Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Jane Even

Co-op Climate Action Network (CCAN) - Organic Valley

"Cook Organic Not the Planet"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
695 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

80

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

30

zero-waste meals

consumed
UP TO

30

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

30

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

3.0

conversations

with people
UP TO

189

pounds of CO2

have been saved

Jane's actions

Food

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

#11 Regenerative Agriculture

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Support Local Food Systems

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will source 2 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 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 2 meal(s) with zero-waste each day.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 2 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

#26 Electric Vehicles

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Buy Bamboo

#35 Bamboo

When they are available, I will purchase products made from bamboo instead of wood, plastic, or metal.

COMPLETED 4
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

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 2

#5 Tropical Forests

I will replace or remove products in my current diet that are known to contribute to deforestation.

COMPLETED 8
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 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Explore Other Transport Solutions

All Transport Solutions

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching other Drawdown Transport Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 10 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

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 7
DAILY ACTIONS

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 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

#1 Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

#47 Bioplastic

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching how to properly dispose of bioplastics in my city and share this information with 3 friends, family and/or colleagues.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

Jane Even 4/20/2018 3:26 PM
I learned yesterday how to stay away from the unconscious use of single use plastic straws. The US alone uses millions daily and many end up on the coastlines and are not only polluting the waters, but are harming our precious water, air and land creatures. There is a trend, with more awareness, to ban plastic straw use
http://www.nydailynews.com/newswires/news/national/science-amount-straws-plastic-pollution-huge-article-1.3946006
The Chicago White Sox, just today, decided to ban single use plastic straws as part of Chicago's Shedd Aquarium's campaign to Shed the Straw. Go Sox!!I know I won';t ever reach for a straw and will decline going forward if offered.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use

How is your diet currently impacting deforestation? What can you do to decrease your negative impact and increase your positive impact?
Jane Even 4/17/2018 6:47 PM
In researching Forest Friendly Food, I found out what foods are the WORST culprits when it comes to contributing to deforestation. Palm Oil is #1 and I have used organic Palm Oil in the past- a LOT- for frying. I've seen videos of massive deforestation to harvest the palms, so no more palm oil for me!! Coffee--also contributes to deforestation-- as the demand is so high. Look for "shade Grown" and a little green frog that signifies "Rainforest Alliance Certification". Also, meat, dairy, and eggs--all because we have a high demand (again) for cheap food and their feed (soy) contributes to deforestation! I'll stick to local, organic--grass-fed is the key! Finally, Cocoa--again, like coffee, find shade grown and the little green froggies :)

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- Beth Beek Blackford 4/17/2018 7:36 PM
  Thanks for this Cliff's Notes version of my homework! Do you think it coincidental that these food groups have huge advert budgets?!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use

Beyond carbon sequestration, what other benefits do forests offer you personally?
Jane Even 4/16/2018 6:46 PM
Fresh air and beauty, of course--Plus, there is a benefit from a consumer standpoint. Target is printing ads on FSC certified paper, and working toward FSC certification for many of its products and brands--and I support Target (not Walmart) for this (and many other) reasons.

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- Jane Even 4/16/2018 7:00 PM
  This response was on the impact of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) on how do forests affect us. They have a great mission "to promote environmentally sound, socially beneficial and economically prosperous management of the world's forests" while keeping forests healthy for future generations while trying to keep up with the ever-growing needs for consumer forest products--I suggest one simple way - Let's all forget about paper towels for a while and use good, old fashioned cloth towels/rags-less waste for the land fill, and we can save a tree??
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

Clean air, clean water and healthy food are three reasons to care about regenerative agriculture. In what ways can you support your closest regenerative agriculture farm?
Jane Even 4/16/2018 6:24 PM
BBC has a cool, short (17 minute) video on Small Scale farmers and Climate Change that is very informative on how climatic disasters can be directly linked to big Ag Industrial Agriculture/Factory farming. A little scary and eye opening to see how Big Ag is directly related to climate change. Small scale organic farmers who don't practice destructive practices like soil chemical/fertilizers, carbon emissions, land clearing, deforestation, but rather crop rotation, cover crops and composting to regenerating the soil--they promote photosynthesis to improve soil and air. Win-win. So we can reverse if we stop supporting big ag, cheap food--and support our (local) small farmers- and organic farmers and their practices.,

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