Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge

October 1 - October 31, 2023

Gracie Neher

Oregon State University SUS 304

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
139 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

story

shared
UP TO

150

minutes

spent learning

Gracie's actions

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn About Cattle Farming

Improved Cattle Feed; Improved Manure Management

I will spend 30 minutes researching cattle feed and manure management, or visiting a dairy farm to learn about their farming practices.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Research Cement Alternatives

Alternative Cement

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching cement alternatives that reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn About Aquaculture

Improved Aquaculture

Each day, I will spend at least 30 minutes learning about sustainable aquaculture.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Industry

Research the Climate Impact of Refrigerants

Refrigerant Management

I will spend 30 minutes learning about the climate impact of refrigerants and what climate-friendly refrigerants are by using the links below.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Building With Carbon Storing Waste Products

Engineered Sinks

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching how people can build with carbon-storing materials - including agricultural byproducts - and discuss it with my peers or post to social media.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Reduce Food Waste

Reduced Food Waste

I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during Drawdown Ecochallenge, either because it went bad before I ate it, I put too much on my plate, or it was scraps from food preparation, and commit to reducing my food waste throughout the challenge.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Electricity

Calculate My Household Carbon Footprint

I will calculate the carbon emissions associated with my household and consider how different lifestyle choices could reduce our carbon footprint and our impact on the environment.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Use Public Transit

Public Transit

I will use public transit 2 miles per day and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

Ocean Power

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of wave and tidal energy.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Research and Advocate for High-Speed Rail

High-Speed Rail

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching and advocating for a comprehensive high speed rail network in my country/region.

UNCOMPLETED
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

Concrete is a good example of a material that most of us encounter every day, but its carbon footprint may not be obvious. What other everyday materials might have a large carbon footprint? How can you find out more?
Gracie Neher 10/11/2023 11:07 PM
Another everyday material that might have a large carbon footprint that isn't obvious is glass. Creating and shaping glass uses a lot of heat and therefore energy. I could find out more by researching how glass is made and the types of waste associated with its production.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

What did you learn about the climate impact of refrigerants? How do supermarkets contribute to this impact?
Gracie Neher 10/11/2023 10:52 PM
Refrigerants leak hydrofluorocarbons into the atmosphere which are greenhouse gases. In fact, they're the fastest-growing contributing GHG to climate change. Supermarkets use large amounts of refrigerants to keep their large amounts of frozen and refrigerated food frozen and refrigerated.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

What did you learn from visiting or researching a dairy farm?
Gracie Neher 10/11/2023 10:42 PM
I learned that there are viable ways of making raising livestock sustainable.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

How feasible do you think it is for society to build with agricultural waste products?
Gracie Neher 10/11/2023 10:21 PM
I think it's incredibly possible for society to evolve into one that uses agricultural waste products as building materials, but I don't think we're there yet. As it stands, sustainable options are still more expensive than their unsustainable counterparts which means there's no economic incentive for firms to choose them. Until there is incentive, I don't think society will be able to fully make the switch.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

What was the most interesting thing to learn about sustainable aquaculture practices?
Gracie Neher 10/11/2023 9:49 PM
I learned that over half of the aquatic animal products we consume and that it's an industry that still has a long way to go in sustainability, but that there are some very promising new techniques and technologies that are being explored to make it more sustainable.

Read More