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Welcome to Drawdown Ecochallenge!

Watch the short video below to learn the basics.
You'll be an Drawdown Ecochallenge expert in no time!

Ecochallenge.org
Drawdown Ecochallenge
October 1 - October 31, 2023
Emily Katzin's avatar

Emily Katzin

Cleveland Clinic Sustainability

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 914 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    64
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    4.0
    lightbulbs
    replaced
  • UP TO
    3.3
    pounds of paper
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    595
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    3.0
    women, BIPOC, and immigrant-owned businesses
    supported
  • UP TO
    1.0
    advocacy action
    completed
  • UP TO
    1.0
    public official or leader
    contacted
  • UP TO
    4.0
    trees
    planted
  • UP TO
    90
    minutes
    spent outdoors
  • UP TO
    40
    minutes
    spent learning

Emily's 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 28
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings

Upgrade My Windows

Insulation

I will upgrade the windows or weatherstripping in my home or office to reduce air leaks and save on energy costs.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Fix Leaky Faucets

Low-Flow Fixtures

I will fix faucets or report leaky faucets to facilities that have been wasting up to 9 gallons (34 L) of water a day or 270 (1,020 L) gallons of water a month per faucet.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Go Paperless

Recycled Paper

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by 0.11lbs (0.05kg) a day or 3.3lbs (1.6kg) a month by opting into paperless billing, ending unwanted subscriptions, and opting out of junk mail.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Plant Trees

Temperate Forest Restoration

I will plant 2 trees in my community, public parks, or backyard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Reduce Animal Products

Plant-Rich Diets

I will enjoy 2 meatless or vegan meals each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 26
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity

More MPG

I will upgrade my vehicle to an electric or more fuel efficient vehicle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

EnergyStar Appliance

When adding a new appliance, I will choose an efficient or EnergyStar certified product.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Online Energy Audit

Multiple Solutions

I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Explore My Area

Sometimes protecting nature requires feeling connected to nature. I will invest 40 minutes in exploring and appreciating a natural area in my region, whether a forest, wetland, coastal area, or somewhere else.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Express My Support For Walkable Cities

Walkable Cities

I will find out who in my city makes decisions that impact neighborhood walkability and express my support for better walking infrastructure.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Learn about Temperate Forests

Temperate Forest Restoration

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the environmental services provided by and the environmental issues affecting temperate forests.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Practice the 5 Rs

Recycling

I will practice the "5 Rs" — refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle — to reduce my waste more than I can with just recycling alone.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

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 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity

Choose LED Bulbs

LED Lighting

I will replace 4 incandescent lightbulbs with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Education

Support Businesses Owned by Women, POC, or Immigrants

Sustainable Intensification for Smallholders

I will spend 20 minutes researching and shopping from 3 businesses owned by women, people of color, or immigrants.

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
    Industry
    What do you want to prioritize over material 'stuff' in your own life?
    Emily Katzin's avatar
    Emily Katzin 10/31/2023 12:54 PM
    My husband and I have tried being very thoughtful about what items we bring into our home. It has been really difficult sometimes when we just want to "get something done", but realize it is best to be patient and find the right piece of furniture, art, etc. Since we have been very selective about items we buy, it feels easier to spend on vacations, experiences, and items we need for the house when we do find the right ones. We've also prioritized our health by spending more on healthy food, which feels like preventative care and a good investment.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Land Sinks
    How is planting trees good for your mental, physical, and spiritual health?
    Emily Katzin's avatar
    Emily Katzin 10/31/2023 12:51 PM
    It has been so rewarding to plant trees in our yard and see birds landing in them. It feels great to provide shelter or a place of respite for local wildlife. We can't wait until we get to see them bloom next spring for the first time, and to see other animals benefitting from flowers, seeds, and fruit they produce. It feels like giving back in a small way for all the joy nature brings me.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Land Sinks
    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?
    Emily Katzin's avatar
    Emily Katzin 10/31/2023 12:48 PM
    I was reading about native trees and forests to help me select which trees I wanted to plant in my backyard. We unfortunately lost a few due to pests and a storm. It was overwhelming to try and find trees that were native, the right size we wanted, and that were pest resistant. It seems like so many trees have threats now, especially as more invasive species make their way to our region. I was hopeful that there were some native trees I had never heard of that were hardy, and it made me happy to select those to plant since they are uncommon and hopefully provide some unique benefits to wildlife in the area.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Health and Education
    Which businesses that you researched are you excited to support? Are you already supporting businesses that you didn't know were owned by women, people of color, or immigrants?
    Emily Katzin's avatar
    Emily Katzin 10/24/2023 12:42 PM
    We've had some really bad experiences with contractors from companies of all different sizes. Where possible, it is really nice to work with a smaller local business and get to know and build a relationship with the owner. We use a local vet that travels to our home to provide care and she is fantastic.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Industry
    What are some more "Rs" you could add to your daily practice to reduce your waste?
    Emily Katzin's avatar
    Emily Katzin 10/23/2023 7:49 AM
    Planning ahead on when I need to reorder items I use often could help me reduce additional waste. We try to make sure to monitor our Amazon subscriptions to make sure we aren't getting items we don't need. By ordering ahead, I can also make sure that I combine shipping and prevent extra trips/packaging.
    Read More
  • Emily Katzin's avatar
    Emily Katzin 10/17/2023 9:42 AM

