October 1 - October 31, 2023

Dewayne Rogers

"My mission is to promote a blend of returning to nature with modern technology to assist in becoming a less carbon dependant society. I believe everyone should have equal access to solar and wind power regardless of the scale. Large scale grids are OK for cities and urban areas but can become problematic in rural areas. Many very poor families are at a disadvantage because they are dependent on what big oil and the power utilities set their prices and policies to say. I would also like to draw attention to the lack of grants and assistance available to the very poor to assist with everyday expenses. Sure there is plenty of assistance for food but when it comes to bills, garbage service, clothing, necessary medical or hygiene supplies there just isn't much there. Also for the very poor and disabled the wait lists for housing are astronomical here. My family has been hoping to get a farm going but are blocked by not being a minority and having to fight individual employees at government agencies who are supposed to help just don't like your family or feel you are just trying to "game" the system, not actually use it as the laws were written to help folks in the position we are in. Making someone say they are going to have a disability for 2 years in order to get disability insurance Paid by 30 years of work instead of paying out the insurance so you don't get so far behind and lose everything you worked for is not how the law was written. But, that is the policy the administrators put forth. I believe this among many other policies in both private and government sectors are stacked against the very poor and disadvantaged who can't afford to pay an attorney to stand up for their rights."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
865 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

2.0

stories

shared
UP TO

3.0

advocacy actions

completed
UP TO

3.0

public officials or leaders

contacted
UP TO

1,720

minutes

spent learning

Dewayne's actions

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn About Aquaculture

Improved Aquaculture

Each day, I will spend at least 60 minutes learning about sustainable aquaculture.

COMPLETED 28
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity

Learn More about Micro Wind

Micro Wind Turbines

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of micro wind.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Contact your Elected Officials

Abandoned Farmland Restoration

I will contact 2 elected officials to voice my opinion on the importance of restoring farmland in my region, including both public and private land.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Learn More about Silvopasture

Silvopasture

I will spend at least 20 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Share to Social Media: Land Sinks

Land Sinks

Through social media (LinkedIn or Instagram), I will share what I've learned about Land Sinks and tag Ecochallenge.org.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

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?

Dewayne Rogers 10/05/2023 8:07 PM
Started researching resources to start a small business growing vegetables and herbs in an aquaponics system. Main focus will be on integrating small cheap systems into lower resource households so they can provide fresher healthier food options at home. There would also be the possibility of additional revenue. Combining this with electrification of lawn equipment and using Pico-wind turbines and solar panels matched up with a small, scalable battery storage unit to power the system and chicken coops or other farm needs. The cost savings would enable a lower price for food as well as enabling eventual energy independence and continued food production in case of natural disasters. Removing the cost of energy and fuel would go a long way to ease hardships on poorer families, especially in rural areas who may not have close bus access or a short walk or ride to the store. Plus being energy independent for your farm operations means you might not lose as many animals to cold weather if there is a major power outage. You can keep water from freezing over and heat your bunnies and/or chicken coop for next to free with little carbon footprint.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity

Micro turbines can be placed on large structures to take advantage of stronger, steadier breezes. The Eiffel Tower now sports vertical axis turbines that produce electricity for use on site. Where could micro turbines potentially be installed in your city?
Dewayne Rogers 10/05/2023 8:54 AM
Micro wind turbines would be a good addition to solar installations on large industrial buildings as well as large apartment buildings. Many large and residential Battery backup systems already have the ability to add wind input to the control systems. Also some smaller I guess pico turbines can be added to residential systems. I plan on taking out some dead/smaller trees to prevent them from hitting power lines and will install a couple 1KW turbines that will average about 400-500W production in the evening winds. They will be mounted on the tree base about 12-15ft up. Winds usually travel right up the road through the tunnel of old growth trees from th ocean about 2 miles away.

