Earth Month Ecochallenge: Drawdown

April 1 - April 30, 2021

Carolyn Denton

JAC Sustainability

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,363 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

47

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

69

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

3.3

pounds of paper

have been saved
UP TO

1.0

public official or leader

contacted
UP TO

2.0

trees

planted
UP TO

47

zero-waste meals

consumed

Carolyn 's actions

Transportation

Muscle Power on Earth Day

I will cut green house gas emissions related to my commute to John Abbott College on Earth day, April 22. I will only use muscle-powered transportation (walk, bike, skateboard) for my commute.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Accelerating Solutions

Save Rigaud Mountain

Rigaud Mountain is an expansive natural resource that we rely upon to run many of our Outdoor Education courses, here at JAC. It is under extreme pressure from development and mismanagement, and in desperate need of protection. Facing COVID and the Climate Crisis, the need to protect our few remaining local intact forests, is more stronger than ever. We need them, for our health and wellness, and they are disappearing. If you are able, please support this important cause and take a few moments to forward this letter to others who understand its importance. The petition and funding pages are accessible through the "Learn More" button.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Keep Track of Wasted Food

Reduced Food Waste

I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during Earth Month Ecochallenge, either because it went bad before I ate it, I put too much on my plate, or it was scraps from food preparation.

COMPLETED 24
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Zero-waste Cooking

Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 2 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

COMPLETED 24
DAILY ACTIONS

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 25
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Sinks

Research Peatlands

Peatland Protection and Rewetting

I will spend 10 minutes researching the environmental benefits of peatlands and what is being done around the world to conserve and restore them.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Plant Trees

Temperate Forest Restoration

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 23
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 24
DAILY ACTIONS

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Building With Carbon Storing Waste Products

Engineered Sinks

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching how people can build with carbon-storing materials - including agricultural byproducts - and discuss it with my peers in person or by posting to social media.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Smart Seafood Choices

Ocean Farming

I will visit seafoodwatch.org or download the app and commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Restore Wetlands

Coastal Wetland Restoration

I will volunteer 3 hours with a wetland restoration project in my region.

UNCOMPLETED
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

Research Cement Alternatives

Alternative Cement

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching cement alternatives that reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

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

Become A Master Recycler/Composter

Recycling

I will sign up for a Master Recycler/Composter program in my area.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Express My Support For Equitable Biking Infrastructure

Bicycle Infrastructure

I will find out who in my city makes decisions that impact bike routes and express my support for better biking infrastructure.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 24
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

Electricity

Support Companies Leading in Green Energy

Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaics, Distributed Solar Photovoltaics

I will use my spending power to reward companies leading in creating or purchasing green energy and incentivize others to invest more in green energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 20 minutes researching other Drawdown Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Reduce Animal Products

Plant-Rich Diets

I will enjoy 2 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 24
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
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Zero-waste Cooking

In North America, up to 65% of food waste happens at the consumer level. Chef Steven Satterfield advocates for utilizing every part of a vegetable. How can you incorporate using an entire vegetable, including the skins, tops, and stalks during your next meal prep?

Carolyn Denton 4/29/2021 10:14 AM

If my meals involve carrots, then I can eat the green parts instead of throwing them away, by cooking them.

If the meal involves beet root, I can keep the stems and leaves, since they are edible, and eat them raw or cooked.

If my meal involves pumpkin, then I don't have to waste any part, since it's entirely edible.

Read More
- Melissa Tomecz 4/29/2021 10:23 AM
  
  Mmmm ... pumpkin!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Muscle Power on Earth Day

Did you have any obstacles getting to and from campus with your "muscle transportation" of choice?

Carolyn Denton 4/29/2021 10:09 AM

It should be noted that I did this trip today, but I'm not actually sure when we were supposed to do this goal.

Anyways, the only obstacle that I found was that there wasn't always a dedicated lane for cyclists, but thankfully all the drivers made sure to drive carefully around me.

Read More
- Melissa Tomecz 4/29/2021 10:23 AM
  
  This was the date to do it, Carolyn, since last week it was bad weather :) Way to go!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry Become A Master Recycler/Composter

What could you do differently to waste less?

Carolyn Denton 4/29/2021 10:03 AM

I plan on extending the compost heap in my garden, as well as creating a meal plan that involves simplicity, since one of the biggest causes for wasted food in my house seems to be that we plan meals that are too complicated, and so we end up not always making those meal, wasting the ingredients.