    One significant way we have been saving energy is by upgrading existing and installing new ceiling fans. I found this cool brand called Aerotron on sale last winter that has 2 and 3 blade fans designed after bird wings. They are so energy efficient that they only cost less than $10 a year to run, but can move an unbelievable amount of air. We were able to keep our thermostat multiple degrees higher than usual this summer because these fans cooled the house so much! We're hoping they are equally effective in the winter.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
    Why do people in richer countries eat more meat than people in other places? How does eating more meat affect our bodies, our planet, and other people?
    Emily Katzin's avatar
    Emily Katzin 10/11/2023 12:16 PM
    I think having meat in meals was a cultural norm for me growing up in the US. It took a while for me to shift my mindset—even when I started having meatless meals, I was often worried about the vegetarian/vegan meals being substantial/filling enough. I've since gotten a lot more creative and now, I often prefer meatless options. Some of my favorites are soup with lentils, carrot, celery, lime juice, cilantro, skyr yogurt, olive oil, and avocado slices. I've also been working on new breakfast recipes. Roasted butternut squash with okra and pecans, or roasted yellow squash with okra and toasted macadamia nuts are two favorites. If we have the veggie dishes for breakfast, we often add a fruit smoothie with soymilk and cashew nut butter (one favorite is a mixture of dragon fruit, passionfruit, and jack fruit). We also often have teff or oatmeal with fruit, nut butter, sliced tiger nuts, and yogurt for a filling breakfast. It can time take to find things that work, but I've enjoyed experimenting, especially since I'm eating more vegetables.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Electricity
    Changing lightbulbs is an excellent first step toward energy efficiency! What's next for you?
    Emily Katzin's avatar
    Emily Katzin 10/11/2023 9:21 AM

    We switched most of our light bulbs to LED shortly after moving into our house in 2021, but we've had a couple of holdouts and new projects that we tackled for this Ecochallenge. We have two of these light fixtures in the entryway of our house and they have halogen bulbs in an odd size, which was making it harder to transition them to LED. We were able to find LED replacements, but not at equal lumens, so we had to search around some more for LED bulbs that are bright enough, but we finally found them!


    We've also been working on furnishing our house and found an awesome shop in Canton called Main Street Modern that gets used furniture primarily from the 50s-80s and refinishes/reupholsters it. We got the desk and these fun rocket-looking lamps that also had an odd size of halogen bulb. We were glad to find LED replacements since the halogen bulbs would quickly get so hot that we could smell the metal of the lamps!
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Transportation
    How could better walking infrastructure make your city both more enjoyable and more equitable?
    Emily Katzin's avatar
    Emily Katzin 10/09/2023 10:00 AM

    Our city will be voting on whether to add walking trails along three major roads in our community. We go for daily walks and get to a side street as quickly as possible since our street has a 35mph speed limit and quite a bit of traffic. We were happy to support the walkability efforts with a sign in our front yard! I think adding walking trails will help neighbors get to know one another, be more physically active, and improve safety.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Land Sinks
    How can spending more time outdoors enhance your sense of place -- your deep knowledge of and appreciation for your surroundings?
    Emily Katzin's avatar
    Emily Katzin 10/04/2023 11:09 AM
    I love the Metroparks in Ohio. I moved to Austin, Texas for a couple of years and would go to their greenspaces, but I was always amazed at how far apart the trees were. I love the density and variety of trees in Ohio, and have been learning to identify different species.
    Read More
    • Thomas Saad's avatar
      Thomas Saad 10/12/2023 6:20 AM
      I agree. I love the trees especially with the change of seasons!
      Read More