Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Susan Allen

Plastic Free July Planning Team

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
452 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

5.0

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

10

zero-waste meals

consumed
UP TO

153

gallons of water

have been saved

Susan's 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

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 8
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 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food.

COMPLETED 6
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

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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

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 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Choose Better Wood Products

#38 Forest Protection

I will only purchase wood and paper products from ecologically certified sources like Forest Stewardship Council.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 1 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Participant Feed

REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

How could you incorporate other "R's" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle?
Susan Allen 4/25/2018 10:30 AM
I took a shoebox of wrapped coins to Chase bank branch yesterday. I told them to bring the box to me when they were done so I could take it home for recycling. They said no problem, because they have a recycling bin inside the bank.

Made it through the grocery today with no plastic bags for veggies, etc.

My favorite watering hole knows to not give me a straw!!!

Read More
Susan Allen 4/25/2018 10:23 AM
A grocery store moment today: I needed cranberry sauce. The 16 oz. size was on sale for a little over $1. The 8 oz size was about $1 I did not take advantage of the better price because I might not use the leftover sauce of the large can. More money - less food waste. My choice today.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

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?
Susan Allen 4/25/2018 10:18 AM
New studies show that keeping your weight in check usually leads to a longer, healthier life.

Smaller amounts of food are better for digestion - i.e. less heartburn, etc.

Read More
Susan Allen 4/18/2018 11:19 AM
When cleaning the basement, I found sleeves of red solo cups and clear plastic cups. What should I do with these? Who would want them, so at least they'll be used before they are discarded. They won't be used here!!

Read More
Susan Allen 4/07/2018 10:16 AM
No food waste is hard when eating out. I'm going to try "special" ordering, i.e. asking for 1/4 the amount of fries I would normally be served!

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- Susan Allen 4/08/2018 6:37 PM
  Going to Liberty Tavern on Thursday - another good place to try our new idea! Glad it worked for you - and congrats on your advancement at work!!!
  
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- Krystina Jarvis 4/08/2018 4:17 PM
  I want you to know that I went out to dinner last night and the menu only had 3 Tacos as an option, but I wasn't hungry enough for three. I remembered this post from you and asked if it was possible to only get two, and it was! I never would have asked if I hadn't seen this post. Thanks Sue for the great idea!
  
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- Krystina Jarvis 4/07/2018 12:14 PM
  I love this! Please let us know how it goes!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Where would you rather use this money?
Susan Allen 4/04/2018 8:13 AM
Not looking forward to this challenge! It will probably be a real eye-opener.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

What are other easy and low-cost ways to reduce your water usage at home?
Susan Allen 4/04/2018 8:02 AM
I use less water when I clean hard floors by using my steam cleaner. But it's made of plastic - so I'm not sure of the long-range positivity.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?
Susan Allen 3/29/2018 7:56 AM
I'm back to my youth - storing things in glass, taking a small glass container to restaurants for left-overs.

I'm finally getting good looks rather than stares when I say no straw or stirrer. This is starting to catch on, although I'm having some trouble convincing my friends. But still working on that!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

What do you want to prioritize over material 'stuff' in your own life?
Susan Allen 3/29/2018 7:51 AM
Although I use paper when printing out the crossword puzzle (one) every day, as of this week we no longer get the print version of the Columbus Dispatch. Big paper save.

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