Earth Month Ecochallenge: Drawdown

April 1 - April 30, 2021

Jeff Skrysak

Lam Research Global

"To reduce my footprint and encourage entities to do the same."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,690 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

1.0

donation

made
UP TO

270

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

160

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

105

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

1.0

person

helped

Jeff's actions

Electricity

Calculate My Carbon Footprint

All Drawdown Solutions

I will calculate the greenhouse gas emissions associated with my household and consider how different lifestyle choices could reduce my negative impact on the environment.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 15
DAILY 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

Action Track: Climate Resilience

Learn More about Silvopasture

Silvopasture

I will spend at least 20 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

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 14
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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

Buildings

Donate

Improved Clean Cookstoves

I will donate to nonprofits that install clean cookstoves in low-income countries.

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

Action Track: Accelerating Solutions

Give a Microloan

Sustainable Intensification for Smallholders

I will give 3 microloan(s) to women who need help starting a business.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Research and Advocate for High-Speed Rail

High-Speed Rail

I will spend at least 25 minutes researching and advocating for a comprehensive high speed rail network in my country/region.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Research Retrofitting Incentives

Building Retrofitting

I will spend at least 25 minutes finding out if my city, region, state, or country offers incentives for retrofitting existing buildings.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

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

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Learn about Biochar

Biochar Production

I will spend 15 minute(s) learning about biochar and how it can help sequester carbon.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Education

Support Businesses Owned by Women, BIPOC, or Immigrants

Sustainable Intensification for Smallholders

I will spend 30 minutes researching businesses owned by women, immigrants, and Black, Indigenous, and people of color that I can support when shopping.

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?

Jeff Skrysak 4/30/2021 7:39 AM

I started the challenge with the thought that I'd learn a little but work on daily tasks, and instead I found that I have a lot to learn.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Calculate My Carbon Footprint

What stood out to you most about your carbon footprint? What surprised you or sparked curiosity? Where can you take most immediate action?

Jeff Skrysak 4/29/2021 7:27 AM

What stood out the most is the amount of garbage we produce, which I didn't think was a large amount. We recycle more than we throw into the trash bin but will look into ways to reduce even more trash.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

How do you address your own feelings of concern, fear or despair about climate change?

Jeff Skrysak 4/29/2021 7:26 AM

To address my concerns and despair, I find that I feel better if I take action. Though I know that businesses and countries have the most impact on the environment, it does help me to work on personal habits.

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?

Jeff Skrysak 4/28/2021 7:34 AM

A sustainable community has interwoven and interdependent aspects, for example, the waste of one part is used to fuel another part - be it energy generation or agricultural fertilizer. And the needs of one aspect of the community don't trample on the life of another.

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?

Jeff Skrysak 4/24/2021 1:08 PM

Eating smaller portions helps me lose weight!

Read More
Jeff Skrysak 4/22/2021 8:28 AM

Happy Earth Day! I want to share a link to http://www.lifewithoutplastic.com/ - a great place to find items which don't contain plastic, thereby helping the environment.

Read More
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?

Jeff Skrysak 4/21/2021 9:39 AM

If the date passes during storage it should still be safe unless spoilage is evident. So, don't just use the dates as a guide because sell-by is for inventory management not food safety, for example.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Climate Resilience Tend A Garden

Have you ever had a significant experience in nature that altered your perspective or focus? If so, please describe it.

Jeff Skrysak 4/19/2021 7:43 AM

Coming to the west coast years ago I saw tall seqouia and redwood trees and felt a sense of how old they are, how small we are, and the reality that we're only a part of an environment that has multiple species was felt in a deep way.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Climate Resilience 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?

Jeff Skrysak 4/19/2021 7:41 AM

Before this challenge I had never heard of the term "silvopasture". I think it's a great idea. I used to wish for man-made parks which also contained edible plants to make it more of a fruitful experience than just seeing a wonderful landscape, and I feel that silvopasture is similar because it encourages multiple uses for the same piece of land.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings Research Retrofitting Incentives

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

Jeff Skrysak 4/17/2021 8:32 AM

We chat with our neighbors about the home improvements we make, one of the recent changes being the installation of energy efficient HVAC systems for each of us, but at the same time we can discuss related topics.

Read More