Earth Month Ecochallenge: Drawdown

April 1 - April 30, 2021

Britteny Black

Stan State Eco Challenge Earth Month Team

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
932 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

56

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

140

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

120

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

450

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

17

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

3.3

pounds of paper

have been saved

Britteny's actions

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Learn About Ocean Mammals

I am really concerned about the impact of rising ocean temperatures and plastics on whales, sea turtles, and other ocean mammals.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Explore My Area

Sometimes protecting nature requires feeling connected to nature. I will invest 120 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

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

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 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Industry

Reduce Single-Use Disposables

Bioplastics

Cheap, single-use items and disposable packaging end up blowing around as litter more often in poor and BIPOC-majority neighborhoods. I will avoid buying and using 2 single-use plastics and instead replace them with durable options.

COMPLETED 9
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

Industry

Choose Recycled Paper

Recycled Paper

I will plan ahead to only use paper products made from post-consumer recycled paper for my home or office.

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

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

Electricity

Explore Other Electricity Solutions

All Electricity Solutions

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching other Drawdown Electricity Solutions.

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 17
DAILY ACTIONS

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 23
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Eat Mindfully

I will eat all of my meals without distractions, e.g., phone, computer, TV, or newspaper.

COMPLETED 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Climate Resilience

Learn More about Silvopasture

Silvopasture

I will spend at least 45 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Health and Education

Support Businesses Owned by Women, BIPOC, or Immigrants

Sustainable Intensification for Smallholders

I will spend 30 minutes researching businesses owned by women, immigrants, and Black, Indigenous, and people of color that I can support when shopping.

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?

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?

Britteny Black 4/30/2021 9:14 AM

Unfortunately, when I viewed the map - I don't have any climate friendly supermarkets near me. Two action plans that I thought of that may help this though is 1. reaching out to local supermarkets and seeing where they are in reducing or phasing out their HFC refrigerants, especially supermarkets that market themselves has health conscious. 2. when I travel out of town (when this is a thing again LOL) and have to visit a store, look for a store that is climate friendly and support it.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Watch a Video about Methane Digesters

What does your vision of a sustainable community look like? What would need to be changed in order for such vision to become reality?

Britteny Black 4/30/2021 9:02 AM

My visions of a sustainable community at its best would be a circular economy structure. I believe that this format allows for everything to be used and used well. I also believe that this allows for everyone that is part of the community to benefit from the community - resources and needs are met and replenished. Its is a tough thing to envision happening large scale, because of resources and how our society currently functions but I believe in taking small steps, the larger goal can be realized. This maybe starting with a community garden, composting program, recycling awareness, low waste tips that can all build upon each other. I truly believe that taking small steps does lead to a bigger impact overall.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks Learn About Ocean Mammals

What did you learn about ocean mammals?

Britteny Black 4/30/2021 8:43 AM

I learned that ocean mammals are simply amazing. There is always something new to learn about them, and the many things they have overcome. The ocean can sometimes seem like such a mystery, so learning about ocean mammals just opened my eyes even more to how important ocean conservation and care is. We need our ocean and the animals within it, and we've just put to much strain. I myself don't eat much fish but its even more important to me to stand up for them when I am presented with these certain situations - they deserve it!

Read More
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?

Britteny Black 4/27/2021 2:15 PM

I think another benefit from eating/serving smaller portions of food may cause us to slow down when we are eating. I know that has been the case for me, by slowing down and being present, I generally feel better after I eat.

Read More
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?

Britteny Black 4/26/2021 3:45 PM

I think being outdoors sort of forces you, in a good way, to be present. The true beauty of just being outside, tends to do away with all of the other distractions that errands or work require of us. I also think being outdoors just makes you feel more connected in general, noticing the sounds or feeling the sun on your skin are all great ways to feel more connected to the world around you. I also think it gives you a much more appreciation - like when you find trash on the beach, it causes you to pause, because we have been given such a gift and trash has still made it's way to this beautiful place. Overall, being in nature allows you to pause and be more present and those are great skills to develop and hold on too.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks Buy Bamboo

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

Britteny Black 4/22/2021 8:15 AM

Bamboo alternatives are not readily available in my community, but I do have a silverware set that I try to bring with me wherever I go, if it be a party or ordering take-out to avoid using the single-use utensils that are provided.

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?

Britteny Black 4/20/2021 3:04 PM

In the wise words of sustainability activist and fair fashion campaigner - venetia lamanna "where what you already have!". We live in a world where we are constantly inundated with new items we need to buy, when in reality fashion and styles change but they also come around again and honestly once you find your style, it never really goes out of style because you own it.
I think shopping smarter, finding your style, thrifting and investing in taking care of what you have or in nicer products enhances your ability to express yourself and your values. Fast fashion is very dangerous not only for the planet but for the people that make the clothing. Also, its good to be aware of where your clothes come from because "green-washing" very real and very present is a multitude of areas.
Venetia has two podcasts that are great "All the small things" and "Remember who made them" which is also a great instagram.

Read More
- Wendy Olmstead 4/21/2021 6:45 AM
  
  Thanks for sharing the podcasts.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry Reduce Single-Use Disposables

What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

Britteny Black 4/19/2021 4:08 PM

These are a few items I have purchased and collected over time to limit my use of single use items. My top favorite is my Boba Straw by a great youtuber called FeedMeiMei, she does these epic Boba tasting video and in an effort to not waste as many straws she created a glass straw for her self and her users to use. I also have water bottle, bees wax wrap and use bento boxes for lunch or leftovers.
Also recently, I was able to make our laundry extremely low waste, but using dissolvable detergents sheets and wool drawer balls.
This year has made this effort a bit harder, due to certain restaurants not accepting reusable items but I always try to reuse or recycle these containers and I have been able to get creative in other areas around my house to minimize waste there.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry Choose Recycled Paper

Good job on choosing recycled paper! How can you take your action a step further?

Britteny Black 4/19/2021 4:02 PM

I will continue to work on making conscious choices when refilling the paper I need for work or personal products. I will also continue to search out companies that make recycled materials their main goal as well.
I am a huge fan of notebooks and one of my favorite companies is https://decomposition.com/about-us - They have so many cool styles and designs and their notebooks and other supplies are printed with 100% Post-Consumer Waste Recycled Paper and Soy Ink.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry Go Paperless

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

Britteny Black 4/16/2021 11:23 AM

I would like to prioritize memories and experiences - whether that means going hiking with a picnic or just relaxing in my own backyard. These items don't have to cost a lot of money but they sure last a lot longer.

Read More
- Wendy Olmstead 4/16/2021 2:39 PM
  
  Agreed! Memories made outside are the best memories!
  
  Read More