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Narada Golden's avatar

Narada Golden

Built Ecology & Friends

"I'm a huge fan of both NWEI and Project Drawdown so this EcoChallenge is a real treat. Like the tastiest PB&J EcoChallenge sandwich!"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 2,638 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    50
    conversations
    with people
  • UP TO
    1.0
    documentary
    watched
  • UP TO
    17
    lightbulbs
    replaced
  • UP TO
    14
    locally sourced meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    275
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    469
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    2.0
    public officials or leaders
    contacted

Narada's actions

Basic Needs & Security

Calculate Your Water Footprint

SDG 6

I will calculate my water footprint and look for a few ways I can reduce consumption or waste.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate & Ecosystems

Calculate Your Carbon Impact

SDG 13

I will calculate the carbon emissions associated with my household and consider how lifestyle changes could reduce the carbon footprint and impacts on the environment.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Research Heat Pumps

#42 Heat Pumps

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching heat pumps to see if installing one makes sense for my home/building.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Explore Other Food Solutions

All Food Solutions

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching other Drawdown Food 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 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

#1 Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

#18 Geothermal

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

#29 Wave and Tidal

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

#47 Bioplastic

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching how to properly dispose of bioplastics in my city and share this information with 50 friends, family and/or colleagues.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Replace Manual Thermostats

#57 Smart Thermostats

I will replace manual thermostats with smart ones.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Choose Recycled Paper

#70 Recycled Paper

If I have to buy paper products, I will only purchase products made from post-consumer recycled paper for my home or office.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Recycle Everything I Can

#55 Household Recycling

I will recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community.

COMPLETED 15
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

Communicate With My Elected Officials

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore)

I will write or call 2 elected official(s) telling them not to support fossil fuel subsidies and instead support wind energy generation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Explore Other Electricity Generation Solutions

All Electricity Generation Solutions

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching other Drawdown Electricity Generation Solutions.

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

Electricity Generation

Choose Renewable Energy or Purchase Renewable Energy Credits

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore), #8 Solar Farms

I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option. If my utility does not offer one, I will purchase Renewable Energy Credits to match my usage.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Explore Other Transport Solutions

All Transport Solutions

I will spend at least 60 minutes researching other Drawdown Transport Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

#26 Electric Vehicles

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 17 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Support Local Food Systems

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will source 1 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 14
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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
    Materials Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips
    What concerns you the most about how we are affecting the planet? Consider both local and global actions.

    Narada Golden's avatar
    Narada Golden 4/25/2018 8:31 PM
    You don't recycle bio-plastics, you compost them. Take them to your closest Green Market in NYC.

  • Narada Golden's avatar
    Narada Golden 4/25/2018 8:24 AM
    Let's go Built Ecology & Friends team!! This is the day to wrap up your actions. We have until midnight Pacific Coast time to log your actions.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Women and Girls Support Women-Owned Businesses
    Globally, women typically invest a higher proportion of their earnings in their families and communities than men. How can you better support communities by supporting women?

    Narada Golden's avatar
    Narada Golden 4/24/2018 4:19 PM
    I have found that finding and supporting women-owned businesses is harder that I thought it would be. There are a few decent websites that feature women-owned businesses but many of them are not businesses that I would typically go to (e.g. services like tax consulting, PR, etc.). I do have a sneaking suspicion that there are a lot WBE's that are not on any official WBE list. This came up in part because Rachel and I recently went to Pequena (a restaurant in our neighborhood) and I was pleasantly surprised to see this sign out front. They don't even say they are a WBE on their website. I wish more businesses advertized that they are women-owned, even if they aren't officially certified through the city.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Buildings and Cities Research Heat Pumps
    Why do you care about taking action on climate change?

    Narada Golden's avatar
    Narada Golden 4/24/2018 11:47 AM
    Heat pumps, who knew these would be an important part of Project Drawdown? Well . . . all of the MEP engineers at WSP did!

    • Manda Magee's avatar
      Manda Magee 4/24/2018 11:53 AM
      The great thing is I still learned stuff through the research of this project.  One item that was inherent in the system with never really dawned on me was the heat recovery in the water loop.  During the shoulder seasons, some heat pumps reject heat and some absorb heat from the water loop.  I've always been an advocate to VRF systems because of the energy recovery, I have to rethink that.  

  • Narada Golden's avatar
    Narada Golden 4/18/2018 8:07 AM
    I'm also running out of known women-owned business options and need some more tips from my NYC cohort!

  • Narada Golden's avatar
    Narada Golden 4/18/2018 8:05 AM
    We gotta move back into 6th place! Post away and check off some of those actions!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Electricity Generation Learn More About Geothermal Energy
    Geothermal energy is reliable, abundant, and efficient. Project Drawdown states that public investment will play a crucial role in its expansion. What kind of investment seems most feasible for you?

    Narada Golden's avatar
    Narada Golden 4/11/2018 7:20 PM
    It's wild to think that 85% of the planet is hot magma that we could tap into for energy. And clearly there are places around the world where that energy is more readily accessible. 

    One thing we often come across is that people conflate geothermal energy (hot steam used for generating electricity and sometimes hot water) with geo-exchange heating and cooling which uses thermally stable soil to extract heat and coolth for building conditioning. The latter is more commonly used in cities and buildings. I'll report back on what I learn in my 30 minutes of research!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials Properly Dispose of Refrigerants
    How do you address your own feelings of concern, fear or despair about climate change?

    Narada Golden's avatar
    Narada Golden 4/11/2018 7:13 PM
    Reflection Question for refrigerant disposal: "How do you address your own feelings of concern, fear or despair about climate change?"

    Well, that's a pretty big question! Regarding the disposal of refrigerants, I was going to say that I don't think I have ever disposed of any refrigerants before so I'm curious to learn more. When it comes to the actual reflection question, I'm not sure if I can cover that adequately in this post but I can say that taking actions, no matter how small, and sharing them with others gives me a sense of hope and collective commitment to take steps in the right direction.

  • Narada Golden's avatar
    Narada Golden 4/09/2018 9:44 AM
    The Northwest Earth Institute which is hosting this EcoChallenge is an amazing organization! They also have a very thoughtful Model For Change that informs all of the work they do including this EcoChallenge. Check it out and consider donating to them through the EcoChallenge website if you like what they do.

  • Narada Golden's avatar
    Narada Golden 4/09/2018 9:41 AM
    GREAT WORK Built Ecology and Friends team!!! We are just over 1/4 of the way through the EcoChallenge and are in 4th place. That is super impressive!! AND we have a ways to go. Keep up the good work this week and consider exploring more actions if you complete the ones you have committed to. To see a summary of our team impacts, go to our Team Dashboard and scroll to the bottom.