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October 1 - October 31, 2023
Dawn Overly's avatar

Dawn Overly

Green Bexley

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 366 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    11
    plastic containers
    not sent to the landfill
  • UP TO
    15
    minutes
    spent learning

Dawn's actions

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

Electricity

Choose Renewable Energy or Purchase Renewable Energy Credits

Onshore Wind Turbines, Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaics

I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option. If my utility does not offer one, I will purchase Renewable Energy Credits to match my usage.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Reduce Animal Products

Plant-Rich Diets

I will enjoy 1 meatless or vegan meals each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Industry

Plastics Audit

Reduced Plastics

I will complete a plastics audit to see where plastics show up in my life and determine how I can reduce the use of single-use plastics.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn About Cattle Farming

Improved Cattle Feed; Improved Manure Management

I will spend 5 minutes researching cattle feed and manure management, or visiting a dairy farm to learn about their farming practices.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Learn about the Legacy of Redlining

Multiple Solutions

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning about the legacy of redlining and how city planning and environmental justice issues are interconnected.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Reduce Single-Use Disposables

Bioplastics; Reduced Plastics

I will avoid buying and using 1 single-use plastics and instead replace them with durable options.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

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 2
DAILY ACTIONS

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 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Sinks

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

Tropical Forest Restoration

I will spend at least 5 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Buy Bamboo

Bamboo Production

When they are available, I will purchase products made from bamboo instead of wood, plastic, or metal.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Plant Trees

Temperate Forest Restoration

I will plant 1 trees in my community, public parks, or backyard.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Share Your Story

Share Your Aha Moment

Record and share a video describing your aha moment during Drawdown Ecochallenge through the resource link.

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?


  • Dawn Overly's avatar
    Dawn Overly 10/31/2023 5:52 AM
    Participating in the ecochallenge has made more aware of waste, amount of plastics in our daily lives, and the importance of protecting our natural resources. Growing up on a farm there were many ways my family (parents/grandparents) routinely practiced conservation. Not because it was popular or due to a challenge. It was in order to survive.





  • 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?

    Dawn Overly's avatar
    Dawn Overly 10/19/2023 5:05 AM
    I am taking a guess at this - If it is true that people in richer countries eat more meat than I would say it's because they can afford it. However, meatless food isn't necessarily inexpensive either. So it may come down to just an individuals taste buds.

    How it affects our planet is the more cattle etc. raised for the demand, the more gases are released into the atmosphere. Of course there are ways to feed cattle etc. differently to cut back on the gases from their waste.

  • Dawn Overly's avatar
    Dawn Overly 10/17/2023 8:42 AM
    For months I have been saying to myself that I need to use the items that I have in my cabinets and freezer. And this is what I have done. I have not been to the store in 5 weeks. Using what I have. I waste a lot of fresh food so this has prevented that from happening.

    • Elizabeth Ellman's avatar
      Elizabeth Ellman 10/17/2023 7:34 PM
      DAWN. I AM SO PROUD OF YOU! We know that we don't want to things to the landfill that don't have to be there, but what most people don't know is that sending food to the landfill is really, really bad. My favorite resources are at greenbexley.org/food, if you'd like to learn more. Great work!

  • Dawn Overly's avatar
    Dawn Overly 10/16/2023 5:40 AM
    This challenge reminds me of the various things my mom does. Like reusing plastic bags. She actually puts them through the washer then lays them aside to dry. Reusing containers from various items purchased from the store. I don't believe she does these things just for the cost saving aspect. Little does she know she has been helping the earth in a small way.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Industry
    What was the hardest item to reduce using or cut out that is plastic? Did you find a way to do it?

    Dawn Overly's avatar
    Dawn Overly 10/11/2023 5:37 AM
    Currently my plastic audit consist of plastic bags from stores which are reused in trash cans and cleaning cat litter boxes.

    Also zip lock bags. I am working on cutting back on using them and storing items in glass dishes.

    • Elizabeth Ellman's avatar
      Elizabeth Ellman 10/11/2023 5:44 PM
      If you ever want to use reusable bags at the store but are concerned that you won't have any plastic bags for trash, you're welcome to the ones that are dropped off at City Hall.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Industry
    What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

    Dawn Overly's avatar
    Dawn Overly 10/11/2023 5:33 AM
    I carry my lunch in a lunch box vs a plastic bag. I do recycle the plastic bags I get from the grocery store for trash cans and cat litter.

  • Dawn Overly's avatar
    Dawn Overly 10/09/2023 8:33 AM
    I joined the challenge to gain more understanding pertaining to sustainable habits and leaving a healthier planet for our children.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
    An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Where would you rather use this money?

    Dawn Overly's avatar
    Dawn Overly 10/09/2023 8:29 AM
    I would rather see the funds go towards supporting animal shelters, food banks, elderly resources.

    • Elizabeth Ellman's avatar
      Elizabeth Ellman 10/09/2023 9:08 AM
      How amazing would it be if instead of spending the money on food to be wasted, it was spent on food to feed people who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford it?!

  • Dawn Overly's avatar
    Dawn Overly 10/05/2023 3:40 AM
    This is like being on a diet - I am giving more thought to different things. Like yesterday instead of using a disposable coffee cup through-out the morning I grabbed a real coffee cup.

    • Elizabeth Ellman's avatar
      Elizabeth Ellman 10/05/2023 2:48 PM
      I hope this is more fun than being on a diet, though!

      It's amazing what you discover when you take the time to give things more thought.

      What's even better is you likely used a reusable cup that you already had!
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Industry
    What are some more "Rs" you could add to your daily practice to reduce your waste?

    Dawn Overly's avatar
    Dawn Overly 10/03/2023 7:51 AM
    My biggest issue is the amount of food that I waste. I work on using what I have vs keeping food on hand and then not having the time or taking the time to cook.