Earth Month Ecochallenge: Drawdown

April 1 - April 30, 2021

Helena Lam

Team Guidewire

"Protecting the planet for future generations! "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,311 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

2.0

advocacy actions

completed
UP TO

17

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

230

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

431

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

87

pounds of CO2

have been saved

Helena's actions

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Local farming at Alemany Farm - San Francisco

Learn more about the community sustaining farming model of Alemany Farm in San Francisco

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Hear Hasten Regeneration talk about their reforestation projects

Join our GGB Getting to Know event with Hasten Regeneration, a cause focused on developing innovative Miyawaki reforestation projects around the world this Thursday, 4/8 at 9 - 9:45am PT! Hear from the founders, Sheeba Sen and Peter Coughlan talk about their inspiring journey in creating Hasten Regeneration and how you can support their reforestation projects through the GGB program. Sign up here for the link to the Zoom session! - https://guidewire.benevity.org/volunteer/204

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 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Reduce Animal Products

Plant-Rich Diets

I will enjoy 1 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Health and Education

Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

Health and Education

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Learn about Biochar

Biochar Production

I will spend 30 minute(s) learning about biochar and how it can help sequester carbon.

UNCOMPLETED
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

Land Sinks

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

Tropical Forest Restoration

I will spend at least 60 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

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

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

Action Track: Climate Resilience

Learn about 'Green Gentrification'

Multiple Solutions

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning about green gentrification and how it relates to city planning for climate action.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Climate Resilience

Support a Community Garden

Multiple Solutions

I will support a community garden by volunteering, donating, or advocating for a new or existing one.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Accelerating Solutions

Support Businesses Owned by Women, BIPOC, or Immigrants

Sustainable Intensification for Smallholders

I will spend 60 minutes researching businesses owned by women, immigrants, and Black, Indigenous, and people of color that I can support when shopping.

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

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Replace Manual Thermostats

Smart Thermostats

I will replace manual thermostats with smart ones.

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 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

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 18
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 Replace Manual Thermostats

How do you anticipate replacing your thermostats for smart ones will positively impact your life?

Helena Lam 4/01/2021 7:01 PM

With the rebate program from my local electric utility, I was able to pay a fraction of the cost for my Nest smart thermostat. The installation process only took 15 minutes and now I can set my home on eco mode with my smartphone. This means that my thermostat will automatically optimize my heating and cooling to be most energy efficient! I will be able to save $ on my electricity bill. Overall, a worthy investment with quick payback period in 1-2 years.

Read More
Helena Lam 4/01/2021 12:51 PM

Hi Team Guidewire,

Today is the first day of the EcoChallenge!!! Remember to mark that you have completed your actions. You should be able to see the button on each of your selected actions so you can mark that you have completed a daily or one time task. As you complete actions, you can see your personal positive social and environmental impacts on the Impacts tab as shown in the screenshot.

Read More
Helena Lam 3/29/2021 10:26 AM

Thanks to all of our new Team GW teammates! Please join our GW Slack channel #ecochallenge-2021 for important updates and details. We will also be posting on this social feed as well.

https://guidewire.slack.com/archives/C01SCLR756J

Read More
Helena Lam 3/29/2021 10:24 AM
https://vimeo.com/290638030

Link is is to a short intro video on how to navigate the EcoChallenge platform:
Time Breakdown of the Video:
- 0.30 - overview of dashboard
- 1.00 - editing profile
- 1.20 - adding actions
- 1.50 - filtering actions
- 2.35 - checking in actions + impact progress
- 3.18 - posting on social feed
Hope it is helpful!
Read More
Helena Lam 3/29/2021 9:56 AM

Hi Team Guidewire! Before we kick start our EcoChallenge, the ESG team invite you to select a few (or many) daily or one time actions across different action categories here: https://earthmonth.ecochallenge.org/dashboards/challenges before the challenge starts on April 1st. You can filter actions on each action category page based on difficulty and frequency as shown in the pic. A more detailed kickoff video will be posted this week. Let's make some positive social and environmental impact this month! :)

Read More