Earth Month Ecochallenge: Drawdown

April 1 - April 30, 2021

Midori Leplat

Sustainability Affinity Group

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
845 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

36

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

210

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

380

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

547

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched

Midori's 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

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 19
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Sinks

Learn about Temperate Forests

Temperate Forest Restoration

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning more about the environmental services provided by and the environmental issues affecting temperate forests.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Learn More about Silvopasture

Silvopasture

I will spend at least 60 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

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 23
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

Farm Irrigation Efficiency

I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency by mulching the base of trees and plants in my yard.

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 20
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
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 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

Health and Education

Attend "Blue Mind" Jump-In Session

Attend Dr. Wallace J Nichols's Blue Mind talk and learn how to make the daily shift from a red (or gray) mind to a blue mine to reconnect and reset.

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

Health and Education

Attend Bee Downtown Webinar

Learn about Zero-Waste / Waste-Less lifestyle by joining the Zoom call by Bee Downtown 4.16.2021.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Education

Watch documentary on sustainability.

Watch Seaspiracy via Netflix to learn about the impacts of commercial fishing to our oceans.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Go for a Daily Walk

Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 10 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 14
DAILY ACTIONS

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Learn about Biochar

Biochar Production

I will spend 60 minute(s) learning about biochar and how it can help sequester carbon.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Education

Read 3 books related to climate change in April.

1. "Under a White Sky - The Nature of the Future" - Elizabeth Kolbert 2. "Half-Earth - Our Planet's Fight for Life" - Edwardo O. Wilson 3. "Drawdown - The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming" - Paul Hawken

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Participant Feed

REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Why do people in richer countries eat more meat than people in other places? How does eating more meat affect our bodies, our planet, and other people?
Midori Leplat 4/26/2021 9:03 AM
Meat is typically more expensive to buy and is seen as a more lux food item. Our bodies aren't designed to digest red meats as frequently as western culture devours it - it causes blockages, makes you feel lethargic. As for the planet - any commercial animal farm is harmful for the planet in how they discard of sick and dying animals due to poor conditions, the waste run off that seeps into water tables, and the atmospheric impacts from the methane cows produce because they're being fed grains vs grass which they too are naturally designed to digest.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation

What have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?
Midori Leplat 4/26/2021 8:58 AM
I've been walking with my daughters and we talk about the different flowers we see blooming right now all around us, the sounds of different birds we never noticed before, and have spotted a few dragon flies and humming birds! I think having pedestrian overpasses build vs crosswalks in school-zone areas would make city walking safer and more enjoyable.

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Midori Leplat 4/22/2021 2:57 PM
Happy Earth Day !!!!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Can biochar provide additional benefits besides sequestering carbon?
Midori Leplat 4/22/2021 2:52 PM
Biochar can improve soil health that can help reduce run off and flooding.

Read More
Midori Leplat 4/16/2021 2:47 PM
1/2 through the month and the challenge has helped me be more mindful and get involved with my children. Have a great weekend!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks

As you learn more about the scope and seriousness of the environmental challenges we face, what impact does that have on your thinking and actions? What are the parts that feel overwhelming? What parts help you feel hopeful?
Midori Leplat 4/16/2021 2:27 PM
Just within the last 10 years my husband and I have noticed such a decline in sea and land species (France & US). I fear what my elementary aged children will see (not NOT see) when they are adults - on land and in the oceans. What I feel hopeful for is young children today are becoming stewards of the Earth must earlier on and often better than adults to impact a positive change in their futures at stake.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks

How is your diet currently impacting deforestation? What can you do to decrease your negative impact and increase your positive impact?
Midori Leplat 4/14/2021 10:08 AM
Palm oil - This is primarily in a lot of processed foods and my kids favorite - Nutella, so one of the things my family has been trying to do is reduce processed food purchases and cook from scratch most of the week.

Coffee & Cocoa - *gasp* not these two! Coffee is a daily staple, but I look for fair trade and sustainably harvested beans whenever possible for both coffee and chocolate. Something more I could do would be to find other energizing sources like Vitamin B or Green Tea.

Meat & Dairy & Eggs -

Meat: my family has already reduced our beef and commercial fishing consumption over the past 2 years, but there is more we can do here for sure with reducing our poultry consumption.

Dairy: we get our milk from a local farm that delivers as it's still a more affordable option that switching to other dairy alternatives right now.

Eggs: we have been raising egg laying hens at home for the last 4 years enjoying fresh eggs that way vs factory raised, store bought eggs.
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Climate Resilience

Cities and towns need to plan for climate change. How can your city or town make its climate action plans equitable and socially just?
Midori Leplat 4/13/2021 2:01 PM
With "greening" the town, property value often goes up, which also means higher property taxes or rent for renters. Rather than raising costs for lower-income residents, creating a parallel to monetary value could give everyone what they need by empowering residents and create pride in where they live. For example volunteer hours to greening and cleaning their neighborhoods - community gardens (floral and food) or helping weatherproof homes as a team.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks

Had you heard of the term "silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?
Midori Leplat 4/13/2021 12:59 PM
Prior to this challenge, I had never heard of the term silvopasture. The biggest advantage is it allows us to move away from monoculture farming and increase wildlife abundance and diversity by sharing the land like it was meant to be which will also help with carbon sequestration. Something we critically need right now.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?
Midori Leplat 4/12/2021 5:03 PM
Pack dates are mostly on canned and processed food packaging.

Guaranteed Fresh dates are usually on baked goods.

Sell by dates are flags for retailers to pull products, not for me to worry about them going bad.

Expiration dates are usually on meats and some dairy so this is something important to watch for as it indicates when things could spoil.

Best by dates just lets me know after that date it's still edible, but may lose it's flavor or texture.

Knowing the differences I learned above can help me stretch my family's food dollars.
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