Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Mariah Ghannoum

The Circle School

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
804 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

4.0

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

14

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

80

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

3.0

public officials or leaders

contacted

Mariah's actions

Land Use

Learn about Local Indigenous Practices

#39 Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning how local indigenous tribes are caring for the land by attending a training, workshop, or presentation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Learn about Temperate Forests

#12 Temperate Forests

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning more about the environmental services provided by and the environmental issues affecting temperate forests.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Express My Support

#54 Walkable Cities

I will find out who in my city makes decisions that impact neighborhood walkability and express my support for better walking infrastructure.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Advocate for Forest Protection

#38 Forest Protection

I will contact 1 congress people or representatives to advocate for public policy that protects forests and the enforcement of existing anti-logging laws.

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 1
DAILY ACTION

Land Use

Local Perennial Biomass

#51 Perennial Biomass

I will spend at least 5 minutes finding out if anyone is working on perennial biomass projects in my region and how I can get involved.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 4 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Support Companies Leading in Green Energy

#8 Solar Farms

I will use my spending power to reward companies leading in purchasing green energy and incentivize others to invest more in green energy.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity Generation

Explore Other Electricity Generation Solutions

All Electricity Generation Solutions

I will spend at least 5 minutes researching other Drawdown Electricity Generation Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Support Women-Owned Businesses

#62 Women Smallholders

I will support women-owned businesses when I shop this month.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Express My Support

#59 Bike Infrastructure

I will find out who in my city makes decisions that impact bike routes and express my support for better biking infrastructure.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Plan to Insulate

#31 Insulation

I will find out how to make my home more energy efficient through better insulation and weatherization.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

#29 Wave and Tidal

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of wave and tidal energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Biomass

#34 Biomass

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Micro Wind

#76 Micro Wind

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of Micro Wind.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

#18 Geothermal

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Explore Other Buildings and Cities Solutions

All Buildings and Cities Solutions

I will spend at least 5 minutes researching other Drawdown Buildings and Cities Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Research Retrofitting Incentives

#80 Retrofitting

I will spend at least 5 minutes finding out if my city, region, or state offers incentives for retrofitting existing buildings.

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 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 5 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Explore Other Food Solutions

All Food Solutions

I will spend at least 5 minutes researching other Drawdown Food Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

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

COMPLETED 7
DAILY 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 6
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

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?

Mariah Ghannoum 4/25/2018 8:40 AM

I've conot acted more representatives about environmental issues in the past two weeks than in the previous year. Nice to have the motivation inspired by this challenge!

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- Mariah Ghannoum 4/25/2018 8:41 AM
  
  "contacted" not "conot acted"
  
  Read More
Mariah Ghannoum 4/23/2018 9:02 AM

Wood can be sold as a commodity in and of iself, so products don't necessarily have to tell you what type of wood it is. I'm particularly wary of the label "tropical hardwoods". Definitely, keeping an eye out for the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) logo--but it is surprisingly rare....

Read More
Mariah Ghannoum 4/21/2018 6:44 AM

Growing up sailing in the Pacific NW, the power of tides was impressed up me at an early age. Seems fitting to learn WA and OR have the greatest potential for wave energy production in the lower 48.

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Mariah Ghannoum 4/19/2018 2:27 PM

Pick your protein well! The lacto-ovo vegetarian diet does not necessarily use less energy that a meat-based one. In terms of kcal fossil energy input per kcal protein produced, eggs have a ratio of 39:1 and dairy has a ratio of 14:1. Compare that with: chicken (4:1), beef (40:1 conventional; 20:1 sustainable), and lamb (57:1). Grain has a ratio of 2:1. (Pimentel & Pimentel, 2003)

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Reduce Animal Products

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?

Mariah Ghannoum 4/13/2018 7:00 AM

Cultural norms and the lack of high quality vegetarian options at most restaurants and in typical American food cookbooks. When I was a vegetarian 15 or so years ago, eating at restaurants pretty much meant some type of bread and cheese combo (not the healthiest). Now, options are better, but when I want to eat vegetarian, I invariably end up at a "non-American-Food" restaurant (Chinese, Ethiopian, Lebanese, Indian, etc.), from a culture whose cuisine is typically high in all different types of vegetables. First step, teach people how to cook with more veggies, and make high quality vegetarian options more available at restaurants.

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Mariah Ghannoum 4/13/2018 6:51 AM

Palm Oil is EVERYWHERE!!

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