Earth Month Ecochallenge: Drawdown

April 1 - April 30, 2021

Esja Mirti

Team ESR!

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
463 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

energy audit

conducted
UP TO

54

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

57

miles

traveled by bike
UP TO

353

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

33

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

450

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

19

pounds of CO2

have been saved

Esja's actions

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Learn about Biochar

Biochar Production

I will spend 20 minute(s) learning about biochar and how it can help sequester carbon.

UNCOMPLETED
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

Industry

Recycle Everything I Can

Recycling

Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will research and recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community, making sure to not contaminate recyclables with non-recyclables.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Action Track: Climate Resilience

Tend A Garden

I will tend to a garden, or prepare for one, each day using sustainable gardening practices.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Land Sinks

Explore My Area

Sometimes protecting nature requires feeling connected to nature. I will invest 420 minutes in exploring and appreciating a natural area in my region, whether a forest, wetland, coastal area, or somewhere else.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Go by Bike

Bicycle Infrastructure

I will commute by bike 12 mile(s) each day and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

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.

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 13
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Reduce Animal Products

Plant-Rich Diets

I will enjoy 3 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 17
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
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?

Esja Mirti 4/30/2021 10:33 AM

I think that thrifting is a fantastic way to express yourself while avoiding fast fashion or buying excessive clothes/accessories. When planned well, a wardrobe of mostly thrifted pieces can yield dozens of different combinations of outfits. The best part is that thrifted outfits are completely unique!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings Online Energy Audit

What are your next steps for saving energy?

Esja Mirti 4/30/2021 10:29 AM

One of the main places where we lose energy in my family's house is the attic ceiling, which is not insulated. Moving forward, I will encourage my parents to consider getting a quote for insulating the roof so that we loose less heat in the winter.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks Explore My Area

How can spending more time outdoors enhance your sense of place -- your deep knowledge of and appreciation for your surroundings?

Esja Mirti 4/27/2021 7:30 PM

Personally, I love to spend time outdoors hiking, backpacking, or rock climbing. Every time I do one of these activities I become so much more aware of how important it is to stop climate change and protect these wild places so myself and so many others can continue to do the activities that I love. Being out in nature for extended periods of time also makes me understand and appreciate the beauty and power of nature; how it is something that should be respected and revered.

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?

Esja Mirti 4/27/2021 7:19 PM

Now that I know more about the dates on foods, I am more likely to use food that I might have otherwise been wary of. In general, I already tried to judge food based on whether or not it seemed spoiled rather than it's date, but I think that there have been a few times when I have discarded food that was very expired before checking for signs of spoilage. Now, I can avoid those instances altogether!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Go by Bike

How does using human-powered transportation make you feel compared to using other methods of transportation?

Esja Mirti 4/27/2021 7:13 PM

I absolutely love biking to work when I can. On some days, like when the weather is terrible or when my schedule allows only a short amount of time for transportation, I have to drive, but otherwise I can usually bike. When I am do ride in, I always feel so much more awake and alert for the rest of the day. I always feel happy to be getting stronger while also helping reduce my carbon footprint! I have tried to bike more this month because of the EcoChallenge, but I think I will continue to bike when I can after this month because I enjoy it so much!

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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?

Esja Mirti 4/15/2021 9:45 PM

I have been going for walks through my neighborhood, and for the most part it has been easy to enjoy/be safe on the walks. I live in a fairly quiet neighborhood (it is a dead end), so I don't need a sidewalk (3 of the 4 streets right near my house don't have sidewalks). However, my neighborhood is just off of a busy road, and it can be scary or dangerous to cross the road and get to the other side, which has a few parks. If a crosswalk with flashing lights to alert drivers was installed, it would be much safer and easier to get from my neighborhood to the one across the busy road. Additionally, it would be safer to get to the bus stop that goes towards downtown, which might encourage more people to take public transit (especially one COVID is less of a threat).

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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?

Esja Mirti 4/15/2021 9:31 PM

I think that one major reason why people tend to eat more meat in richer countries is because in general meat can be much more costly to produce than many crops. Additionally, there are definite benefits and drawbacks of including meat in a person's diet. On one hand, if the meat is responsibly sourced and only eaten in moderation, it can help give the human body many good nutrients that it needs. On the other hand, if the meat is "mass-produced" it likely isn't good for the environment (lots of methane and other greenhouse gasses are used), and eating too much meat (especially red meats) can have negative health impacts.

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