Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Megan Schultz

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

"Bringing the Good"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,231 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

0.0

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

12

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

13

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

650

miles

traveled by carpool
UP TO

275

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

84

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

32

zero-waste meals

consumed

Megan's actions

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

Install a Toilet Bank

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will reduce the amount of water flushed and save up to 11 gallons (41 L) of water per day by installing a toilet tank bank.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 12 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

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

Electricity Generation

Support Microgeneration in Low Income Countries

#48 In-Stream Hydro, #76 Micro Wind, #78 Microgrids

I will make a donation to a nonprofit that installs microgeneration in low income countries.

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

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Learn about Local Indigenous Practices

#39 Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how local indigenous tribes are caring for the land by attending a training, workshop, or presentation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

#6 Educating Girls, #7 Family Planning, #62 Women Smallholders

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.

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 20
DAILY ACTIONS

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 13
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Conduct Virtual Meetings

#63 Telepresence

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

COMPLETED 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

#26 Electric Vehicles

I will spend at least 60 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 21
DAILY ACTIONS

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 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

composting

#60 Composting, #3 Reduced Food Waste

I will start a compost bin where I live.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 2 meal(s) with zero-waste each day.

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Research Heat Pumps

#42 Heat Pumps

I will spend at least 60 minutes researching heat pumps to see if installing one makes sense for my home/building.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Try Carpooling

#75 Ridesharing

I will commute by carpool 65 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 8.45 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Plan to Insulate

#31 Insulation

I will find out how to make my home more energy efficient through better insulation and weatherization.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Keep Track of Wasted Food

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during the EcoChallenge, either because it went bad before I ate it, I put too much on my plate, or it was scraps from food preparation.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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?

Megan Schultz 4/24/2018 9:57 AM

Only more more day, folks!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use Learn about Local Indigenous Practices

What did you learn about indigenous peoples' land management that you can apply in your own life?

Megan Schultz 4/24/2018 9:55 AM

"What did you learn about indigenous peoples' land management that you can apply in your own life?" A lot of what we go can be done naturally with a little more man power, but in the end, it usually yields more or lasts longer

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Conduct Virtual Meetings

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

Megan Schultz 4/24/2018 9:53 AM

"How can you ensure that your virtual meetings honor your values and your company's culture?" We can begin by having a mission statement on the agenda of the meetings

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Women and Girls Learn about the Need for Family Planning

What did you learn about the need for family planning? Share some of the learning with your friends!

Megan Schultz 4/24/2018 9:51 AM

"What did you learn about the need for family planning? Share some of the learning with your friends!" A lot of the benefits begin with education

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Support Local Food Systems

Dependable fresh food, supporting local farmers and building resilient communities are just a few benefits of local food systems. Which of these advantages inspire you the most?

Megan Schultz 4/24/2018 9:50 AM

"Dependable fresh food, supporting local farmers and building resilient communities are just a few benefits of local food systems. Which of these advantages inspire you the most?" I love supporting local farmers that use the land and resources close to me to provide the every day essentials.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Now that you know the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates, how will you view expiration dates differently?

Megan Schultz 4/24/2018 9:48 AM

"Now that you know the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates, how will you view expiration dates differently?" I will look more closely at the specific product and determine the best course of action before just tossing it in the garbage.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation Watch a Video about Methane Digesters

What does your vision of a sustainable community look like? What would need to be changed in order for such vision to become reality?

Megan Schultz 4/23/2018 10:49 AM

"What does your vision of a sustainable community look like? What would need to be changed in order for such vision to become reality?"
I think a sustainable community is a community that does what is best for not just themselves bur for the future of the environment around their community. In order to do this, I think that there will need to be a lot more people stepping up and a lot more education.

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?

Megan Schultz 4/16/2018 9:38 AM

"Had you heard of the term silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?"
The concept of raising livestock in areas with trees wasn't a completely foreign concept to me, but I didn't know there was a word for it until now. It makes sense how much of a positive impact it has on the environment. I feel that one of the biggest advantages of silvopastures, it would probably be the fact that it sequesters emissions while still producing food to feed the nation.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food composting

Producing uneaten food squanders many resources—seeds, water, energy, land, fertilizer, hours of labor, financial capital. Which of these motivates you the most to change your behavior regarding food waste?

Megan Schultz 4/16/2018 9:19 AM

"Producing uneaten food squanders many resources—seeds, water, energy, land, fertilizer, hours of labor, financial capital. Which of these motivates you the most to change your behavior regarding food waste?"
Knowing how much work I put into gardening or planting/harvesting food, I cant help but be disappointed when throwing out food in the fact that someone but their time and energy into harvesting that food so that I could have it.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Reducing (or eliminating) exhaust emissions and improving public health are two benefits of green vehicles. What other motivators inspire you to consider switching to a more fuel-efficient vehicle?

Megan Schultz 4/16/2018 9:13 AM

"Reducing (or eliminating) exhaust emissions and improving public health are two benefits of green vehicles. What other motivators inspire you to consider switching to a more fuel-efficient vehicle?" There are many financial benefits due to credits and incentives, along with lower taxes and exemptions due to emissions. This doesn't even address how much money could be saved by using less fuel.

Read More