April 1 - April 30, 2021

Victoria Coleman

"To constantly strive towards deepening our own green practices while promoting behavioral change towards sustainability within the St. Louis region."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
372 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

181

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

65

minutes

spent learning

Victoria's actions

Buildings

Explore Other Buildings Solutions

All Buildings Solutions

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching other Drawdown Buildings Solutions.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Go for a Daily Walk

Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 20 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Dutchtown Neighborhood Cleanup with earthday365

Sat., April 24th @ 9:30am - 12p **Register prior to event using link under "learn more."** This event is hosted in collaboration with the Community Improvement District of Dutchtown, Employment Connection, and several neighborhood associations. Volunteers will provide much needed litter cleanup along the streets and alleyways. Light snacks will be available and volunteers receive an Earth Day Celebration Kit. Bring a water bottle to refill! You can register in shifts for this event.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Research Cement Alternatives

Alternative Cement

I will spend at least 90 minutes researching cement alternatives that reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Keep Track of Wasted Food

Reduced Food Waste

I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during Earth Month 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 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity

Explore Other Electricity Solutions

All Electricity Solutions

I will spend at least 45 minutes researching other Drawdown Electricity Solutions.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Watch a Video about Methane Digesters

Methane Digesters

I will watch a video about methane digesters (also commonly known as anaerobic digesters).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Calculate My Carbon Footprint

All Drawdown Solutions

I will calculate the greenhouse gas emissions associated with my household and consider how different lifestyle choices could reduce my negative impact on the environment.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Learn about 'Green Gentrification'

Multiple Solutions

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning about green gentrification and how it relates to city planning for climate action.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Tour a Green Roof

Green and Cool Roofs

I will set up a visit or a virtual tour of a green roof in my city, and ask about the codes and process for installing a green roof.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Learn about the Legacy of Redlining

Multiple Solutions

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning about the legacy of redlining and how city planning and environmental justice issues are interconnected.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Research Retrofitting Incentives

Building Retrofitting

I will spend at least 60 minutes finding out if my city, region, state, or country offers incentives for retrofitting existing buildings.

UNCOMPLETED
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
Electricity Watch a Video about Methane Digesters

What does your vision of a sustainable community look like? What would need to be changed in order for such vision to become reality?

Victoria Coleman 4/30/2021 3:05 PM

To me, a sustainable community looks like an accessible community for all--access to fresh food, quality education, parks and recreational activities--ideally all that can be reached by foot. This video was extremely interesting--I have never heard of these anaerobic digesters before but it is amazing how they can take on of the most potent GHG and turn it into energy, on-site to offset energy consumption!! Innovative energy solutions like this would be part of the plan as well.

Read More
Victoria Coleman 4/30/2021 2:40 PM

Today is the last day of the challenge!!! If you forgot to check in a couple of days, don't worry. You can go back and retroactively check-in (for fewer points) up to SEVEN days! Remember next Friday at 10:00 we will have a virtual celebration and announce the winners! :)

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Victoria Coleman 4/22/2021 9:47 AM

Also, a reminder that this weekend Earthday365 is hosting a Dutchtown Neighborhood Park cleanup. This is Saturday morning and there are shifts remaining for 10:30 am - 12:30 pm! This event is listed as a one-time event in the "transportation" category, so you can check in here and earn points after volunteering. You can learn more and register for the event with this Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfCkHYb0uWAWiyN7Ic16N15cF4FnXEAe7NfYQgX04Fzlh4wog/viewform

Read More
Victoria Coleman 4/22/2021 9:41 AM

Happy Earth Day, everyone! We have roughly one week left in the Ecochallenge! It's been so inspiring to see how all of you have been celebrating Planet Earth ALL month long! Just wanted to highlight some stats that I grabbed from our actual midway mark last week! Together, we have saved up to 393 pounds of CO2, up to 330 gallons of water, and we have spent up to 1,932 minutes out in nature! I invite you to explore the impacts tab at the top right of your screen to see some other amazing impacts our team has been making!

By today, we have accumulated 8,482 points as a team and we are ranked 26th out of all the teams participating in the challenge! Shoutout to Holly Parks, who has checked in 22 times (everyday!!) and Leslie Smith who is checked in 21 times!! Way to go folks!! The competition is fierce for the top three spots but anything is possible!! Let's finish the home stretch strong!! :D

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Victoria Coleman 4/19/2021 12:43 PM

Monday email has just gone out--remember to check those spam and other folders! I'm seeing fierce competition for the top 3 spots!!! :D

Also, check out this interesting article on buildings warmed by human body heat!! Super interesting--also wondering how pandemic lockdowns may have affected these systems: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200908-the-buildings-warmed-by-the-human-body

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Victoria Coleman 4/16/2021 12:56 PM

Everyone, we are making great progress! I love seeing all your thoughts, reflections, and photographs! I wanted to share a fun and sustainability-focused summit the Missouri Historical Society is hosting next week! The Global Freshwaters Summit!

The multi-day summit will feature speakers and panels from the museum, and a vast number of institutions and organizations within St. Louis and outside of St. Louis, as well. Registration is required but the program is free to attend! Please see this website for more information, details, and to register: https://mohistory.org/global-freshwaters-summit-schedule

Read More
Victoria Coleman 4/05/2021 11:33 AM

Happy Spring! The warm weather has definitely made it easy to get my daily walks in (see: transportation, “go for a daily walk”).

Monday emails are off! This is a reminder to check your “spam” or “promotion” sections of your emails so you don't miss 'em! Also, remember to keep inviting others, we are still early in the challenge and EVERYONE is welcome!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Go for a Daily Walk

What have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?

Victoria Coleman 4/04/2021 7:44 PM

The weather has been so nice recently, making this very easy to do! I am a big fan of walkable cities, having lived in Chicago for a four-year stint. My neighborhood in St. Louis has a lot of construction going on, which is to be expected as the weather gets warmer. I realized that this lends itself to cutting off valuable sidewalk space. Additionally, here and there the occasional piece of packaging or metal may be laying around the sidewalk that is still available to use, rendering it less accessible for people. I was thinking of a solution to this. And what is a place that is very walkable where there is ALWAYS construction going on???? New York City!! Maybe scaffolding can be an option in the future?

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Go for a Daily Walk

What have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?

Victoria Coleman 4/04/2021 7:44 PM

The weather has been so nice recently, making this very easy to do! I am a big fan of walkable cities, having lived in Chicago for a four-year stint. My neighborhood in St. Louis has a lot of construction going on, which is to be expected as the weather gets warmer. I realized that this lends itself to cutting off valuable sidewalk space. Additionally, here and there the occasional piece of packaging or metal may be laying around the sidewalk that is still available to use, rendering it less accessible for people. I was thinking of a solution to this. And what is a place that is very walkable where there is ALWAYS construction going on???? New York City!! Maybe scaffolding can be an option in the future?

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?

Victoria Coleman 4/03/2021 9:59 PM

It was great to learn the difference between all the labels on the different food we purchase. After reading the article, I conducted a mini inventory of foods in my pantry and refrigerator to see what language was used on the labels. The most interesting thing I read was that the "Freeze by" label is actually the last date you should freeze your item to "maintain peak quality." Seeing as I mostly see this on meat, I thought this was really interesting that this ensures maintaining peak quality. I usually don't toss foods unless there is visible or significant molding, so I will continue to do so! And hopefully, educate others! I'll be doing a small presentation on food waste so this is perfect to include!

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