Earth Month Ecochallenge: Drawdown

April 1 - April 30, 2021

Allison Johnson

DLR Group- Minneapolis

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
965 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

27

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

833

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

40

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

150

minutes

spent outdoors

Allison's actions

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Reduce Animal Products

Plant-Rich Diets

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

COMPLETED 26
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Eat Mindfully

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

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Health and Education

Support Businesses Owned by Women, BIPOC, or Immigrants

Sustainable Intensification for Smallholders

I will spend 15 minutes researching businesses owned by women, immigrants, and Black, Indigenous, and people of color that I can support when shopping.

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

Explore My Area

Sometimes protecting nature requires feeling connected to nature. I will invest 60 minutes in exploring and appreciating a natural area in my region, whether a forest, wetland, coastal area, or somewhere else.

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 1
DAILY ACTION

Industry

Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion

Multiple Industry Solutions

I will learn about sustainable fashion and begin trying to practice it in my own life.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Practice the 5 R's

Recycling

I will Practice the "5 Rs" — refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle — to reduce my waste more than I can with just recycling alone.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Conduct Virtual Meetings

Telepresence

I will encourage my office to hold meetings virtually whenever possible instead of requiring travel.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Go for a Daily Walk

Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 15 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

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
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Reduce Animal Products

Why do people in richer countries eat more meat than people in other places? How does eating more meat affect our bodies, our planet, and other people?

Allison Johnson 4/23/2021 6:07 AM

As someone who exercises regularly, it's important to incorporate a lot of protein into my diet. However, I've found there are many other protein-rich foods that are vegetarian or vegan-friendly!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Conduct Virtual Meetings

How can you ensure that your virtual meetings honor your values and your company's culture?

Allison Johnson 4/22/2021 6:37 AM

During virtual meetings, take some time (perhaps the first few minutes) to connect with each other from a human perspective. Level-set, just to see how everyone is feeling, as it's extremely difficult to read body language.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Health and Education Support Businesses Owned by Women, BIPOC, or Immigrants

Globally, women typically invest a higher proportion of their earnings in their families and communities than men. What have you done in the past to support women-owned businesses? How can you better support communities by supporting women?

Allison Johnson 4/21/2021 5:55 AM

The woman who we got our rescue dogs from founded her own dog training and boarding company. We've been using her services for years!

I'd love to do a little more research this Christmas when it comes to purchasing gifts for friends/family to better support women owned businesses!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion

How can you express your personality, creativity, and values in ways that don't require fast fashion or buying more clothes and accessories?

Allison Johnson 4/20/2021 6:26 AM

One of the last formal events that I attended had a 'Black-Tie' dress code. Knowing that I didn't own a super-formal gown, and would likely not wear one again, I decided to rent a dress rather than purchase a new one. I had a great experience with this service, and would definitely do it again!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks Choose Better Wood Products

Beyond carbon sequestration, what other benefits do forests offer you personally?

Allison Johnson 4/19/2021 6:21 AM

Forests not only offset carbon emissions, but offer a beautiful place for respite and reflection. I've spent a great deal of time exploring a number of different forests throughout the metro this past year and have seen the improvement it's made to my mental health.

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Allison Johnson 4/15/2021 6:00 AM

Half way through. Keep it up Minneapolis! ;)

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks Smart Seafood Choices

Many states and countries have advisories on eating fish. Find out what is advised for your region. Do you think your diet choices fall within these guidelines? What steps do you need to take to make sure that they do?

Allison Johnson 4/13/2021 5:46 AM

I learned that my local grocery store (Hy-Vee) marks their sustainable seafood choices which follow the Monterey-Bay guidelines for Best or Good selections. This makes it easier for consumers to make informed decisions about purchasing sustainable seafood. Points for me - I was already doing this without fully understanding the why behind it :)

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry Practice the 5 R's

What are some more "R's" you could add to your daily practice to reduce your waste?
Allison Johnson 4/09/2021 6:17 AM
Bring my reusable bags with me to other shops (besides the grocery store)

Invest in some reusable produce bags

Continue to utilize 'Material Bank' for samples - 100% Carbon Neutral shipping with reusable packaging.
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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?

Allison Johnson 4/08/2021 5:50 AM

I've noticed that many streets in my neighborhood do not have sidewalks. Adding these would definitely make me feel a bit safer while walking/running/walking my dogs. For that reason, I often opt to walk/run around a nearby pond which has a paved trail system.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Eat Mindfully

Mindful eating is healthier for us than eating with distractions. How does your eating experience differ when practicing mindfulness?

Allison Johnson 4/07/2021 8:06 AM

I'm finding it much more difficult to eat without distractions than I previously thought it would be! Now that the weather is warming up, I'm going to make an effort to eat lunch and dinner outside, whenever possible!

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