Earth Month Ecochallenge: Drawdown

April 1 - April 30, 2021

April Teer

FAACC Tree Huggers

"My family is dedicated to environmental improvements that support a sustainable future. "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,357 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

48

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

980

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

160

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

60

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

915

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

3.3

pounds of paper

have been saved
UP TO

23

zero-waste meals

consumed

April's actions

Land Sinks

Learn More about Silvopasture

Silvopasture

I will spend at least 20 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

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 30
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Climate Resilience

Learn More about Biomass

Biomass Power

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Climate Resilience

Learn about 'Green Gentrification'

Multiple Solutions

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning about green gentrification and how it relates to city planning for climate action.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Zero-waste Cooking

Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 1 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

COMPLETED 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
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

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

Electricity

Calculate My Carbon Footprint

All Drawdown Solutions

I will calculate the greenhouse gas emissions associated with my household and consider how different lifestyle choices could reduce my negative impact on the environment.

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 30
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Accelerating Solutions

Support Local Food Systems

Plant-Rich Diets

I will source 20 percent of my food from local producers each day. This could include signing up for a local CSA, buying from a farmer's market, visiting a food co-op, foraging with a local group, or growing my own ingredients.

COMPLETED 30
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Sinks

Explore My Area

Sometimes protecting nature requires feeling connected to nature. I will invest 60 minutes in exploring and appreciating a natural area in my region, whether a forest, wetland, coastal area, or somewhere else.

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 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 28
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 30
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

Farm Irrigation Efficiency

I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency by mulching the base of trees and plants in my yard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Composting

Composting, Reduced Food Waste

I will start a compost bin where I live.

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?

April Teer 4/30/2021 4:41 PM

I have really enjoyed this EchoChallenge and have learned so much. I see myself keeping my daily activities going. I will also continue to learn about how my family can be more sustainable on our small farm.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks Learn More about Silvopasture

Had you heard of the term "silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?

April Teer 4/29/2021 7:33 AM

I had not heard of this term before. My husband and I are wanting to add beef cattle to our farm. My husband has been adamant on which side of our property he would like to house them on. After reading and watching the videos I think I may now agree with him. I won't tell him that though, lol... One side of our property is quite open and the other has some wooded area. Now understanding how this works I think our wooded area would be a great place. Allowing them the opportunity of shade and potentially more nutritious grass and such in this area of the property will be a win win.

Read More
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?

April Teer 4/29/2021 7:19 AM

I use to be of the mindset that I needed "new" clothes each season or that it was necessary to keep up with the changing fashion. As I've gotten older I see that what I have is enough and honestly keeping all of it will be beneficial when trends from the past come back as we keep seeing. Learning to work with what I have and pairing different options that I hadn't thought of before is helpful. I'll use Pinterest to get ideas of how I can make what I have fit into the fashion of right now. Having a family has also changed my priorities of what me needs are vs my wants. It has helped to put a lot of that into perspective.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

Name some of the human activities impacting the health of water systems, both locally (your watershed) and globally (freshwater and oceans). What can you do to improve the health of water systems?

April Teer 4/29/2021 7:16 AM

I always feel sad when I see a new housing complex or apartment complex being built. I know we need the space, it provides jobs as well but it does impact the land. It changes the natural flow of the land and water in those areas. Some areas that once had running creeks or small rivers have dried up due to the changes in the land structure around them. These changes will then impact the natural wildlife and so on. I know that there are some safe land and wildlife zones but I wonder if that will be enough if we use every bit of space up around them.

Read More
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?

April Teer 4/29/2021 7:10 AM

We recently started a large compost on our property. When we clean out our chicken coop, muck the barn for the goats, or clean up other areas of our farm we are becoming more cognizant of how we can "reuse" those materials. Our goal is to build a small greenhouse and have large vegetable gardens. Be starting our compost now we will be ready for the next step and able to provide the necessary materials without having to go out and purchase them. It feels great to know that we are becoming more and more sustainable.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Climate Resilience Learn about 'Green Gentrification'

Cities and towns need to plan for climate change. How can your city or town make its climate action plans equitable and socially just?

April Teer 4/29/2021 7:06 AM

When planning a climate action plan the town really needs to look at the impact on the current residents of those specific locations. There needs to be thought on how to provide proper housing for these residents as well as making it economical. Climate change is happening and cannot be ignored, but it should not hurt lower income citizens and benefit those of a higher income bracket.

Read More
April Teer 4/27/2021 2:21 PM

We now buy our chicken feed in bulk. We purchased a 2 ton tote and will reuse it each time when we get more feed. No more chicken feed bags from TSC. Feels so good for our small farm to not have all of that waste!!!

Read More
April Teer 4/18/2021 4:44 PM

I find myself trying to be more mindful not just during meals but in everyday conversations with my sons and husband. Putting my phone down or away when having a conversation to show I'm fully invested in what we are talking about. I am very guilty of trying to talk with them and answer an email at the same time. I'm hopeful that this behavior will help when my sons want to talk with me as well instead of half listening while in front of some "screen". The behaviors we exhibit should be the same as what we expect in return.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry Go Paperless

What do you want to prioritize over material 'stuff' in your own life?

April Teer 4/18/2021 4:36 PM

Spending time with my family and friends is more important to me than any material object. The experiences we can have as a family will be far more remembered than the material objects my boys had as kids. These experiences also build character and help to keep this mindset for the future.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Climate Resilience Learn More about Biomass

Had you ever heard of biomass technology before you took this challenge? What did you learn that surprised you? Share your new knowledge with your friends!

April Teer 4/17/2021 5:42 PM

I wasn't aware of this term until this challenge. It also came up when we started looking into a woodstove for our home. It seems so simple and easy to do. Wondering why we aren't seeing more of this technology locally? I need to look into this and see where my community or neighboring communities are participating.

Read More