Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Melyssa Rodriguez

Comerica Bank

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
767 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

115

minutes

spent learning

Melyssa's actions

Women and Girls

Support Women-Owned Businesses

#62 Women Smallholders

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

COMPLETED 14
DAILY 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 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Women and Girls

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

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 21
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

Buildings and Cities

Plan to Insulate

#31 Insulation

I will find out how to make my home more energy efficient through better insulation and weatherization.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Upgrade My Windows

#31 Insulation

I will upgrade the windows or weatherstripping in my home or office to reduce air leaks and save on energy costs.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Rooftop Solar Consultation

#10 Rooftop Solar

After researching the incentives at the federal, state, utility, and local levels, I will contact a local installer/distributor for a solar panel installation consultation on my house.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

#6 Educating Girls, #7 Family Planning, #62 Women Smallholders

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.

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
Buildings and Cities

How does improving your home's energy efficiency help you better live out your values?
Melyssa Rodriguez 4/25/2018 12:46 PM
I think it is very important to help our homes become more energy efficient. Not only did insulating my windows and doors help me save some $$$, but it also allowed for cool air not to exit through any gaps and/or cracks! Especially living in AZ, this is also going to help with keeping the AC in during the hot summer months.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Where would you rather use this money?
Melyssa Rodriguez 4/25/2018 12:05 PM
Once I began keeping track of my wasted food, I realized how wasteful I was being without even knowing it! Usually, if there are leftovers that's ok (usually they'll be lunch the next day) but I never realized how often those "leftovers" were never eaten. This challenge has allowed me to be smarter when I am grocery shopping. I've planned my portion sizes, which then allows me to buy exactly what I need at the store for that week. It also has helped save some $$ too :)

Read More
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?
Melyssa Rodriguez 4/25/2018 11:52 AM
Well, smaller plates can have major health benefits as well. Currently, we are in a time where our plates are over filled with certain foods that are not the best for our health. Smaller portions/plates has not only helped my metabolism speed up, which allows me to feel full faster, but also being able to digest my food more quickly. I also have noticed I have had more energy since having smaller plates and I do not feel as sluggish and tired as I would after previous meals.

Read More
Melyssa Rodriguez 4/25/2018 10:35 AM
This Challenge gas been very eye opening and informative for me. I not only was able to help the environment by completing some of the recommendations attached to each Resource, but smaller food portions helped me maintain more energy. I was also able to become more knowledgeable on subjects I never really paid attention to, which in my opinion, is the highlight of this challenge as well. I also want to congratulate everyone who participated! Great Job!!!

Read More
Melyssa Rodriguez 4/20/2018 3:10 PM
I had the pleasure today of stopping by a local Pizza Parlor today on my way back from an appointment. I met the owner, Maricela, and she was a local owned and had just opened her second shop as well! She was so proud, which was amazing, and you could tell by how she beamed when she spoke about the business. Long story short, I got lunch for my team and support a women-owned business as well! Best part was definitely meeting Maricela and seeing how much she enjoyed and loved what she did!

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?
Melyssa Rodriguez 4/06/2018 9:28 AM
Currently, the demand for more livestock and animal products seems to be affecting the environment more than I would've expected. After reviewing, a percentage of Rainforests have been cut down and flattened to make room for more livestock to graze and expand. These emissions that are being released into the air from their fecal matter is harmful to breath in, but cutting down those trees does not help either! I've decided to incorporate less meat into my diet, and try to eat more leafy greens to help avoid this growth and destruction of these environments.

Read More
Melyssa Rodriguez 4/06/2018 9:15 AM
Once I started tracking my portions and how much food was wasted off my plate, I was surprised that was never on my radar to review. Since I've started measuring the portions I'm adding for that meal, the after dinner clean up has become a bit easier as well! SO that's a win-win in my opinion! :)

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