Earth Month Ecochallenge: Drawdown

April 1 - April 30, 2021

Nirali Patel

Deloitte Charlotte

"Make every day Earth Day!"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,076 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

41

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

285

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

105

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

95

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

326

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

58

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

3.3

pounds of paper

have been saved
UP TO

2.0

trees

planted

Nirali's actions

Land Sinks

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

Tropical Forest Restoration

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

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

Land Sinks

Buy Bamboo

Bamboo Production

When they are available, I will purchase products made from bamboo instead of wood, plastic, or metal.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Replace Manual Thermostats

Smart Thermostats

I will replace manual thermostats with smart ones.

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

Action Track: Climate Resilience

Tend A Garden

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

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

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 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Stay on the Ground

Telepresence, High-Speed Rail

Instead of traveling by plane, I will find an alternative way to accomplish the goals of an upcoming trip (i.e. telepresence, vacation locally).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Research the Climate Impact of Refrigerants

Refrigerant Management

I will spend 15 minute(s) learning about the climate impact of refrigerants and what climate-friendly refrigerants are by using the links below.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 23
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

Plant Trees

Temperate Forest Restoration

I will plant 2 tree(s) in my community, public parks, or backyard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Explore Other Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Solutions

All Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Solutions

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching other Drawdown Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Support Nutrient Management

Nutrient Management

I will research and support local farmers who have made the decision to not use synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

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 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Health and Education

Explore the Deloitte WorldClimate Hub

Spend 15 minutes browsing the new World Climate Hub website, hosted by Deloitte US Sustainability!

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Education

Get your family involved in greening the dot!

If you have kids at home, encourage them to create a logo for Deloitte NPSI using scrap paper and any crayons, markers, or materials you have in your home. Email a photo of the final product to Emma Howe (emhowe@deloitte.com) for a chance to be featured in our Earth Month recap email and potential future internal communications!

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Sign up for Plant Your Change

Sign up for Plant Your Change to round up your purchases and plant one tree for every transaction on your personal credit card. Link to sign up found below!

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Education

Explore the Deloitte World Climate Hub

Spend 15 minutes browsing the new World Climate Hub website, hosted by Deloitte US Sustainability! Link to be added soon.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Education

Donate to the NPSI Earth Month Giving Campaign

NPSI will be hosting a month-long giving campaign during April. Donate via the NPSI philanthropy cloud website linked below!

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Education

Attend the NPSI Intersections Panel on April 28th

On Wednesday, April 28th, Deloitte NPSI is hosting a panel with senior leaders at the firm to discuss the intersections between climate, health and justice. Invite to be added soon!

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Education

ATTEND EARTH DAY CELEBRATION

Join our sustainability scavenger hunt on Thursday, April 22 at 4:00! We will have fun prizes and tips and tricks on how to work from home more sustainably.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Go Paperless

Recycled Paper

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by 0.11lbs (0.05kg) a day or 3.3lbs (1.6kg) a month by opting into paperless billing, ending unwanted subscriptions and opting out of junk mail.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 9
DAILY ACTIONS

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 16
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
Transportation Stay on the Ground

What was your process like for restructuring your trip? How can you avoid more air travel in the future?

Nirali Patel 4/25/2021 7:38 PM

Originally, I planned on flying out to Miami with my friends this month for my birthday. We restructured our trip to travel locally and by car to a nearby beach instead. Avoiding air travel in the future will be tougher in my opinion because many people want to go see the world and flying is the most convenient way to do so. I think people can start limiting the trips they take every year. I plan on taking one international flight in a year when it's safe again and flying maybe 2 times locally if needed.

Read More
Nirali Patel 4/25/2021 7:29 PM

I've learned about so many products that can be replaced in your every day life that could make a huge impact! I've been so conscious of the type of material that the cleaning supplies I use are made out of, and what my groceries are wrapped in, and what is in every day foods that I eat that are a result of deforestation. I'm enjoying this challenge!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks Buy Bamboo

Are bamboo alternatives readily available in your community? If not, what are other sustainable alternatives?

Nirali Patel 4/22/2021 7:36 PM

There are many bamboo alternatives that can be made available due to online ordering. One alternative I found while researching was bamboo flooring - something I will be looking into when I own my future home. As far as my purchase, there are bamboo makeup brushes that are now available at stores that you can purchase.

Read More
Nirali Patel 4/20/2021 6:52 PM

The challenge has been going great - I started a little later in the month but am pretty committed! I am learning so much about how much more I could be doing on a day to day basis!

Read More
Nirali Patel 4/20/2021 6:52 PM

The challenge has been going great - I started a little later in the month but am pretty committed! I am learning so much about how much more I could be doing on a day to day basis!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry Research the Climate Impact of Refrigerants

What did you learn about the climate impact of refrigerants? How do supermarkets contribute to this impact?

Nirali Patel 4/19/2021 7:58 PM

Every day I learn something new about how items that I rely on daily are contributing to global warming. HFCs replaced refrigerants CFCs and HCFCs because these depleted the ozone layer. Although HFCs do not impact the ozone, they play a huge role in rising temperatures on Earth. What I found interesting is that there are natural refrigerants that can be used. Supermarkets are huge contributors to the climate crisis as many of them are leaking refrigerants. To think they have aisles and aisles of refrigerators, they should be taking action now to control the leaking of HFCs.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Support Nutrient Management

How does environmental quality influence your sense of community?

Nirali Patel 4/19/2021 7:37 PM

Environmental quality can have a big influence on your sense of community. If everyone is working together to take care of the planet, there is commonality between people. If more of us try to shop local, and buy produce from farmers in town, people in the community feel supported and you feel good that you are buying from locally sourced suppliers. If people are working together to reach a certain goal, they would feel as if they are a part of something bigger.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Support Nutrient Management

How does environmental quality influence your sense of community?

Nirali Patel 4/19/2021 7:37 PM

Environmental quality can have a big influence on your sense of community. If everyone is working together to take care of the planet, there is commonality between people. If more of us try to shop local, and buy produce from farmers in town, people in the community feel supported and you feel good that you are buying from locally sourced suppliers. If people are working together to reach a certain goal, they would feel as if they are a part of something bigger.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks Forest-Friendly Foods 2

How difficult or easy was it to change your diet?

Nirali Patel 4/15/2021 5:09 PM

I think it's very difficult to change your diet - so many day to day products whether it is food, shampoos, cleaners, toothpaste, use palm oil. You have to really do your research and go out of your way to avoid buying these products. Sometimes you have to be willing to spend a little more for an eco-friendly product. I love peanut butter and so many use palm oil. I have to buy specific brands that come in smaller bottles sometimes and aren't as cost friendly so that I can be more eco-friendly.

Read More
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?

Nirali Patel 4/15/2021 4:56 PM

Diet plays such a big role in deforestation, particularly palm oil, coffee, and meat, eggs and dairy. Through my research, I realized that so many foods use crude palm oil (i.e. General Mills, Heinz, Kraft). I know it's easy to pick up these products at the grocery store but I need to start being more aware of what's in the foods I do pick up and how that has a bigger impact on the Earth. To decrease my negative impact, and increase my positive one, I can first raise awareness and tell my family about what I learned. I found a list of companies that have sustainable palm oil (which isn't the best but maybe better when you can't avoid it all together). I think also being open to changing my diet, and maybe growing my own vegetables when possible would help offset my negative impact.

Read More