Read More
- Thomas Saad 10/06/2023 3:56 PM
  We would have to consider the location options. Every one complained when cell towers started going up.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

What was the most interesting thing to learn about sustainable aquaculture practices?
Dewayne Rogers 10/02/2023 5:29 PM
One of the most interesting thing I've learned about aquaculture is how much co2 can be sequestered in kelp. Then you can also grow oysters in with the kelp to help further clean the waters. As well as adding revenue and another local protein source in the local economy. Combine that with my foody nature and I saw on a show where they used kelp bags to cook fish over an open fire. After ward the kelp can be used to season a nice soup with beneficial vitamins and nutrients. Kelp can also be used to fertilize pasture land and help add nutrients and beneficial omega fatty acids to the soil.

Read More
- Thomas Saad 10/03/2023 5:43 AM
  Interesting!
  
  Read More
Dewayne Rogers 10/02/2023 4:57 PM
I think it is going somewhat well for me. I have been struggling to motivate and really put something down on paper to take action. I now have a little more of a plan and timeline to finish my system. The thing I have been noticing as of late is, as a very poor family it is hard to find services with assistance like is provided to third world countries. I have many friends and coworkers and acquaintances that are in the same struggle. Are they just harder to find in the US? I think a lot of families could benefit from help with providing their own power to their home with grants or more, stronger grants for micro farms. Using an 8 ft by 10-20 ft green house to produce food for your family with no cost to run the electricity to do it. We have dropping prices on PV panels and also several options in the home/microgrid storage batteries. You could fairly inexpensively, bring an entire apartment complex off grid as well as installing an aquaponics facility on the roof. This would add sustainability and reduce healthy food costs. thus reducing overall rent and expenses. More could be generated on families with larger properties enabling them to trade and bargain for what they don't produce. Just my thoughts for the day.

Read More
Dewayne Rogers 10/02/2023 4:56 PM
I think it is going somewhat well for me. I have been struggling to motivate and really put something down on paper to take action. I now have a little more of a plan and timeline to finish my system. The thing I have been noticing as of late is, as a very poor family it is hard to find services with assistance like is provided to third world countries. I have many friends and coworkers and acquaintances that are in the same struggle. Are they just harder to find in the US? I think a lot of families could benefit from help with providing their own power to their home with grants or more, stronger grants for micro farms. Using an 8 ft by 10-20 ft green house to produce food for your family with no cost to run the electricity to do it. We have dropping prices on PV panels and also several options in the home/microgrid storage batteries. You could fairly inexpensively, bring an entire apartment complex off grid as well as installing an aquaponics facility on the roof. This would add sustainability and reduce healthy food costs. thus reducing overall rent and expenses. More could be generated on families with larger properties enabling them to trade and bargain for what they don't produce. Just my thoughts for the day.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks

Had you heard of the term "silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?
Dewayne Rogers 10/02/2023 9:49 AM
I had not heard the term silvopasture before. However after reading up on it I already practice it in my daily life on my current property and had planned on doing it when I eventually get my farm. We encourage native plant growth and keep our older growth trees intact despite our neighbors insistence that we should take them out. I will cull dying or dangerous trees but not large healthy trees which provide drought tolerance to the forage for our chickens and soon we will have free-range rabbits as well.

Read More
Dewayne Rogers 10/01/2023 8:02 PM
Read a couple articles. One dealt with a food bank on the east coast who started up an aquaponics farm and training classroom for local kids. They plan on eventually providing food to schools as well as their clients. Another was about a high school that had an aquaponics system installed for the students and they ran it plus sold some produce at the local market. I also watched several videos on growing ginger and turmeric in aquaponics. I also studied upon the growing conditions for Bluegill and creating a good breeding habitat. I plan on using them in my system to feed my family, but also to raise fry to feed my chickens. They can handle low and high temperatures so I can save money on heating my system in winter. Plus they are just tasty fish.

Read More
- Thomas Saad 10/02/2023 11:02 AM
  Interesting!
  
  Read More