Earth Month Ecochallenge: Drawdown

April 1 - April 30, 2021

Michele Gordon

Stan State Eco Challenge Earth Month Team

"Live simply and honor the place that I live"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
890 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

11

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

3.3

pounds of paper

have been saved
UP TO

69

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

1.0

energy audit

conducted
UP TO

2.0

advocacy actions

completed
UP TO

75

minutes

being mindful

Michele's actions

Industry

Become A Master Recycler/Composter

Recycling

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

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

Land Sinks

Learn More about Silvopasture

Silvopasture

I will spend at least 10 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Research Cement Alternatives

Alternative Cement

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching cement alternatives that reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

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

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

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 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Learn about Biochar

Biochar Production

I will spend 10 minute(s) learning about biochar and how it can help sequester carbon.

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

Action Track: Accelerating Solutions

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Online Energy Audit

Multiple Solutions

I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Education

Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

Health and Education

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Education

Start a Social Media Campaign

Health and Education

Through social media, I will raise awareness about gender inequity in education by sharing the information found in the links below.

COMPLETED 0
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).

UNCOMPLETED
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.

UNCOMPLETED
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 5
DAILY 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

Action Track: Accelerating Solutions

Advocate For More Packaging Options

Multiple Industry Solutions

I will advocate for alternatives to single-use packaging at local grocery stores, markets, at work, or on campus.

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

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
Action Track: Accelerating Solutions

What concerns you the most about how we are affecting the planet? Consider both local and global actions.
Michele Gordon 4/29/2021 2:28 PM
I'm most concerned about the disruptions to the earth's ecosystems, which have developed over thousands of years, only to be destroyed by human actions in a small fraction of that time. Humans have to understand we are part of that....not outside it....and will most definitely be affected by changes to it.

Read More
Michele Gordon 4/29/2021 2:23 PM
I really like to see the impacts we've made altogether this month....our team is awesome!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

What did you learn about ocean mammals?
Michele Gordon 4/29/2021 9:03 AM
Northern hemisphere right whales are affected more by human activities than their southern hemisphere counterparts. The end of commercial whaling has helped to restore the so. hemisphere numbers but the northern whale numbers are dangerously low. They are affected by collisions and fishing gear entanglements and they bodies are in visibly poor shape as far as fat stores and general body condition.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Mindful eating is healthier for us than eating with distractions. How does your eating experience differ when practicing mindfulness?
Michele Gordon 4/22/2021 11:13 AM
I have started to do this with my lunches....I'd usually read or something else and not really think about eating at all. I find that my eating time feels like more of a "break" than it used to and I pay attention to how things really taste.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity

What is the most exciting solution you explored? Why is it exciting to you?
Michele Gordon 4/17/2021 2:51 PM
I really like the idea of green and cool roofs. It just makes sense that darker roof absorb heat....cool roofs reflect that heat so less cooling is needed for the structure. It seems like such an easy solution. I also love the idea of green roofs because the more plants the better!

Read More
Michele Gordon 4/16/2021 4:26 PM
My daughter lives in Colorado and she subscribes to a composting business. She collects her compostable materials during the week and sets them out on the curb in the container provided for pickup. Not sure what happens to the compost once it's ready to use.....but I love this idea as an option for people who don't want to or can't tend their own.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings

What are your next steps for saving energy?
Michele Gordon 4/16/2021 4:18 PM
We have changed to LED lights and we finally installed a whole house fan to cool the house as much as we can with cool outside air. Our doors and windows are where we need to concentrate our efforts next. I can hear the birds and children playing near one window almost as though they were inside.

Read More
Michele Gordon 4/13/2021 5:07 PM
So far ecochallenge:drawdown has been very educational.....I realize there is so much I don't know.

Read More
Michele Gordon 4/13/2021 5:05 PM
We are lucky to live so close to where so much of our food is produced. I think the consumer can help drive changes in food production after listening to the panelists from last night's "Kiss the Ground" event. My concern is food deserts in low income areas of the valley and lack of or lack of means to participate in farmer's markets/locally grown. Is Merced really the closest Farmer's Market that accepts WIC vouchers and 50 miles to one that accepts SNAP?

Read More
Michele Gordon 4/12/2021 6:24 PM
Excited to learn more about sustainable agriculture tonight at our showing of "Kiss the Ground" and panel discussion.

Read More