Earth Month Ecochallenge: Drawdown

April 1 - April 30, 2021

Rebecca Rehm

WBA US Global Sourcing

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
642 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

22

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

1,260

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

600

minutes

spent learning

Rebecca's actions

Transportation

Go for a Daily Walk

Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 60 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 120 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Building With Carbon Storing Waste Products

Engineered Sinks

I will spend at least 60 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

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 22
DAILY ACTIONS

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 120 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Learn about Temperate Forests

Temperate Forest Restoration

I will spend at least 120 minutes learning more about the environmental services provided by and the environmental issues affecting temperate forests.

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

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 21
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Electric Cars, Hybrid Cars

I will spend at least 120 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

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
Land Sinks Forest-Friendly Foods 1

How is your diet currently impacting deforestation? What can you do to decrease your negative impact and increase your positive impact?

Rebecca Rehm 4/14/2021 5:39 AM

These four foods are responsible for deforestation rising. Sadly coffee is one of them. You can search for shade-grown coffee.

4 Foods That Are Eating the World's Forests And How to Choose Better - One Green Planet

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks Smart Seafood Choices

Many states and countries have advisories on eating fish. Find out what is advised for your region. Do you think your diet choices fall within these guidelines? What steps do you need to take to make sure that they do?

Rebecca Rehm 4/08/2021 11:06 AM

The state of Illinois does have an advisory guideline pdf on Fish and Your Health (http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/fishadv/2008_fish_advisories.pdf)

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Reducing (or eliminating) exhaust emissions and improving public health are two benefits of green vehicles. What other motivators inspire you to consider switching to a more fuel-efficient vehicle?

Rebecca Rehm 4/01/2021 3:24 PM

I am very motivated to switch to electric. I am spending a considerable amount of time researching this. I'm still at least two to three years out, but an EV is top of mind.

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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?

Rebecca Rehm 4/01/2021 3:23 PM

I have enjoyed taking my older dog Bandit out. Winter was hard so we stayed in a lot. Now that the weather is better, he enjoys going down to the park.

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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?

Rebecca Rehm 4/01/2021 3:22 PM

I find recycling plastic, metal cans, milk cartons, etc. to be easy. I have a separate disposal bin for these items. Reducing the use of plastic is extremely hard. It seems so many items come in the form of a plastic container. I do use my own metal water container and don't purchase plastic water bottles. It is definitely an need for me to focus as well as the industries that use plastic as a form of a container.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?

Rebecca Rehm 4/01/2021 3:19 PM

Knowing the difference in these dates helps to ensure we are not throwing out food before it has to be discarded. It helps reduce waste from landfills and reduce costs of discarding food that is still usable.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks Building With Carbon Storing Waste Products

How feasible do you think it is for society to build with agricultural waste products?

Rebecca Rehm 4/01/2021 3:16 PM

This is very feasible. Countries are using plant-based agricultural wastes from the cultivation of rice, maize and cassava crops to provide natural fibers that are a sustainable resource for the production of building materials to achieve a reduction in construction costs, reducing dependence on imported, higher-cost alternatives.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings Plan to Insulate

What are some of the benefits of making your home more energy efficient?
Rebecca Rehm 4/01/2021 3:13 PM
Saving money

Reducing carbon footprint on the planet

Comfort

Efficient equipment to cool and heat my home
Read More