Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Laure Altenes

Built Ecology & Friends

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
836 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

2.0

donations

made
UP TO

20

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

12

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

12

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

35

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

1.0

person

helped
UP TO

10

zero-waste meals

consumed

Laure's actions

Basic Needs & Security

Calculate Your Water Footprint

SDG 6

I will calculate my water footprint and look for a few ways I can reduce consumption or waste.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate & Ecosystems

Calculate Your Carbon Impact

SDG 13

I will calculate the carbon emissions associated with my household and consider how lifestyle changes could reduce the carbon footprint and impacts on the environment.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Solar Water Consultation

#41 Solar Water

I will contact a local installer/distributor to see if a solar water heater makes sense for my house.

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

Buildings and Cities

Research Heat Pumps

#42 Heat Pumps

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching heat pumps to see if installing one makes sense for my home/building.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Replace Manual Thermostats

#57 Smart Thermostats

I will replace manual thermostats with smart ones.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Fund Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Make School More Affordable

#6 Educating Girls

I will raise funds to help make school affordable for girls around the world.

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

Food

composting

#60 Composting, #3 Reduced Food Waste

I will start a compost bin where I live.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 20 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

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

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 12
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 12
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 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Women and Girls

Support Women-Owned Businesses

#62 Women Smallholders

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

COMPLETED 13
DAILY ACTIONS

Women and Girls

Help Girls Overcome Health Barriers

#6 Educating Girls

I will donate one or more Femme Kits to help girls overcome health and sanitation barriers to being able to attend school.

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
Electricity Generation Solar Water Consultation

Diversifying our energy supply and improving public health are just two benefits of renewable energy. What other motivators inspire you to consider installing a solar water heater in your home?

Laure Altenes 4/25/2018 6:51 AM

Although I could not do this in my home, my mom who lives in So. Cal recently switched to solar power as well as her water heater. She lives in a retirement community and uses so little of each that now instead of her paying for her utilities, the utilities are paying her.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Keep Track of Wasted 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?

Laure Altenes 4/25/2018 6:47 AM

I would rather use the wasted money on a family vacation where I didn't have to cook = to wasted food :)

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?

Laure Altenes 4/24/2018 11:57 AM

I recently started not peeling my vegetables and just eating the entire portion, I have not been able to get over the stem part yet, its a work in progress.

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?

Laure Altenes 4/24/2018 11:56 AM

Food waste was huge in my house, I spent way to much on groceries I felt like I was throwing money away every week. We started composting and not only have a use for the waste but we also use the composting to start a worm farm. My son has frogs and salamanders and he spends a lot of money to purchase worms, now we just grow them ourselves.

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?

Laure Altenes 4/24/2018 11:53 AM

So I recently changed my thermostat and in the first month I have already noticed a decrease in my utility bill. I have also noticed that my boys who typically run very warm are not complaining as much about the temperature in the house.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities Research Heat Pumps

Why do you care about taking action on climate change?

Laure Altenes 4/24/2018 11:51 AM

Our climate is going to eliminate the earth for our future generations. We need to do everything we can to protect the earth.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Women and Girls Make School More Affordable

Why is it important that girls have equal access to education in order to reduce our global greenhouse gas emissions?

Laure Altenes 4/23/2018 4:48 AM

Girls/Children are our future we need a different viewpoint on the world and how to handle things in order for our world to not just progress but to survive.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Smaller Portions

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?

Laure Altenes 4/13/2018 5:12 AM

I cook for a family of 4, two of which are adult boys. They seem to have the need to finish everything cooked with no left overs. Lately instead of doubling up on everything I have cut the recipe in half, this way they eat less and if there is leftovers it usually is only one portion and I take it for lunch the next day.

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?

Laure Altenes 4/05/2018 6:21 AM

I like to shop at a local fabric shop that is owned by a woman and she employs only women in her shop. She also gives back to the community by sponsoring young women going to school as well as single mothers.

Read More
- Narada Golden 4/07/2018 2:36 PM
  
  That's really cool Laure, what's the name of the shop? Others on our team area doing some good WBE research as well which is super cool. Erika Duran found out she had been frequenting a women-owned business in NYC for years without knowing it.
  
  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?

Laure Altenes 4/05/2018 6:19 AM

I love to support local farmers!!! The veggies are fresh and they taste better too!!

Read More
- Narada Golden 4/07/2018 2:36 PM
  
  Me too. Just posted a pic from our farmer's market with the limited but tasty veggies available right now.
  
  Read More