Earth Month Ecochallenge: Drawdown

April 1 - April 30, 2021

Timothy Randazzo

CSUMB Eco Otters

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
535 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

2.0

donations

made
UP TO

270

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

295

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

35

minutes

spent learning

Timothy's actions

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

Action Track: Accelerating Solutions

Communicate With My Elected Officials

Onshore Wind Turbines, Offshore Wind Turbines

I will write or call 1 elected official(s) telling them not to support fossil fuel subsidies and instead support wind energy generation.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Go for a Daily Walk

Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 30 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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

Land Sinks

Buy Bamboo

Bamboo Production

When they are available, I will purchase products made from bamboo instead of wood, plastic, or metal.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Choose Better Wood Products

Forest Protection

I will only purchase wood and paper products from ecologically certified sources like Forest Stewardship Council.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Buildings

Research Retrofitting Incentives

Building Retrofitting

I will spend at least 30 minutes finding out if my city, region, state, or country offers incentives for retrofitting existing buildings.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Become A Master Recycler/Composter

Recycling

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Find a Local Climate-Friendly Supermarket

Refrigerant Management

I will explore the interactive map in the links below to find a supermarket that does not use HFC refrigerants near my home.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Use Muscle Power

Multiple Transportation Solutions

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips, and I will only use muscle-powered transportation for all other trips.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Action Track: Climate Resilience

Learn More about Silvopasture

Silvopasture

I will spend at least 30 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Climate Resilience

Learn More about Biomass

Biomass Power

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Accelerating Solutions

Support Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

Indigenous Peoples' Forest Tenure

I will donate to Native American Rights Fund, which protects tribal natural resources and environmental rights and promotes Native American Human Rights.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Accelerating Solutions

Support Microgeneration in Low Income Countries

Small Hydropower, Micro Wind Turbines, Microgrids

I will make a donation to a nonprofit that installs microgeneration in low income countries.

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
Buildings Fix Leaky Faucets

What are other easy and low-cost ways to reduce your water usage at home?

Timothy Randazzo 4/26/2021 10:05 AM

Dishwashers actually use less water on average than handwashing. Making sure dish and laundry loads are full and reduce shower times.

Read More
Timothy Randazzo 4/22/2021 3:43 PM

It is going great! I'm learning so much and we are so close to being the best CSU!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Accelerating Solutions Support Microgeneration in Low Income Countries

How can micro energy solutions reduce inequities? Why is this important to you?

Timothy Randazzo 4/22/2021 3:40 PM

It creates opportunities for low income communities to get access to cleaner water and renewable energies.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Accelerating Solutions Support Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

Indigenous speaker and activist Winona LaDuke says that, "most indigenous ceremonies, if you look to their essence, are about the restoration of balance — they are a reaffirmation of our relationship to creation. That is our intent: to restore, and then to retain balance and honor our part in creation." Why is balance important to sustainability?

Timothy Randazzo 4/22/2021 3:32 PM

Balance is extremely important when it comes to sustainability!! Sustainability is a blend of Economics, Equity, and Environment! All need to be balanced and addressed.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Use Muscle Power

How do your transportation choices affect your engagement in your community? Does your experience or enjoyment differ while walking, riding transit, biking or driving?

Timothy Randazzo 4/09/2021 3:35 PM

I walked to the grocery store today and was able to do alot of nature observation, and enjoy my city on a more intimate level. When I drive, I don't pay attention to my surroundings as much

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Go for a Daily Walk

What have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?

Timothy Randazzo 4/09/2021 3:32 PM

Today I walked around westlake pond in Santa Cruz. There are ducks, coots, koi, turtles, and other small fish. What I noticed is that at sunset, a bunch of bats fly over the pond and eat mosquitos! It is very pretty to watch.

Read More
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?

Timothy Randazzo 4/09/2021 3:29 PM

I believe for a sustainable community to persist, people need to have an open mind, be patient with themselves, and find beauty in nature

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings Research Retrofitting Incentives

How can you share what you have learned in your research with others?

Timothy Randazzo 4/09/2021 2:33 PM

Local governments throughout Northern California have created financial incentives and removed disincentives to encourage owners to retrofit their vulnerable buildings. These incentives include: waivers or reductions of building permit fees, waivers of zoning and parking requirements, loans with easier qualifying requirements or below-market interest rates, grants to cover part of the design or construction costs using redevelopment or housing funds, and special assessment districts that generate funding sources for participants.

Counties that have programs in place seem to be: Dixon, Fremont, Palo Alto, Los Gatos, San Leandro, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Sonoma, Vacaville, and Vallejo

Source

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry Find a Local Climate-Friendly Supermarket

How close is the nearest climate-friendly supermarket to your home? How could you encourage local supermarket to reduce or phase out their use of HFC refrigerants?

Timothy Randazzo 4/01/2021 6:48 PM

San Jose is the closest place with a climate friendly supermarket. I sent a request form asking for a climate friendly supermarket in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks Buy Bamboo

Are bamboo alternatives readily available in your community? If not, what are other sustainable alternatives?

Timothy Randazzo 4/01/2021 6:44 PM

They are available in Santa Cruz at a couple of stores downtown on Pacific Street. It is also easy to find bamboo alternatives at Patagonia, Ecosia Shop, and REI, and other online stores.

Read More