Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Mandy Makinen

National Co+op Grocers

"I am challenging myself to find additional ways to reduce my environmental impact! "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
635 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

35

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

22

zero-waste meals

consumed
UP TO

42

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

0.0

gallons of water

have been saved

Mandy's actions

Land Use

Buy Bamboo

#35 Bamboo

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

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

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 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Fix Leaky Faucets

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will fix faucets or report leaky faucets to facilities that have been wasting up to 9 gallons (34 L) of water per faucet every day.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 15 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 1 meal(s) with zero-waste each day.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

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 22
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 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Participant Feed

REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use

How difficult or easy was it to change your diet?
Mandy Makinen 4/25/2018 7:34 AM
I found it kind of depressing to monitor ingredients like tropical oils in the food I eat, because I can't deny that it is a problem (i.e. they're in lots of foods). I am happy that trans fats are becoming less common, but I hope consumers will support sustainably sourced tropical oils as awareness grows.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

What are other easy and low-cost ways to reduce your water usage at home?
Mandy Makinen 4/25/2018 7:28 AM
You can reduce water use by swapping out your faucet heads with low-flow models. We did this a few years back and I don't even notice the difference, but it reduces our water use!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use

Are bamboo alternatives readily available in your community? If not, what are other sustainable alternatives?
Mandy Makinen 4/23/2018 1:38 PM
Alternatives to plastic are readily available in my community, and really, through Amazon you can source metal or bamboo versions of almost everything. I am excited about the potential legalization of industrial hemp, as it is can be used to make a great, inexpensive alternative to plastic, too.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

Now that you know the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates, how will you view expiration dates differently?
Mandy Makinen 4/19/2018 5:47 AM
I have always been squeamish about leftovers and if something has been in my fridge awhile I tend to start ignoring it on purpose...this challenge has definitely inspired me to examine that thinking and expand my idea of how long things last with proper refrigeration. It's helping me waste less food AND I haven't experienced anything gross yet!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

Had you heard of the term silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?
Mandy Makinen 4/12/2018 11:16 AM
I had not heard about "silvopasture" before this. The main benefit, according to Drawdown, is that "Pastures strewn or crisscrossed with trees sequester five to ten times as much carbon as those of the same size that are treeless, storing it in both biomass and soil." That is awesome! I love the idea that it gives pasture animals comfy shade, too. Win-win.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

How does environmental quality influence your sense of community?
Mandy Makinen 4/09/2018 11:14 AM
Environmental quality has a huge influence on my sense of community. I love going to the parks and nature preserves in my city--I get to see so many different people and we are all enjoying being outside and in nature. It's a natural way to find common ground (pun intended?) and connect with others.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

In North America, up to 65% of food waste happens at the consumer level. Chef Steven Satterfield advocates for utilizing every part of a vegetable. How can you incorporate using an entire vegetable, including the skins, tops, and stalks during your next meal prep?
Mandy Makinen 4/06/2018 6:42 AM
When talking about "zero waste" I think we need to differentiate between throwing food in the garbage (truly wasting it) and composting it. At my house, we compost all our kitchen scraps so we have a source for nutrient-rich soil to put on our garden in the spring. Nothing is wasted in that process.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

Fun fact: Your brain and stomach register feelings of fullness after about 20 minutes of eating. While dishing food out, we tend to load our plates with more than we need. Using smaller plates helps to mitigate this. Aside from the environmental benefits, what other benefits might come out of this?
Mandy Makinen 4/06/2018 6:38 AM
Eating smaller portions at mealtimes means I don't overeat. You can always add more later if you are hungry.

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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?
Mandy Makinen 4/06/2018 6:37 AM
I think a major reason why people in North America eat more meat than any other country is that we don't have universal healthcare. Because we have a for-profit healthcare industry, there is no compelling reason for the government to properly fund public health education. We would hopefully see it funded pretty quickly if the government was footing the bill for our healthcare, since we would most likely see a shift to a preventative care model as it's so much more cost effective.

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