Read More
- Melissa Tomecz 4/29/2021 10:21 AM
  
  I have been doing meal planning for a while now and it feels so good, especially when we don't have to scratch our heads last minute to figure out what to eat! It certainly helps with not having to throw out food. A tip on meal planning is to see what you already have in the freezer/fridge and cupboards, and use those ingredients first before you go out and buy new foods. We do our meal plan on a weekly basis.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Support Companies Leading in Green Energy

Every dollar you put into solar or wind is a dollar not put into traditional financial institutions. You'll also be bolstering the fossil fuel divestment movement, too. Name some companies you know that invest in green energy. How can you support them?

Carolyn Denton 4/29/2021 10:00 AM

Rio Tinto is a mining company that offsets its carbon footprint by investing in mining processes that utilize renewable energy, and it is one of the few mining companies that has been consistently focused on environmentally sustainable practices for the past few decades. Since mining is a primary industrial industry, it may seem hard to pinpoint how exactly someone can support Rio Tinto (from a consumer perspective). I think that the only way that the average person can show their support is by vocalizing it to the people who run Rio Tinto, which can be done by attending the Annual General Meeting, which is open to the public.

Another company that uses green energy is General Mills, which owns the brands "Cheerios, Annie's, Yoplait, Nature Valley, Cascadian Farm, Epic, Fiber One, Häagen-Dazs, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Old El Paso, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki and more". To support them, it would be easy enough to just chose those brands when I'm grocery shopping.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Explore Other Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Solutions

What did you find out? What is the most interesting fact you learned?

Carolyn Denton 4/21/2021 9:02 AM

I learned that around a third of all food goes to waste, but for different reasons based on the average incomes of a country. In low-income countries, food is usually wasted early on in the food supply chain, usually rotting on farms or during storage and distribution, so to combat the food waste, better transportation and storage infrastructure is needed. In high-income countries, food is wasted towards the end of the food supply chain, like in grocery stores or in the home. Consumers might avoid buying certain food items based on appearance (e.g. bruises on fruit) or they might overbuy and then not eat all their food. To combat this, consumers need to be informed of the extent of their waste, but further intervention by the government is needed to provide retailers with incentives to not just throw out unbought food.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks Research Peatlands

Much of Indonesia's peatlands have been drained so they could be replaced with palm oil or pulp and paper plantations. How can you make choices that help to protect peatlands, even if you live far away from one?

Carolyn Denton 4/10/2021 9:58 AM

Unfortunately there's not much that can be done besides signing petitions and exerting my power of being a consumer (by buying products from companies committed to restoring peatlands). The only companies that I could find are Indonesian palm oil and pulp producers, which means that the latter option is inapplicable to me, since one of my pledges was to not consume products with palm oil in them.

Read More
- Melissa Tomecz 4/10/2021 6:54 PM
  
  I try to avoid palm oil too--it is too destructive and used in so many things, when it doesn't have to be!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Accelerating Solutions Save Rigaud Mountain

After signing a local petition, how does it make you feel?

Carolyn Denton 4/09/2021 7:57 AM

A part of me appreciates the opportunity to be a part of protecting my local environment, but for the most part, I feel upset at the necessity of my signature. I wish we could live in a world where the environment was respected, and that nature was prioritized over money and development.
Here's a link to the petition I signed.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks Forest-Friendly Foods 2

How difficult or easy was it to change your diet?

Carolyn Denton 4/08/2021 11:05 AM

Since my family agreed to change their diets with me, it's been a lot easier than I imagine it would be if I was doing this on my own. That being said, in the beginning I had to do a lot of research. I had to figure out which items needed to be taken out completely, which had substitutes, and which didn't need to be substituted but simply bought from a different producer. This took a lot of time and effort, but once it was done, actually sticking to the diet was easier.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Express My Support For Equitable Biking Infrastructure

What do you like most about biking in your city? What would you like to improve?

Carolyn Denton 4/08/2021 11:02 AM

I really appreciate that there are bike lanes around my neighbour hood, and that people who are driving cars and heavy vehicles drive safely around my when I'm on my bike. I don't think that there's much to be improved on, except maybe a few potholes :)

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks Choose Better Wood Products

Beyond carbon sequestration, what other benefits do forests offer you personally?

Carolyn Denton 4/07/2021 8:08 AM

Forests don't need to provide me with any benefits for me to care about them; the simple fact that forests can be hosts to huge biodiversity is more than enough to make me feel immense respect and awe. Nature can be so indescribably beautiful, and it's so infuriating when people only appreciate the things that they can benefit from - the things that they can exploit.

Read More
- Melissa Tomecz 4/07/2021 5:59 PM
  
  Totally agree! I love the smell and beauty of forests.
  
  Read More