Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Whitney McClees

Team Southcoast

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
856 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

50

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

21

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

4.1

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

231

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

10

miles

traveled by bike

Whitney's actions

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

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 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Women and Girls

Support Women-Owned Businesses

#62 Women Smallholders

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

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Install a Toilet Bank

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will reduce the amount of water flushed and save up to 11 gallons (41 L) of water per day by installing a toilet tank bank.

COMPLETED
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 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

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 11
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

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 1 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 21
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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Go by Bike

#59 Bike Infrastructure

I will commute by bike 2 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 0.82 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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

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
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?
Whitney McClees 4/22/2018 6:32 PM
Silvopasture is new to me and I appreciate this challenge for opening my eyes to new things. The biggest advantage of silvopasture is preventing the clearing of land for grazing. The animals can graze among existing trees.

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?
Whitney McClees 4/22/2018 6:31 PM
To support the closest regenerative agriculture farm, I can join their CSA if they have one, support them at the farmer's market, or donate to their operation to enable them to better contribute to the area.

Read More
Whitney McClees 4/19/2018 8:31 AM
I've really been enjoying biking to and from work. It's not a long distance and it gives me the chance to get a little extra vitamin D! I wish there were more dedicated bike lanes on the roads, though. It would make things a little safer and possibly encourage more people to travel by bike.

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?
Whitney McClees 4/12/2018 5:53 PM
I find that taking alternative transportation to my car allows me to think more about how I'm getting somewhere and who I might interact with along the way.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities

How does using human-powered transportation make you feel?
Whitney McClees 4/09/2018 3:45 PM
Today was a chilly day to bike to work but I did it anyway! Cold, but worth it.

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?
Whitney McClees 4/08/2018 9:36 AM
In order to change my diet so it contributes less to deforestation, I can avoid products that contain palm oil, make conscious choices about where my dairy and eggs come from, eat less meat, and make sure I'm only using/eating chocolate that is Rainforest Alliance certified.

Read More
- Deirdre Healy 4/08/2018 5:49 PM
  I am a BIG fan of Equal Exchange. Headquartered in nearby West Bridgewater, they source fairly traded, organic products. Great coffee, chocolate, olive oil and more!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

How could you incorporate other "R's" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle?
Whitney McClees 4/07/2018 4:58 PM
To incorporate other "R's", I can reduce the material goods I purchase, attempt to repair broken items before replacing them, and recycle and repurpose as much as possible.

Read More
- Anne OBrien 4/07/2018 5:26 PM
  Whitney, have you heard of Sugru? I repair all things with that stuff! Saved a microwave from a landfill with it recently and did small bike repairs.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

How can you take your action a step further?
Whitney McClees 4/07/2018 4:56 PM
I can limit my use of paper products, such as moving away from paper towels to cloth towels, and considering using handkerchiefs instead of tissues.

Read More
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?
Whitney McClees 4/07/2018 4:07 PM
Learning the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates has reminded me that I don't need to be so quick to throw food away as soon as the date arrives. Additionally, I learned about the 4's rule: once something is opened, it should keep for about 4 days at 4C or 40F. Most people don't know the temperature of their refrigerator, so buying a thermometer can help with that.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation

Your utility company is able to tell you your average energy usage. Ask them how your energy usage compares to others in your zipcode, and in your state. What steps can you take each day to reduce your electricity usage?
Whitney McClees 4/07/2018 3:42 PM
In order to reduce my electricity usage daily, I can make an effort to turn off all lights when they are not being used, unplug appliances I use infrequently, and turn the thermostat down during the day when no one is home and at night.

Read More