Earth Month Ecochallenge: Drawdown

April 1 - April 30, 2021

Kathryn Davidson

Lean Green Mean Team

"Magical Realist Fiction Writer and Teacher, Tree Hugger, Climate and Social Justice Activist"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,136 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

2.0

donations

made
UP TO

39

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

85

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

123

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

1.0

person

helped
UP TO

24

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

6.0

public officials or leaders

contacted

Kathryn's actions

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Compost my food

Composting is one of the top ways to combat climate change

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Reduce Animal Products

Plant-Rich Diets

I will enjoy 2 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Health and Education

Help Students Overcome Health Barriers

Health and Education

I will donate 1 Femme Kit(s) to help people who menstruate overcome health and sanitation barriers to being able to attend school.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Education

Fund Family Planning

Health and Education

I will donate to supply a community with reproductive health supplies.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Smart Seafood Choices

Ocean Farming

I will visit seafoodwatch.org or download the app and commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Support a Community Garden

Multiple Solutions

I will support a community garden by volunteering, donating, or advocating for a new or existing one.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Advocate for Forest Protection

Forest Protection

I will contact 2 congress people or representatives to advocate for public policy that protects forests and the enforcement of existing anti-logging laws, as well as the rights of local people to protect and restore the land in their communities.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Choose Better Wood Products

Forest Protection

I will only purchase wood and paper products from ecologically certified sources like Forest Stewardship Council.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Sinks

Forest-Friendly Foods 2

Tropical Forest Restoration

I will replace or remove from my current diet the palm oil, coffee, and cocoa products that are known to contribute to deforestation.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings

Replace Manual Thermostats

Smart Thermostats

I will replace manual thermostats with smart ones.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Research Heat Pumps

High-Efficiency Heat Pumps

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching heat pumps to see if installing one makes sense for my home/building.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Plan to Insulate

Insulation

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Reduce Single-Use Disposables

Bioplastics

Cheap, single-use items and disposable packaging end up blowing around as litter more often in poor and BIPOC-majority neighborhoods. I will avoid buying and using 1 single-use plastics and instead replace them with durable options.

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Industry

Find a Local Climate-Friendly Supermarket

Refrigerant Management

I will explore the interactive map in the links below to find a supermarket that does not use HFC refrigerants near my home.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Express My Support For Equitable Biking Infrastructure

Bicycle 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

Transportation

Use Muscle Power

Multiple Transportation Solutions

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 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Advocate For Greener Vehicles

Electric Cars, Hybrid Cars, Efficient Trucks

I will assess the vehicles used by my company or college and advocate for a purchasing policy focused on electric and fuel-efficient vehicles

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Research and Advocate for High-Speed Rail

High-Speed Rail

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching and advocating for a comprehensive high speed rail network in my country/region.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Eat Mindfully

I will eat all of my meals without distractions, e.g., phone, computer, TV, or newspaper.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Smaller Portions

Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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?

Kathryn Davidson 4/30/2021 2:57 PM

I had been getting lazy about certain things, so I sharpened up my act.

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Kathryn Davidson 4/29/2021 5:42 AM

Dear everyone, today I took the time to write to 5 elected officials about responsible forestry. A good place to go to copy and past language to add to your emails is: https://www.sierraclub.org/forests. I hope everyone will take the time out to do this. Though BIden's plan is the most aggressive plan to combat climate change that we've ever had, there are many obstacles in the way. We must keep the pressure on. Here's some useful language from the Sierra Club: "Most of North America’s largest timber companies are wedded to a model of intensive, industrial forestry that is far from climate friendly. We need to reward long-rotation, lower-impact logging if we are serious about tackling climate." change.

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Kathryn Davidson 4/29/2021 4:42 AM

30 days has September, April, June and November... this is our penultimate day. I discovered that heat pumps are not the right answer if you have radiators...

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Research and Advocate for High-Speed Rail

What are the factors that influence your choice of transportation? These can include things like money, time, and convenience, as well as perceptions of danger or safety. What would need to change for you to regularly choose more climate-friendly options?

Kathryn Davidson 4/26/2021 3:18 AM

As I was bumping down Interstate 88 between Albany and Oneonta to visit my mother, the cracks in the highway thudding deafeningly, reminding me of third world countries I visited in my youth, I contemplated how amazing it would be to have a high speed rail in this country. Imagine the swift, smooth, quiet ride, where you could get work done. It's a critical part of managing the climate crisis.
A similar thought occurred to me as I was jolted along the train tracks between Albany and Boston, the tracks getting notably smoother as we hit Massachusetts. Did you know that it takes only 3 and 1/2 hours to drive to Boston, but it takes the train 5-7 hours? Isn't that crazy? Imagine the increase in commerce between Boston and Albany if we had a high speed rail line with at least two express trains a day? The possibilities are endless.
As you work on Biden's Infrastructure bill, remember high speed rail. It will not only reduce our carbon footprint, but increase commerce.
On either end of the ride, we could have rentable electric cars, scooters, and bikes to get door to door. Ah, quietude, ah clean air, ah surviving the sixth extinction.

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Kathryn Davidson 4/26/2021 3:17 AM

As I was bumping down Interstate 88 between Albany and Oneonta to visit my mother, the cracks in the highway thudding deafeningly, reminding me of third world countries I visited in my youth, I contemplated how amazing it would be to have a high speed rail in this country. Imagine the swift, smooth, quiet ride, where you could get work done. It's a critical part of managing the climate crisis.
A similar thought occurred to me as I was jolted along the train tracks between Albany and Boston, the tracks getting notably smoother as we hit Massachusetts. Did you know that it takes only 3 and 1/2 hours to drive to Boston, but it takes the train 5-7 hours? Isn't that crazy? Imagine the increase in commerce between Boston and Albany if we had a high speed rail line with at least two express trains a day? The possibilities are endless.
On either end of the ride, we could have rentable electric cars, scooters, and bikes to get door to door. Ah, quietude, ah clean air, ah surviving the sixth extinction.
Thanks for your ear,
Dr. Lale Davidson.

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Kathryn Davidson 4/20/2021 4:16 AM

I was excited to see strawberries in cardboard boxes at Hannaford's the other day. Hope that becomes a trend.

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- Kathryn Davidson 4/26/2021 3:03 AM
  
  Alas, they vanished no more to return...
  
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- Krista Rivera 4/22/2021 6:00 PM
  
  That's great!!
  
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Kathryn Davidson 4/18/2021 8:14 AM

Good morning, team. The biggest change this challenge has brought about for me is that I'm eating less meat. What changes has this ecochallenge consistently engendered for you?

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- Laurie Husted 4/18/2021 8:44 AM
  
  I agree on the meat - it's become the occasional big treat and seeking out sustainably 'grown' meat products. My biggest challenge is trying to make room for new information. Bard students have shown me how much more I have to learn about food sovereignty and land access for POC. I want to make the time for all the panels and talks they have arranged this week for us.
  
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Kathryn Davidson 4/16/2021 3:57 PM

Happy Friday, Team. Hope you are doing well.

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Kathryn Davidson 4/15/2021 4:38 PM

Hello, team! Hope you had a good day. I was heartened that several of my speech students asked if it would be okay if they gave speeches on climate change.

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Kathryn Davidson 4/14/2021 10:14 AM

Hey everyone. I added daily composting of my food to my tasks, even though I've already been doing it for years. How is it going for everyone?

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