Roberta Richards

PCC Eco Panthers

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
206 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

3.3

pounds of paper

have been saved
UP TO

3.0

advocacy actions

completed
UP TO

3.0

public officials or leaders

contacted
UP TO

50

minutes

spent learning

Roberta's actions

Buildings

Plan to Insulate

Insulation

I will spend 10 minutes finding out how to make my home more energy efficient through better insulation and weatherization.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Communicate With My Elected Officials

Onshore Wind Turbines, Offshore Wind Turbines

I will write or call 3 elected officials telling them not to support fossil fuel subsidies and instead support wind energy generation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Research Cement Alternatives

Alternative Cement

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching cement alternatives that reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

Ocean Power

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of wave and tidal energy.

COMPLETED
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

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Learn about Biochar

Biochar Production

I will spend 5 minutes learning about biochar and how it can help sequester carbon.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Electric Cars, Hybrid Cars

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Battery storage for church solar installation

I will research funding options for our church to add battery storage to our solar panel installation and share what I learn with decision makers.

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
Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Can biochar provide additional benefits besides sequestering carbon?
Roberta Richards 10/15/2023 8:52 PM
From my very quick study of biochar, yes, there are additional benefits of biochar as a soil amendment. There could also be unwanted side effects including altering the pH of soil. It sounds like biochar is not a silver bullet, but can be a valuable part of wholistic drawdown scenario. Very interesting!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings

What are some of the benefits of making your home more energy efficient?
Roberta Richards 10/15/2023 8:45 PM
Making your home more energy efficient is a win-win situation -- you reduce energy use, save money, and your home is more comfortable. I guess that makes it a win-win-win. I learned that the Inflation Reduction Act includes rebates of up to $150 to pay for a home energy audit. Maybe it's time for another one, as our last one was over 25 years ago.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity

What did you learn about wave and tidal energy? How do they compare to other energy sources?
Roberta Richards 10/04/2023 8:53 PM
I'm excited to learn that Oregon is a leader in developing wave electricity generation, although I also learned that wave and tidal energy sources are challenging to install and can have impacts on the local environment. So these are not THE answer but they can be part of a clean energy system, as wave and tides can still generate power when the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing. I look forward to seeing wave energy converters on the Oregon coast some day soon.

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Roberta Richards 10/02/2023 8:45 PM
Today my action was to research alternatives to concrete for driveways, as we will need to replace our driveway in a couple of years and I don't want to use concrete, which has a terrible carbon footprint. Since I am also exploring ChatGPT I asked it to give me alternatives, and it came up with some options I hadn't considered before, including recycled concrete and permeable pavers with grass growing through them. Now I need to find out if there are actually contractors in this area who work with these materials.

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