Earth Month Ecochallenge: Drawdown

April 1 - April 30, 2021

Beatrice Claire MacDonald

High Meadow Hudson Valley

"I hope to make a difference, however big or small"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
967 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

5.0

public officials or leaders

contacted
UP TO

302

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

270

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

17

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

8.0

conversations

with people
UP TO

37

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

145

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

50

trees

planted

Beatrice Claire's actions

Transportation

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Electric Cars, Hybrid Cars

I will spend at least 5 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

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

Action Track: Climate Resilience

Learn More about Biomass

Biomass Power

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

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 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Climate Resilience

Plant Trees

Temperate Forest Restoration

I will plant 50 tree(s) in my community, public parks, or backyard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Fix Leaky Faucets

Low-Flow Fixtures

I will fix faucets or report leaky faucets to facilities. Fixing leaky faucets can save up to 9 gallons (34 L) of water a day or 270 (1,020 L) gallons of water a month per faucet.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 24
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 26
DAILY ACTIONS

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 3 single-use plastics and instead replace them with durable options.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Industry

Launch a Recycling Program

Recycling

I will set up a recycling center at my workplace or school.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Accelerating Solutions

Communicate With My Elected Officials

Onshore Wind Turbines, Offshore Wind Turbines

I will write or call 2 elected official(s) telling them not to support fossil fuel subsidies and instead support wind energy generation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Industry

Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

Bioplastics

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching how to properly dispose of bioplastics in my city and share this information with 5 friends, family and/or colleagues.

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Advocate for Forest Protection

Forest Protection

I will contact 3 congress people or representatives to advocate for public policy that protects forests and the enforcement of existing anti-logging laws, as well as the rights of local people to protect and restore the land in their communities.

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: Climate Resilience

Learn about 'Green Gentrification'

Multiple Solutions

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning about green gentrification and how it relates to city planning for climate action.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Learn about Biochar

Biochar Production

I will spend 7 minute(s) learning about biochar and how it can help sequester carbon.

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

Participant Feed

REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

How can you express your personality, creativity, and values in ways that don't require fast fashion or buying more clothes and accessories?
Beatrice Claire MacDonald 4/21/2021 5:05 PM
the fast fashion workshop we all attended really opened my eyes. I've already have ideas on how to reuse and restyle article of clothing that I was previously ignoring. Also, it has helped my define my idea of style, and as Kathy explains, that is an important part of sustainable fashion.

Read More
- Gian Ascione 4/22/2021 4:19 PM
  Saves water resources too! :)
  
  Read More
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?
Beatrice Claire MacDonald 4/06/2021 5:15 PM
meat is expensive due to the necessary cost of upkeep and slaughtering of animals. This is not a process necessary for vegetables or most vegetarian foods. Meat is good for the body, as long as it is not the exclusive factor in your diet. It can be substituted for dairy or vegan protein sources in most cases. But the mass production of meat has many negative effects. Ethical, moral and environmental reasons are major factors into why I try to cut down my meat consumption.

Read More
- Gian Ascione 4/08/2021 6:17 PM
  One sample of muscle tissue from a cow can yield 80,000 quarter-pound hamburgers.
  
  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/lab-grown-meat/
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

What are some more "R's" you could add to your daily practice to reduce your waste?
Beatrice Claire MacDonald 4/06/2021 5:08 PM
refuse or reduce. I do lots of recycling, reusing and repurposing, but I don't always do enough actually avoiding of plastic products. This is important to cut down on waste. I want to work on refusing unnecessary thing packaged or made in plastic, like plastic cutlery or cups.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Name some of the human activities impacting the health of water systems, both locally (your watershed) and globally (freshwater and oceans). What can you do to improve the health of water systems?
Beatrice Claire MacDonald 4/05/2021 6:42 AM
water waste is often over-looked, especially in communities like ours where rain frequents us. But when you look at the big picture of water use and waste it's actually a bit frightening. Humans in developed cities have come to rely, and take for granted running water, while people in other places have no access to it. also, wasting water is a privilege, that many cannot afford. Something as simple as fixing a leaky faucet can save so much water, and that baffles me!

Read More
Beatrice Claire MacDonald 4/05/2021 6:36 AM
if you have any questions, email me at [email protected] , or reply to the message with your question!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Climate Resilience

Have you ever had a significant experience in nature that altered your perspective or focus? If so, please describe it.
Beatrice Claire MacDonald 4/03/2021 12:36 PM
going outside, working for and with nature and just experiencing the air and sunshine is refreshing. I worked outside, planting trees, mulching them, and bring potted plants out for sun. At first I was a bit peeved, and wanted to go back in after I reached my goal time, but soon I was perfectly content to keep working.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Climate Resilience

Had you ever heard of biomass technology before you took this challenge? What did you learn that surprised you? Share your new knowledge with your friends!
Beatrice Claire MacDonald 4/01/2021 1:23 PM
I had heard of biofuel. In Italy were I lived for a time, they had a compost system that collected food and organic waste to create into fuel. I have now learned that that is a form of biomass. What surprised me was that biomass is really only viable as a temporary or "bridge" solutions as its lowered carbon emissions are not a low as is desired.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Accelerating Solutions

What inspires you to act on sustainable energy and other energy issues?
Beatrice Claire MacDonald 4/01/2021 12:11 PM
though writing or contacting your elected officials might seem a daunting task, it really wasn't. I emailed sen. Chuck Schumer and rep. Antonio Delgado urging them to vote for the green act (an act instating incentives towards solar and wind energy). it took me maybe 35 minutes, and a few quick google searches to find their websites and contact them. I will definitely be doing this again when I find I want to show my support for a bill

Read More
Beatrice Claire MacDonald 3/19/2021 5:53 AM
Today is the global day of climate action! Pretty cool, huh? I only heard about it a few days ago, and was reminded when I saw an Instagram post about it. Just want to share that cool little fact!

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