It just takes a second to check the fridge... I should really do it every time...

Read More
Anderson Rose 4/15/2018 6:53 PM

Today I bought a pretty sweet piece of jewelry from this shop in Portland that uses 100% renewable energy and focuses on sustainable materials. Voting with my $10! https://ecovibeapparel.com/collections/jewelry/products/theheartring?variant=7455044468766

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation Support Companies Leading in Green Energy

Every dollar you put into solar or wind is a dollar not put into traditional financial institutions. You'll also be bolstering the fossil fuel divestment movement, too. What are some companies you know of that invest in green energy, and how can you support them?

Anderson Rose 4/13/2018 7:27 AM

Portland General Electric has a renewable energy program that lets customers sign up to have their electricity supplied by 100% renewable energy. https://www.portlandgeneral.com/residential/power-choices/renewable-power/choose-renewable

Read More
Anderson Rose 4/11/2018 5:56 PM

I’m finding it difficult to do some of the challenges because my schedule is so busy. I think I will just quit complaining and just go donate to the Climate Trust.

The climate trust will not actually sell you offsets, but they finance a lot of different offset projects and sell the offsets at high volumes to corporate customers. I’m finding it hard to find an offset provider that I trust outside of the Climate Trust. Also, Sierra Club recommends just calculating the social cost of carbon for a flight and putting that amount toward a renewable energy product. So, it seems there may be some flexibility around how to offset the carbon impact of a flight.

Read More