Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Britt Tate

St. Louis Earth Day

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,352 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

1.0

donation

made
UP TO

10

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

22

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

44

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

95

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

4.0

public officials or leaders

contacted

Britt's actions

Food

composting

#60 Composting, #3 Reduced Food Waste

I will start a compost bin where I live.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Contact your Elected Officials

#23 Farmland Restoration

I will contact 1 elected officials to voice my opinion on the importance of restoring farmland in my region, including both public and private land.

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

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 15 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will spend at least 45 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

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 22
DAILY ACTIONS

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 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Express My Support

#54 Walkable Cities

I will find out who in my city makes decisions that impact neighborhood walkability and express my support for better walking infrastructure.

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

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

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

Buildings and Cities

Tour a Green Roof

#73 Green Roofs

I will set up a visit to tour a green roof in my city, and ask about the codes and process for installing a green roof.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 10 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Launch a Recycling Program

#56 Industrial Recycling

I will set up a recycling center at my workplace or school.

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

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 22
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

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

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Women and Girls

Support Women-Owned Businesses

#62 Women Smallholders

I will support women-owned businesses when I shop this month.

COMPLETED 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Women and Girls

Fund Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will donate to supply a community with reproductive health supplies.

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?

Britt Tate 4/25/2018 12:49 PM

Today I had a student ask me about going on a field trip to the recycling plant. He wanted to learn more about how you get a job working for the recycling company. That made me so proud that he saw himself wanting to help the earth in the future. And that he wanted to have a career in it.

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?

Britt Tate 4/25/2018 12:47 PM

I think the mutually beneficial relationship is how the world was ultimately designed.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Contact your Elected Officials

In what other ways can you exercise your civic duty to protect the environment and reduce carbon emissions?

Britt Tate 4/25/2018 12:46 PM

I have made it my mission to teach my children how to ride bikes so they can use that for transportation instead of always relying on car rides.

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?

Britt Tate 4/25/2018 9:01 AM

I have a tendency of always taking these dates as recomendations. I usually smell, taste, or use good judgement with food. I try to use everything I can, and save everything I can. And if I am not going to use it, I give it to someone who will.

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?

Britt Tate 4/25/2018 8:59 AM

Honestly I think all of it motivates me. I am constantly frustrated with the amount of food wasted in schools. My school has taken the initiative to collect any unopened food and send it home with children who do not have food at home. But even after that, so much prepared food is wasted. At least we are commercial composting.

Read More
Britt Tate 4/25/2018 8:29 AM

As we come to the end of the challenge I have been looking back at all I have accomplished and I am proud. But I can't help but think about all the things I can do to help educate people. It is time to move what I am doing at my school and start working with other public schools. I want to spread the projects with more under resourced schools. There is so much we can do, even with so little money.

Read More
Britt Tate 4/23/2018 10:02 AM

Little things... but today when I got an iced coffee at Starbucks I told the girl not to give me a straw cause I had brought my own reusable one! Nothing huge, but over time it will add up!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Women and Girls Fund Family Planning

When family planning focuses on healthcare provision and meeting the expressed needs of women, it results in empowerment, equality, and well-being, and the benefits to the planet are side effects. Why is family planning an important civil rights consideration?

Britt Tate 4/23/2018 10:01 AM

Women have an equal right to being healthy. So much of part of family planning isnt even pregnancy prevention, as much as it is to help women maintain hormonal balance and stay healthy. We have an equal right to any and all services needed to stay happy and healthy. We are not second class citizens, hell we make up more of the population. And we make more population!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Women and Girls Support Women-Owned Businesses

Globally, women typically invest a higher proportion of their earnings in their families and communities than men. How can you better support communities by supporting women?

Britt Tate 4/23/2018 9:59 AM

I was once a stay at home mom with a side hustle... that extra cash that I was able to bring in by baking cakes helped make it so I could stay home with my children for the first three years. I try to always support other women so they can either fulfill their dreams of owning a business, or make it possible for them to support their family. We are all in this together, and I try to always pay it forward.

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?

Britt Tate 4/23/2018 9:56 AM

A better question would be how do I not! Ha! I am an insanely huge reuse and recycle person. As an art teacher, I literally make 90% of our art projects out of found objects and trash. I am constantly teaching my students that there are some insanely cool things that you can make out of things we would normally throw away like water bottles and tires. Recently I have helped our preschoolers create a garden out of old tires and milk cartons. It takes a lot for me to throw anything away!

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