Earth Month Ecochallenge: Drawdown

April 1 - April 30, 2021

Natalie Metschan

Team ESR!

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
371 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

7.0

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

10

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

155

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

240

minutes

spent learning

Natalie's actions

Buildings

Research Heat Pumps

High-Efficiency Heat Pumps

I will spend at least 60 minutes researching heat pumps to see if installing one makes sense for my home/building.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Education

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

Health and Education

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

Tropical Forest Restoration

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME 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

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

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

Choose LED Bulbs

LED Lighting

I will replace 7 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Go for a Daily Walk

Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 60 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Electric Cars, Hybrid Cars

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

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
Health and Education Learn about the Need for Family Planning

What did you learn about the need for family planning? How do the needs of different people in different places compare to each other?

Natalie Metschan 4/30/2021 3:29 PM

I got the biggest impact from Katharine Wilkison's TED Talk because she talked about empowering women and girls to raise generations to be more focused on the environment. Family planning in the U.S is filled with resources and access to help. But there is an overwhelming focus on what we have. Having a large family, large house, multiple cars. It's not environmentally considerate. In other countries, awareness has hit women and girls the hardest, because women make up a lot of the worlds farmers. We are efficient, yield the same amount of food as men, and are very intelligent. Family planning is an opportunity to teach the future generations to because strong members of the climate changing community.

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Natalie Metschan 4/30/2021 3:20 PM

I chose a lot of one time actions because I have such a busy work life that it can be hard to do daily challenges. I will admit that I haven't been on top of everything, but I am proud to say that I've been much more consistently conscious about my daily eating habits. So much so that I have started eating fully vegetarian/mostly vegan! I have also been walking a lot more for exercise and appreciation of the environment around me. I switched out coffee for green tea, and I'm feeling very good about it! The one time challenges have helped me find more resources and learn about things I didn't even know about. Looking into better fashion practices, researching heat pumps, and methane digesters were all new to me.

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- Liz Zavodsky (EcoChallenge Staff) 4/30/2021 3:52 PM
  
  It's very exciting to read all you have done during the challenge and all you want to continue doing in the future. Thanks for sharing and thanks for participating.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings Research Heat Pumps

Why is taking action on climate change important to you? Why do you care?

Natalie Metschan 4/30/2021 3:15 PM

Taking climate action is important to me because as a someone who lives on this planet, I'm making contributions to the climate. It's important to reflect and think of small changes. For example, I've started cutting chip bags and plastics into smaller pieces so that they take up less space and can be processed easier. I care because as I look into an independent future, there are things that I want to do that are different form what my parents do. Like living in a smaller space, using a fuel efficient method of transportation, buying from local produce instead of chain grocery stores, etc;

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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?

Natalie Metschan 4/30/2021 3:09 PM

My vision of a sustainable community is one that has reduced cow and dairy farming, and more focused on rebuilding better environmental output. A lot more community would be incorporated, I feel as though there is a lot of selfishness in the community I live in now. I see adds all the time for the next big, powerful car. Why not the next model of bike for cycling instead of using cars? Why not more promotion of Oregon's beautiful outdoor trails and hiking locations? I would love to see more of that. I think a lot would need to change because I live in a very concentrated area with a lot of people. In a way, it would need to start from scratch.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks Forest-Friendly Foods 1

How is your diet currently impacting deforestation? What can you do to decrease your negative impact and increase your positive impact?

Natalie Metschan 4/30/2021 3:02 PM

I have been very guilty of drinking a lot off coffee. I will make it at home, or get it from a starbucks. Coffee production is one of the largest industries when it comes to deforestation. I stopped drinking coffee about 3 weeks ago and switched it out for caffeinated green tea. I've noticed a boost in my mood and I learned that the carbon footprint of tea is 5-7 times less than coffee, is has greater reduced deforestation.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Reducing (or eliminating) exhaust emissions and improving public health are two benefits of green vehicles. What other motivators inspire you to consider switching to a more fuel-efficient vehicle?

Natalie Metschan 4/30/2021 2:49 PM

I don't drive many places, I live a short distance from work and home and shopping centers. However, I am still putting CO2 into the environment by driving. If I switched to a more fuel efficient vehicle, it would dramatically cut down on my carbon footprint. Driving a fuel efficient vehicle would also be a daily act of caring for the environment. Often times I look over the fact that I am actively contribution emissions put into the air.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry Find a Local Climate-Friendly Supermarket

How close is the nearest climate-friendly supermarket to your home? How could you encourage local supermarket to reduce or phase out their use of HFC refrigerants?

Natalie Metschan 4/30/2021 2:38 PM

I found a only one green supermarket that's sort of close to me. It's a Whole Foods in Lake Oswego (11 S State S, Lake Oswego, OR 97034). It uses GreenChill Platinum. I have also noticed that there are many fruit stands, farms, etc; that allow public entry to buy from them in my surrounding area. I'd encourage more people to buy items from them instead of relying on heavily refrigerated produce at a grocery store. Maybe if way more people do that, then there really wont be a need for huge refrigeration sections.

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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?

Natalie Metschan 4/30/2021 2:30 PM

Thrift shopping and donating to local organizations is a large part of sustainable shopping. When we buy things that have already been used/made, it cut down on our personal carbon footprint because it is not a new item. Thrifting often yields unique items and personal style that is often lost when looking at fast fashion. It's usually less expensive to so it also saves money. There are many brands out there that make sustainable clothing such as Patagonia, Eileen Fisher, and Etiko. Although they have great practices and ethics, the price tag is a little expensive.

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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?

Natalie Metschan 4/30/2021 2:23 PM

I've been on daily walks either alone or with my mom. My work schedule is very busy so it has been difficult to carve time out every day. I mostly did 3-4 days out of the week, walking a 2-3.5 mile route! I notice it gives me more energy and I get to enjoy to scenery around my area. I'm lucky enough to live around lots of trails with wildlife all around. My mom and I reminisce over going to Sunriver because it is our favorite place to enjoy nature.

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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?

Natalie Metschan 4/30/2021 2:19 PM

I have been eating vegan/vegetarian meals everyday for breakfast and lunch, and dinner on occasions. I've been eating eggs but have been making sure to buy them locally, and my whole family has stopped buying milk and red meats completely. We have been buying almond milk and chicken, turkey, or a plant-based substitute. I never realized how easy going mostly vegetarian is! It's become a part of my routine.

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