Earth Month Ecochallenge: Drawdown

April 1 - April 30, 2021

Evelyn Phelps Canfield

SWCA Pasadena

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
375 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

4.0

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

40

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

35

minutes

spent learning

Evelyn'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 4
DAILY ACTIONS

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 0
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 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings

Research Retrofitting Incentives

Building Retrofitting

I will spend at least 10 minutes finding out if my city, region, state, or country offers incentives for retrofitting existing buildings.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Install A Toilet Tank Bank

Low-Flow Fixtures

I will reduce the amount of water flushed and save up to 11 gallons (41 L) of water a day or 330 gallons (1,230 L) a month by installing a toilet tank bank.

UNCOMPLETED
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

Transportation

Go for a Daily Walk

Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 20 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 2
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

Smaller Portions

Reduced Food Waste

I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Action Track: Climate Resilience

Support a Community Garden

Multiple Solutions

I will support a community garden by volunteering, donating, or advocating for a new or existing one.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Accelerating Solutions

Express My Support For Walkable Cities

Walkable Cities

I will find out who in my city makes decisions that impact neighborhood walkability and express my support for better walking infrastructure.

UNCOMPLETED
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
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?

Evelyn Phelps Canfield 4/30/2021 9:21 AM

The closest one wasn't too too far away, but it was not conveniently located. The local market chain near me tends to take customer requests/criticism well and into account, so I imagine that if enough people requested it of them, they would consider making the changes.

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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?

Evelyn Phelps Canfield 4/23/2021 1:49 PM

Luckily we have a really nice neighborhood for walking, and a walking/equestrian path that runs right near our house if we want to go on longer walks. It's really great to be able to walk these areas without having to worry about cars. I just wish there was a bit more vegetation around the path--trees for shade, blooming plants for beauty....

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Evelyn Phelps Canfield 4/23/2021 1:46 PM

Tried out a new Vegan Drive-Thru down the street from my house for lunch: Spotless Burger. Got a Chick'n sandwich and some Spotless Fries (which are akin to IN-N-Outs animal-style fries). Sandwich was good but could have been crispier. Fries were tasty but too much sauce for me. Oh! And a specialty soda: cherry tarragon--very good!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Climate Resilience Support a Community Garden

What are the multiple benefits of community gardens, including carbon sequestration? Why do these benefits matter to you?

Evelyn Phelps Canfield 4/22/2021 1:06 PM

There's a cute little community garden near my old home in Montclair. It seems to involve small plots that get "rented" out, first come, first served. I checked it out, and it is a really nice looking addition to what is just a regular housing neighborhood off a busy street. It really adds some natural beauty and a sense of community to the area! Plus, the organization that runs the garden posts lots of helpful tips and learning opportunities on their social media pages. Turns out they also have lots of little projects all over my area to both beautify the areas as well as provide some free produce to the people in the community. They have planted fruit trees in some empty boulevards and parks. Very cool stuff.

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Evelyn Phelps Canfield 4/21/2021 1:13 PM

My tumbler-style composter; pretty good for a small area!

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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?

Evelyn Phelps Canfield 4/21/2021 1:10 PM

Meat takes a lot of resources, both agricultural and monetary, so I imagine that's why richer countries consume more meat. Plants take way way less resources to provide the same amount of calories to the consumer, so by eating less, or no, animal products means we consume less resources down the line.

Here's my lunch from out Green Bag: Eggplant Caponata Pasta

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Evelyn Phelps Canfield 4/21/2021 1:01 PM

Found two Monarch pre-butterflies in my garden!

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Evelyn Phelps Canfield 4/21/2021 12:42 PM

Current garden status: tangerines, lemons, strawberries, blueberries, pomegranate, dragon fruit, hot peppers, tomatoes, lavender, rosemary, and sage. Some doing great, others I'm bringing back from the brink of death.

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