Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Ian Ford

MSR Design

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
395 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

35

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

42

miles

traveled by bus
UP TO

8.0

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

29

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

12

miles

traveled by bike

Ian's 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

Food

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

#11 Regenerative Agriculture

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

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

Transport

Use Public Transit

#37 Mass Transit

I will use public transit 6 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 2.19 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Biomass

#34 Biomass

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Use Muscle Power

#49 Cars

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips, and I will only use muscle-powered transportation for all other trips.

COMPLETED 3
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 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Go by Bike

#59 Bike Infrastructure

I will commute by bike 6 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 6.81 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 2
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 1
DAILY 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
Land Use

Beyond carbon sequestration, what other benefits do forests offer you personally?
Ian Ford 4/25/2018 7:57 PM
a place to feel connected to things far bigger than myself and my everyday life, a place of wonder and imagination, a place of inspiration.

Pretty awesome video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfIC6Edsu5A&feature=youtu.be

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities

How does using human-powered transportation make you feel?
Ian Ford 4/25/2018 7:43 PM
Using human-powered transportation, cycling, is something I have always done. It being spring after a long winter I realize how much better I feel, on so many fronts, when I am outside biking to work. My body feels better and I generally am in far better spirits when I can use my legs to get places.

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!
Ian Ford 4/25/2018 3:18 PM
Our client, the University of Minnesota Morris, has a biomass plant. I had heard about this through our work with them however did not understand how it worked. They have a great explanation with photos and animations of the plant on their website.
http://renewables.morris.umn.edu/biomass/facility/
What a great investment for the tax payers of Minnesota to have supported, nicely done.

Read More
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?
Ian Ford 4/25/2018 2:47 PM
Developing my personal knowledge of regenerative farming will drive me to make wiser purchases and sharing my understanding with my broader community. Through this awareness I can support our local regenerative farms.

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?
Ian Ford 4/25/2018 2:25 PM
eating meat once a day and as a part of the meal that is secondary is far easier than many meat eaters think, I do more often than not but to realize this I needed to be more thoughtful and reflective about what I put in my body.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation

What does your vision of a sustainable community look like? What would need to be changed in order for such vision to become reality?
Ian Ford 4/25/2018 2:15 PM
Living in a state that has a large rural population and industry it only makes sense we know and understand how systems such as this would work and their potential for improving the environment

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport

How do your transportation choices affect your engagement in your community? Does your experience differ while walking, riding transit, biking or driving?
Ian Ford 4/12/2018 9:05 AM
Similarly to my last post, whether riding the bus or riding my bike, engaging with my surroundings and those around me is so much more accessible and refreshing than when I am in my car. I tend to dread days I need to drive for various reasons as I feel so much better on many levels when I am biking or riding public transit.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities

What are your next steps for saving energy?
Ian Ford 4/10/2018 9:54 AM
Next steps are to evaluate our lighting approach and our thermostat followed by research into window and insulation upgrades.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport

How has your access to various kinds of transporation throughout your life influenced your current attitudes about transportation and your transportation behavior?
Ian Ford 4/09/2018 12:00 PM
Having lived all of my adult life in cities with strong public transportation options and attention towards providing safe bike travel, I think of commuting as a social activity, one done with others, not done in a solitary vehicle. Having access to relatively easily accessible transportation has been critical to my attitude.

Read More
- Carey Compton 4/09/2018 12:05 PM
  Ian, I am encouraged with your transportation habit and wish we could all use public transports for our commute. Keep up the good work.
  
  Read More