Earth Month Ecochallenge: Drawdown

April 1 - April 30, 2021

Laura Smith

DLR Group- Minneapolis

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
656 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

20

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

220

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

70

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

90

minutes

spent outdoors

Laura's actions

Transportation

Go for a Daily Walk

Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 20 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

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 15
DAILY 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

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

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.

UNCOMPLETED
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

Land Sinks

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

Tropical Forest Restoration

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Explore My Area

Sometimes protecting nature requires feeling connected to nature. I will invest 60 minutes in exploring and appreciating a natural area in my region, whether a forest, wetland, coastal area, or somewhere else.

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

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

Health and Education

Support Businesses Owned by Women, BIPOC, or Immigrants

Sustainable Intensification for Smallholders

I will spend 20 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?

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?

Laura Smith 4/24/2021 8:20 PM

I hadn't realized that all foods (except infant formula) are fine to consume past their use by/ sell by 'quality' dates, and that none of these terms actually equate to a safety date. I think we do a pretty good job in our household of not wasting foods but there are times I've quickly glanced at a label, seen the 'use by' date and tossed it without investigating it for spoilage.

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?

Laura Smith 4/23/2021 6:35 PM

MDH provides guidance on fish consumption on their website. The "rules" are pretty simple - avoid fish high in mercury and other contaminants and fish is a great addition to a diet. We eat fish low in mercury, typically salmon or shrimp.
On sustainable seafood practices - We do most of our seafood shopping at Whole Foods Market who does the homework for us with their seafood audited by a third party. The salmon we buy has a green rating, and they don't carry anything in the red rating (I think Kowalski's and Lund's are the same. Not sure about other retailers). I also read an article about Twin Cities chefs and was happy to see how many sustainable seafood restaurants there are!!

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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?

Laura Smith 4/19/2021 6:40 PM

I've always walked / run a lot in my neighborhood, but now with my daughter biking / scootering, I notice every little bump or level change in the sidewalk. It's so important to have those accessible curb cuts and level sidewalks for everyone!

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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?

Laura Smith 4/07/2021 7:24 PM

Our household calculated slightly worse than average which surprised me a bit. I discovered it jumped from better than average to worse in the utility bills section - our electricity and natural gas came in higher than average. Our house was built in 1925 so I'm guessing if we replaced our single pane uninsulated windows, added new door sweeps, and re-insulated our attic, we'd be much better off!

Read More
- Mike Refsland 4/09/2021 1:53 PM
  
  The City of Minneapolis is offering free Home Energy Squad visits, definitely worth looking in to (maybe after the pandemic)! We did one for our house a couple years ago and they found some great improvements I didn't even see, plus they offer financing through CEE if you need any energy improvements. Wish I'd known about that when our furnace died!
  https://www.mncee.org/home-energy-squad/minneapolis/
  
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- Laura Smith 4/07/2021 7:33 PM
  
  Edit: Went back and realized I was calculating mileage for three vehicles so turns out we're exactly average (same as others in zip code w/ household size + income range) which still means we have some adjustments to make!
  
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Laura Smith 4/06/2021 8:02 PM

I just spent half an hour researching BIPOC-owned businesses and feel like I barely scratched the surface! There is a great resource I just found on Locus' website - a spreadsheet with all the businesses "owned by traditionally marginalized communities and businesses whose existence and actions contribute to furthering economic & social justice in the Twin Cities." I would encourage anyone interested in this action item to check it out! https://locusmn.org/poci-owned-businesses/

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