Earth Month Ecochallenge: Drawdown

April 1 - April 30, 2021

Annie Rothrock

Team Wyld

"To learn more about how to reduce my contribution to climate change. "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
603 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

550

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

120

minutes

spent outdoors

Annie's 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

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 20 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 17
DAILY ACTIONS

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 17
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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

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

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

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

Land Sinks

Research Peatlands

Peatland Protection and Rewetting

I will spend 60 minutes researching the environmental benefits of peatlands and what is being done around the world to conserve and restore them.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Explore My Area

Sometimes protecting nature requires feeling connected to nature. I will invest 120 minutes in exploring and appreciating a natural area in my region, whether a forest, wetland, coastal area, or somewhere else.

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
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?

Annie Rothrock 4/23/2021 5:27 PM

I have learned that expiration dates do not mean that it is rotten. It's still hard to eat something "expired" and not think that I am about to poison myself and be sick. It is so engrained in our culture and mindset! This is one of the hardest hurdles for me. It's okay! You won't die! :)

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Smaller Portions

While dishing food out, we tend to load our plates with more than we need. Using smaller plates helps to mitigate this. Aside from the environmental benefits, what other benefits might come from eating/serving smaller portions?

Annie Rothrock 4/16/2021 10:45 AM

Doing this at home is so easy. I use the smaller plates to eat off of all the time unless I run out and need to do the dishes. Larger plates that are supposed to be the "main plates" are the ones I use as as platters for prepping or serving the food. It would be so nice if more restaurants turned to smaller portions. I often take excess food home because the amount that is given is equivalent to 2, if not 3, meals for me.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

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?

Annie Rothrock 4/16/2021 10:41 AM

Helped my uncle mulch the yard at my grandma's house. Learned a lot about what the mulch is for. Not just to make a yard look fresh or new. He showed me how he digs runoff canals into the soil layer before adding the mulch on top so that the water that does run off below the mulch goes to other areas rather than pooling and oversaturating the plants in the area. I can't wait to have a yard of my own!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks Learn More about Silvopasture

Had you heard of the term "silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?

Annie Rothrock 4/13/2021 5:26 PM

Wow! Silvopasture is awesome and seems like such a "duh" way to support both livestock and woodlands with the added bonus of creating large climate sinks. If I ever buy some land of my own, I would love to try this out on a small scale, maybe with some goats and chickens. So cool!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks Learn about Temperate Forests

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?

Annie Rothrock 4/13/2021 10:43 AM

Helping forests migrate is an interesting option! Love the 300-year plan that the privately owned timber company is doing, with legacy trees that will never be cut down to reseed younger trees.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks Learn about Biochar

Can biochar provide additional benefits besides sequestering carbon?

Annie Rothrock 4/13/2021 9:35 AM

Just because we don't know the science behind why older cultures did certain things does not mean it wasn't done for a reason and is worth looking into to figure out. Biochar is a perfect example. It's amazing how our "advanced" society is rediscovering the methods and ways of older cultures to combat the repercussions of our industries and technologies. I hope that more methods in tune with nature and natural processes are relearned and reincorporated into our modern methods.

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?

Annie Rothrock 4/07/2021 12:08 PM

It will be interesting to see how many seafood products have information on the packaging for me to make informed decisions when purchasing. Some salmon, for example, that are farmed in a marine net pen are said to be avoided (UK) while other salmon in a marine net pen are okay (New Zealand) depending on the region they are farmed in. New Zealand must have stricter rules for properly farming the salmon. Also love the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Did not know the seafood watch program was theirs until visiting the site.

Read More