Earth Month Ecochallenge: Drawdown

April 1 - April 30, 2021

Gary Munson

HarperBio104

"Learn more about how I can make a difference!"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
435 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

12

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

376

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

115

minutes

being mindful

Gary's actions

Transportation

Go for a Daily Walk

Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 30 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Composting

Composting, Reduced Food Waste

I will start a compost bin where I live.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Plant Trees

Temperate Forest Restoration

I will plant 3 tree(s) in my community, public parks, or backyard.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Go by Bike

Bicycle Infrastructure

I will commute by bike 6 mile(s) each day and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings

Upgrade My Windows

Insulation

I will upgrade the windows or weatherstripping in my home or office to reduce air leaks and save on energy costs.

UNCOMPLETED
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.

UNCOMPLETED
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 5
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 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity

Rooftop Solar Consultation

Distributed Solar Photovoltaics

After researching the incentives at the federal, state, utility, and local levels, I will contact a local installer/distributor for a solar panel installation consultation on my house.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Choose LED Bulbs

LED Lighting

I will replace 10 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

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?

Gary Munson 4/16/2021 6:46 PM

This has been a very busy time for my family, and even if I don't manage to check in every day, I'm still trying to be mindful about my ecological choices. I ordered a larger recycling container from my local waste management company so that we wouldn't have to put recycling products into the normal garbage bin.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Choose LED Bulbs

Changing lightbulbs is an excellent first step toward energy efficiency! What's next for you?

Gary Munson 4/11/2021 1:48 PM

It was simple to replace older incandescent bulbs with higher-efficiency ones. I've also installed Caseta smart switches around my new house which allows for lights to be turned on and off with a motion sensor as you enter and leave a room. This results in fewer lights being left on and a lower electric bill.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Smaller Portions

While dishing food out, we tend to load our plates with more than we need. Using smaller plates helps to mitigate this. Aside from the environmental benefits, what other benefits might come from eating/serving smaller portions?

Gary Munson 4/07/2021 2:48 PM

I never did understand the huge portions that are provided at most restaurants. Either I tend to overeat because I feel guilty about letting so much food go to waste, or it's just thrown away. When we serve meals at home, it's much easier to portion to suit the individual needs of each of our family. Often times that even means we have leftovers which is a definite benefit!

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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?

Gary Munson 4/05/2021 3:18 PM

I had my lunch in my sun room, just sitting in the warm sunshine and listening to the sounds of the doves.

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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?

Gary Munson 4/05/2021 3:16 PM

So happy that the weather is feeling more like spring! I went for a walk with my kids around the new neighborhood. There are no sidewalks, so having those would improve safety.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Composting

Producing food that goes uneaten squanders many resources—seeds, water, energy, land, fertilizer, hours of labor, financial capital. Which of these kinds of waste most motivates you to change your behavior regarding food waste? Why?

Gary Munson 4/02/2021 8:19 AM

My new house has a septic system, so we can no longer place much of our food waste into the garbage disposal. We have been examining our current food waste practices and decided to purchase a compost tumbler, organic starter material, and a bin for the kitchen. We'll use the compost to fertilize the vegetable plants and flowers in our garden.

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- Crystal Peirce 4/02/2021 1:46 PM
  
  Gary, these are great ways to reduce food waste! I recently invested in a compost tumbler as well - good luck on your composting journey.
  
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Gary Munson 4/01/2021 5:24 PM

I was surprised to see how many eco-friendly actions I was already performing in my everyday life. I'm excited to try out new activities this month as well.

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