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Welcome to Drawdown EcoChallenge!

Watch the short video below to learn the basics.
You'll be an Drawdown EcoChallenge expert in no time!

Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown
Drawdown EcoChallenge
April 4 - April 25, 2018
Kathy Dolson's avatar

Kathy Dolson

St. Louis Earth Day

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,122 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    1.0
    documentary
    watched
  • UP TO
    2.0
    donations
    made
  • UP TO
    198
    gallons of water
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    6.0
    miles
    traveled by bike
  • UP TO
    5.0
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    1.0
    person
    helped
  • UP TO
    2,328
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    21
    zero-waste meals
    consumed

Kathy's actions

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

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 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Purchase a Carbon Offset

#43 Airplanes

If I buy a plane ticket, I will purchase a carbon offset.

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

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 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Go by Bike

#59 Bike Infrastructure

I will commute by bike 3 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 1.47 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 2
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

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

Land Use

Support Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

#39 Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

I will donate to The Nature Conservancy, which works with Indigenous Peoples to secure land tenure and resource rights, support improved governance and local institutions, assist in natural resource mapping, planning and management; and strengthen livelihoods and sustainable economic development.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 3 meal(s) with zero-waste each day.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Electricity Generation

Rooftop Solar Consultation

#10 Rooftop Solar

After researching the incentives at the federal, state, utility, and local levels, I will contact a local installer/distributor for a solar panel installation consultation on my house.

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?

  • Kathy Dolson's avatar
    Kathy Dolson 4/25/2018 7:00 PM
    Since I already incorporate many of the daily actions into my life, you don't get credit for that.  I thought I would ride my bike more, but had back problems.  I kept track of my   food waste - but it's all compost, so is that waste?  You can earn points for donations, which kind of seems cheating.  I was already thinking of solar and followed through on a consultation.  The biggest change was that I bought carbon offsets for my international flight.
    Read More
  • Kathy Dolson's avatar
    Kathy Dolson 4/23/2018 3:00 PM
    I made it through another Earth Day Festival weekend!  Helping to put on the Festival is how I try to get everyone on board to make their lives more sustainable.  I was bummed that I could not get someone to understand why he should use reusable bags when he shops.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Land Use Support Indigenous Peoples' Land Management
    Indigenous speaker and activist Winona LaDuke says that, "most indigenous ceremonies, if you look to their essence, are about the restoration of balance — they are a reaffirmation of our relationship to creation. That is our intent: to restore, and then to retain balance and honor our part in creation." Why is balance important to sustainability?
    Kathy Dolson's avatar
    Kathy Dolson 4/19/2018 6:55 AM
    Balance is important to sustainability because without giving back what you take, it all goes downhill.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Electricity Generation Rooftop Solar Consultation
    Identify some ways in which modern human societies have become unsustainable. What kind of roles do individuals have in creating and changing practices in society?
    Kathy Dolson's avatar
    Kathy Dolson 4/16/2018 6:46 PM
    Humans have to do better to fix the planet they have trashed.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Buildings and Cities Go by Bike
    How does using human-powered transportation make you feel?
    Kathy Dolson's avatar
    Kathy Dolson 4/15/2018 8:35 PM
    Riding my bike makes me feel free and healthy!
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Transport Purchase a Carbon Offset
    A round-trip flight from New York City to Los Angeles emits just over 1 ton of CO2. Imagine a giant balloon with a diameter of 10 yards. If this balloon were filled with CO2, it would weigh about 1 ton. This flight would fill just about one of these balloons. What can you do to reduce the number of flights you take per year?
    Kathy Dolson's avatar
    Kathy Dolson 4/13/2018 1:27 PM
    To reduce my flights per year, I could travel less overseas.  I need to see more National Parks anyhow!
    Read More
  • Kathy Dolson's avatar
    Kathy Dolson 4/13/2018 7:09 AM
    So in reading about purchasing carbon offsets for my upcoming flight to England, I came across an interesting tidbit of reading.  http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/life-after-oil/how-far-can-we-get-without-flying-20160211

    He quit flying for his career, but how do you see the world without flying?  Do I need to see the world?  I can't quit flying to England because of family, but maybe I should be driving to Jacksonville to see my grandson. 
    Read More
  • Kathy Dolson's avatar
    Kathy Dolson 4/12/2018 7:07 AM
    As it gets closer to the St. Louis Earth Day Festival (April 21-22), it will be hard to find the time to "check in."  I will however, ride my bike to work at least once a week, and continue to track my food waste and eat zero-waste meals.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Women and Girls Help Girls Overcome Health Barriers
    In what other ways could you help girls overcome health barriers to being able to attend school?
    Kathy Dolson's avatar
    Kathy Dolson 4/10/2018 7:15 AM
    Donate locally.  I know locally there is a need for women's healthcare needs.
    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?
    Kathy Dolson's avatar
    Kathy Dolson 4/10/2018 7:09 AM
    I hope I'm lower than average for food waste.  And if I compost the scraps instead of using them in a stew, does that count as food waste?
    Read More