I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency by mulching the base of trees and plants in my yard.
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 10
DAILY ACTIONS
Materials
Eliminate Toxic Plastics
#47 Bioplastic
I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl and instead replace them with bioplastic or durable options.
COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS
Materials
Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips
#47 Bioplastic
I will spend at least 60 minutes researching how to properly dispose of bioplastics in my city and share this information with 3 friends, family and/or colleagues.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Materials
Go Paperless
#70 Recycled Paper
I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by opting into paperless billing and subscriptions.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Food
Reduce Animal Products
#4 Plant-Rich Diet
I will enjoy 3 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.
COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS
Food
composting
#60 Composting, #3 Reduced Food Waste
I will start a compost bin where I live.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Food
Explore Other Food Solutions
All Food Solutions
I will spend at least 15 minutes researching other Drawdown Food Solutions.
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
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.
I will watch a video about methane digesters (also commonly known as anaerobic digesters).
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 1
DAILY ACTION
Food
Zero-waste Cooking
#3 Reduced Food Waste
I will cook 1 meal(s) with zero-waste each day.
COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS
Food
Smaller Portions
#3 Reduced Food Waste
I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food.
Gotten to the point lately where I pretty much nail the exact amount I'll actually end up wanting so nothing goes to waste. Also ordering less when out, though I am pretty good about not tossing out food anyway
Been using a mason jar for tea out, skipping straws, bringing my own metal utensils, and keeping my cloth bags in my car for anything I end up needing to carry to avoid plastic bags.
For the last month, so a little while before this challenge actually started, I'd been been doing my best to minimize my trash and waste. Today, since the challenge is wrapping up, I went through all my garbage and recyclables I've produced in the last month and added it all up. Though I certainly wasn't perfect, and far from waste-free, I know just being aware daily had a big impact.
All total for the last 4 weeks I had 5.3 lbs of trash and 5.6 lbs of recyclables. I'm sure there was probably more than that as I probably threw stuff away while out and about without thinking about it, but I figure that's a start. For reference, the average American produces around 4.4 lbs of trash a day.
I've eaten several meals now that were meatless and/or vegan. Mostly just salads, beans and rice. I definitely need to start looking up more recipes and figure out how to meet my daily needs on a meatless or vegan diet. I know that it can be super healthy, but since I'm not use to it and haven't explored a ton of options in the vegan realm, I had noticed getting pretty tired and have lost a little too much weight in the month I've been trying to really cut back.
I watched videos and read about an electricity generating technique called Anaerobic Digestion. This is a closed-loop system that basically seeks to make waste less wasteful buy converting biomass (cow manure or food scraps, for example) into energy! It sems like its essentially the same concept as composting. When you combine the moist biomass in a container without oxygen, as it breaks down with the help of bacteria, it releases methane and carbon dioxide. Of course, that same thing happens at methane which contributes to global warming without the gases being utilized. By implementing a system like this, we could make use of what is otherwise simply wasteful and harmful, by powering towns with the gases from our waste. Pretty neat stuff.
I've been good at not only being mindful of keeping portions small to reduce waste in the first place, but composting everything I can't finish or re purpose. I did run into some problems with the compost getting moldy, so I started putting it in the freezer during the week before I carry it out to the bigger compost pile I made in my yard.
I spent 25 minutes reading about Silvopasture, something I'd never heard of til this challenge. Silvopasture is a type of agroforestry mehtod that incorporates the use of trees and livestock on a single piece of land. By keeping trees and livestock on land, you maximize efficiency (by saving space, rather than using separate land for timber and livestock, and create a symbiotic relationship between the trees and the livestock that maximizes yields. For example, while waiting for trees to grow or produce, you can profit off the animals grazing on the grass around them. The animals add fertility to the soil, keep the grass at manageable levels for they don't take over and pull too much water and nutrients from the soil, and finally, the animals run on the bark of the trees which keeps pests from being able to burrow as easily. Silvopasure is a great farming method in terms of sustainability and profit.
Unfortunately, I have regularly used lots of single use plastics over the years. Including to-go cups for ice tea, plastic straws and plastic bags from the grocery store. There are more, but those are probably my biggest offenders. I recently bought some cloth produce bags from Simple Ecology for my groceries and produce to cut down. On top of cutting out the plastic bags, I've found I can cut down on materials by buying things like rice in bulk in my bags as well.
