Earth Month Ecochallenge: Drawdown

April 1 - April 30, 2021

Rachinny Khan

BAP Rochester

"Keep the sea plastic free."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
618 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

450

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

55

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

165

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

0.3

pounds of CO2

have been saved

Rachinny's 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 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Sinks

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

Tropical Forest Restoration

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Plan to Insulate

Insulation

I will find out how to make my home more energy efficient through better insulation and weatherization.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Stay on the Ground

Telepresence, High-Speed Rail

Instead of traveling by plane, I will find an alternative way to accomplish the goals of an upcoming trip (i.e. telepresence, vacation locally).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Climate Resilience

Tend A Garden

I will tend to a garden, or prepare for one, each day using sustainable gardening practices.

COMPLETED 8
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

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Building With Carbon Storing Waste Products

Engineered Sinks

I will spend at least 20 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

Action Track: Climate Resilience

Feed animals

Install bird feeder & bath so that animals can have access to clean source of water

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Reusable cups

always have reusable drink container in car, purse or locker at work

COMPLETED 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Industry

Bring reusable cups

always have a reusable drink container in car, purse or locker at work

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

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 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings

Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

Low-Flow Fixtures

I will save up to 15 gallons (56 L) of water a day or 450 gallons (1,680 L) a month by installing a low-flow showerhead.

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 19
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 19
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
Buildings Plan to Insulate

What are some of the benefits of making your home more energy efficient?

Rachinny Khan 4/19/2021 10:30 AM

With MN weather there are many variables that can cause house bills to skyrocket. If your house is not insulated well , you will be spending more money on air conditioning only for it to not maintain temperature. We recently installed a smart solar attic fan to help in the summer months and it seems to be doing well. Whenever friends come by they inquire about it and so it's a great talking point to be able to educate others on how to make their place energy efficient .

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry Recycle Everything I Can

How could you incorporate other "R's" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle? How does considering implementing these "R's" make you feel?

Rachinny Khan 4/19/2021 10:24 AM

I love looking at restored pieces of furniture online just to see a complete transformation. Whenever I'm out looking for items , the one thing I am conscious about is the durability of it, I much prefer items that will hold up well for years than to get something and know it can be easily replaced. At home it is fairly easy to find ways to repurpose items such as ice cream buckets, glass jars , and cardboard.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Stay on the Ground

What was your process like for restructuring your trip? How can you avoid more air travel in the future?

Rachinny Khan 4/19/2021 10:17 AM

Finding exciting locations to visit that are nearby was not that difficult. Planning out longer vacations that incorporate more stops along the way doesn't have to mean I am "giving up" relaxation time at a beach, instead it's a way to appreciate different landscapes. In the future I will weigh the pros and cons of why I might feel the need to attend an event that requires air travel. If it is not necessary , refraining from air travel helps save the environment and money! WIN WIN

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks Forest-Friendly Foods 2

How difficult or easy was it to change your diet?

Rachinny Khan 4/16/2021 7:54 AM

It is going to be extremely difficult to find products that are not at fault for deforestation. Manufacturing companies use so many names for palm oil , it would take 20 minutes of reading each grocery item to locate the ingredient. Still, it is worth a shot and in time eventually new favorite items that are sustainable will become the new habit.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Climate Resilience Tend A Garden

Have you ever had a significant experience in nature that altered your perspective or focus? If so, please describe it.

Rachinny Khan 4/16/2021 7:41 AM

Gardening allows for a calm headspace. During hard times, especially during Covid it has been great to give back to nature and realize that other beings are benefitting from a clean garden.

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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?

Rachinny Khan 4/16/2021 7:12 AM

Researching and finding items that are designed to use renewable energy or have multiple purposes would be a start. A sustainable community would eliminate one-use items first and work towards innovative ideas for getting their daily needs met. It would take a lot of imagination, education, and possibly a good amount of money to purchase bigger items that can renew gases into energy.

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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?

Rachinny Khan 4/15/2021 10:08 AM

Overall, being mindful of your nutrition will not only help to create a balanced diet, but it will also make you aware of the individual ingredients that you are preparing. You will start to feel a sense of gratitude for flavors present in whole grains rather than processed flour, natural honey rather than sugar, etc.

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