Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Reinis Pakulis

MSR Design

"To be or not to be"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
931 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

81

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

42

zero-waste meals

consumed
UP TO

0.0

public officials or leaders

contacted
UP TO

20

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

0.0

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

108

miles

traveled by bike

Reinis's actions

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 18
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 0.0 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 2 meal(s) with zero-waste each day.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

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

COMPLETED 20
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

Women and Girls

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

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

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

Transport

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

#26 Electric Vehicles

I will spend at least 5 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 6 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

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

Electricity Generation

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

#18 Geothermal

I will spend at least 6 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 13 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Learn More about Biomass

#34 Biomass

I will spend at least 6 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

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
Land Use

As you learn more about the scope and seriousness of the environmental challenges we face, what impact does that have on your thinking and actions? What are the parts that feel overwhelming? What parts help you feel hopeful?
Reinis Pakulis 4/25/2018 7:56 PM
Reflection Question: As you learn more about the scope and seriousness of the environmental challenges we face, what impact does that have on your thinking and actions? What are the parts that feel overwhelming? What parts help you feel hopeful?

- I am becoming more aware of the good things I'm already doing. While the amount information on this topic can be very overwhelming, I feel like I can kick back the chair a bit and relax.

Read More
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?
Reinis Pakulis 4/25/2018 7:40 PM
Reflection Question: Had you heard of the term silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?

- Had not heard before. Biggest advantage would be the diversification of income. Having as many enterprises on the land as possible to maximize the income.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation

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?
Reinis Pakulis 4/25/2018 7:24 PM
Reflection Question: 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?

- Friend had a conversation about this with one of university's lecturers. As it turns out for a single family residential house the upfront investment in geothermal will hardly pay off during lifetime. So I would say that public domain seems the most feasible option and would eventually increase the number of implications in private and commercial sectors.

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!
Reinis Pakulis 4/25/2018 7:08 PM
Reflection question: Had you ever heard of biomass techonology before this? What did you learn that surprised you? Share this with your friends!

- Had heard before, more like confirmed what I already knew. Back in Latvia many multi storey residential houses, including where I lived, are heated using wood pellets. The resource is widely available and one of the cheapest options compared to what's available.

Read More
- Maria Petrova 4/25/2018 7:10 PM
  Next destination - africa!
  
  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?
Reinis Pakulis 4/25/2018 6:55 PM
Reflection question: What does your vision of a sustainable community look like? What would need to be changed in order for such vision to become reality?

Funny enough sustainable communities already exist. Couple Years ago heard a funny take on LEED certification. If You would audit a village from specific areas of Africa (with the applicable measures) - they would get Platinum certification.They already implicate many sustainability tactics, not because of choice, but there's simply isn't enough of resources to go around.

Read More
Reinis Pakulis 4/25/2018 6:43 PM
Have contributed quite a bit of miles on bike. Not bad, not bad at all.

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?
Reinis Pakulis 4/24/2018 9:05 AM
Reflection question: Now that you know the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates, how will you view expiration dates differently?

- I won't. The names clearly state what the date on packaging means and have been using that as a reference, plus a detective-dog-grade-nose helps sort out bad from good.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities

Why do you care about taking action on climate change?
Reinis Pakulis 4/24/2018 8:32 AM
Reflection question: Why do you care about taking action on climate change?
I want to life forever. Just kidding, but honestly, don't want to experience any drastic global climate changes during my lifetime.

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?
Reinis Pakulis 4/24/2018 7:38 AM
After assessing my diet's impact on deforestation, I must say that I'm doing ok. Kind of.
While I don't drink coffee (at all), I'm still quite fond of chocolate, meat or dairy products. Absolutely not ready to give up these things, moderation would be the best effort from me.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport

Reducing (or eliminating) exhaust emissions and improving public health are two benefits of green vehicles. What other motivators inspire you to consider switching to a more fuel-efficient vehicle?
Reinis Pakulis 4/24/2018 7:15 AM
Another motivator that would persuade people to get a more fuel-efficient car is (obviously) cost. Filling up a car overseas feels very much like selling a part of Your kidney.

Read More