Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Karen Austin

Eugene Green

"It takes a lot of determined people working together to save a planet!"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,165 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

donation

made
UP TO

99

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

390

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

1.0

person

helped
UP TO

4.0

public officials or leaders

contacted

Karen's actions

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 75 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

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

Transport

Improve a Bus Stop

#37 Mass Transit

I will improve a bus stop in my neighborhood by posting the stop schedule, adding seating or shelter, adding art or flowers, picking up litter, or some other small improvement.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Learn about Local Indigenous Practices

#39 Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

I will spend at least 75 minutes learning how local indigenous tribes are caring for the land by attending a training, workshop, or presentation.

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Learn about Temperate Forests

#12 Temperate Forests

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning more about the environmental services provided by and the environmental issues affecting temperate forests.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Electricity Generation

Explore Other Electricity Generation Solutions

All Electricity Generation Solutions

I will spend at least 60 minutes researching other Drawdown Electricity Generation Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Contact your Elected Officials

#23 Farmland Restoration

I will contact 4 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

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 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

#29 Wave and Tidal

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of wave and tidal energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Start a Social Media Campaign

#6 Educating Girls

I will share stats on gender inequity in education with my social media feed to raise awareness.

COMPLETED 13
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

#11 Regenerative Agriculture

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

composting

#60 Composting, #3 Reduced Food Waste

I will start a compost bin where I live.

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?

Karen Austin 4/25/2018 12:16 AM

I'm going to miss this challenge - working with a team to challenge our habits, our knowledge, and our ability to make positive change in the world. It's been a good experience for me. I'll find ways to keep my energy focused on being more conscious of the carbon I am responsible for releasing, and to help others to learn how they also can reduce atmospheric carbon. Bye Greenies!

Read More
Karen Austin 4/24/2018 7:41 AM

Tomorrow is our last day. Thanks to everyone who challenged themselves to learn new information and take on new,habits. It's been a successful event from my perspective. How did the ecochalenge go for you?

Read More
Karen Austin 4/22/2018 9:53 PM

Gender inequality sucks, in the U.S., and even worse in many developing countries. Got to keep working on helping women to get an education, to have control over their reproductive rights, and encourage countries to provide affordable education through high school.

Read More
Karen Austin 4/22/2018 9:45 PM

Love that local, nutritious food. I have peas coming up, fava beans blooming, tomato starts still waiting to be planted. Soon we will be eating our own home grown food.

Read More
Karen Austin 4/21/2018 9:59 PM

I'm still trying to keep up with my daily challenges - educating girls & nutrient management - and was successful today. I've learned so much and have many new ideas and goals to implement. I'd really like to bike more, purchase a used electric car for shorter trips, and get rid of all appliances that use "natural" gas. I will join a new facebook group with folks that I can share my concerns, challenges and successes around climate change just like I'm doing on this site with you all. And I'm thrilled with the weather the last two days. Hello Spring!

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?

Karen Austin 4/20/2018 4:29 PM

Indigenous peoples revered nature, saw themselves as part of nature, and were careful about their impacts on the land because their lives depended on their food, animals and plants in the natural world, being plentiful. Many current day indigenous people live more similarly to recent immigrants to their lands than they do to their relatives 200 years ago.

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?

Karen Austin 4/20/2018 1:25 AM

I have heard of silvopasture but did not realize how many benefits there are to the animals. One of the biggest advantages of grazing cattle or any animal is that the trees help mediate temperatures (keep animals from getting too hot in summer and cold in winter).

Read More
Karen Austin 4/20/2018 1:21 AM

Just spent some time learning about silvaculture which I found really interesting. There are so many ways to do this with different types of trees (fruit, nut, timber) and animals (cattle, pigs, chickens). A common rule was moving the animals regularly so as not to damage trees or overgraze. Farmers also harvested other crops like mushrooms or wild fruits.

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Karen Austin 4/19/2018 11:49 PM

Got local onions, kale, apples and duck eggs today. Saw the Bulgarian yogurt in a glass jar that Patty was talking about; I'll get that next week. Decided that I will start bringing my own reusable container in case I get prepared foo to go, like the coffee cup I take with me, to reduce throwing away plastic and paper. Gorgeous day today!

Read More
Karen Austin 4/18/2018 7:14 PM

Hey Greenies, our competition is ahead again! Anyone want to send a message or complete an action? Of course this is REALLY about our relationship to the environment, so... let's dig in!

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