Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Mary Lawson Cox

Asheville High School!

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
597 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

125

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

36

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

0.0

gallons of water

have been saved

Mary Lawson's 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 11
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

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

composting

#60 Composting, #3 Reduced Food Waste

I will start a compost bin where I live.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 3 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Biomass

#34 Biomass

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

#1 Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Connect With A Nonprofit

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

I will connect with a local nonprofit working on womens' or girls' issues in my community, and find out how I can get involved or become a member.

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 45 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

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 1
DAILY ACTION

Participant Feed

REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

What are other easy and low-cost ways to reduce your water usage at home?
Mary Lawson Cox 4/25/2018 7:25 AM
-take shorter showers
-turn water off when brushing your teeth
-only run the dishwasher when it's full
-wash dark colored clothes in cold water

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

Had you heard of the term silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?
Mary Lawson Cox 4/25/2018 7:23 AM
I have never heard of a silvopasture and I think more people should use it!! It is good for the animals as well as the environment, and it is so simple to put into place.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

Now that you know the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates, how will you view expiration dates differently?
Mary Lawson Cox 4/25/2018 7:21 AM
Best-By: This is a suggestion to the consumer for when the product should be consumed to assure for ideal quality.
Sell-By: Informs them of the date by which the product should be sold or removed from the shelf. This does not mean that the product is unsafe to consume after the date.
Use-By: Used to know when the product should be eaten by; mostly because of quality, not because the item will necessarily make you sick if eaten after the use-by date.

These definitions will help me not waste as much food and save money. I usually throw out food when I see any kind of expiration date, and now i know that most food is not actually expired or dangerous to eat.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

What do you think contributes to people in North America eating more meat than other countries, and what does this say about North American values and ways of living? How do we start shifting a meat-focused food culture?
Mary Lawson Cox 4/24/2018 6:02 PM
CAFO's are a big reason why Americans eat more meat than other countries. Because it is so easy to get meat, and at such a cheap price, many people will incorporate it into their diets just because they can. If we want to shift our meat-focused culture, we need to get rid of the mass production of meat and switch to more organic options.

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?
Mary Lawson Cox 4/24/2018 10:20 AM
It is good to use smaller plates when eating meals because you save food and do not eat an unnecessary amount of calories. You will feel good about yourself after if you eat an appropriate amount of a meal instead of stuffing your face with food. You will also be able to save money because you will have leftovers!

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?
Mary Lawson Cox 4/24/2018 10:17 AM
I would rather have this money put into a savings account so I could use it towards college or a vacation.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation

Had you ever heard of biomass techonology before this? What did you learn that surprised you? Share this with your friends!
Mary Lawson Cox 4/18/2018 9:44 AM
I have never heard of biomass technology but it was interesting to learn about how it can be harvested to produce heat, create steam for electricity production, or be processed into oil and gas.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

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?
Mary Lawson Cox 4/12/2018 9:32 AM
Read More