Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge

Jai’la Dobson

SiA 2024

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
301 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

2.0

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

8.0

zero-waste meals

consumed
UP TO

97

pounds of CO2

have been saved

Jai’la's actions

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Zero-Waste Cooking

Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 2 meals with zero-waste each day.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Share Your Story

READ Quebec's principles for a just transition AND/OR PARTICIPATE in the Sept 27 Climate March

For the week of Sept 25 to Oct 2, please read the documents attached AND IF YOU CAN, please attend the Sept 27 Climate March. Many people and organisations feel that the government is dragging its feet on the important changes required to meet our climate commitments. For your post, reflect on the value of mass demonstrations. Include a photo of a protest banner or slogan that you find effective (if you can't attend the event then find a photo on the web from other climate marches).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Green My Job

Industry

Using Drawdown's Job Function Action Guide, I will learn about climate actions I can take at work.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Education

Watch Drawdown's Climate Solutions 101 Series

Family Planning and Education

I will watch Drawdown’s Climate Solutions 101 and share what I learned with others.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

Tropical Forest Restoration

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 3
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 1
DAILY 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 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn About Aquaculture

Improved Aquaculture

Each day, I will spend at least 15 minutes learning about sustainable aquaculture.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Stay on the Ground

Telepresence, High-Speed Rail

Instead of traveling by plane, I will find an alternative way to accomplish the goals of an upcoming trip (i.e. telepresence, vacation locally).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Share Your Story

SiA Homework for Sept 11 - Intro Post

Please write a short post to introduce yourself to the class. Mention some of your interests and what program you are in. If you have some ideas for your sustainability project this semester, please share - you might find a collaborator! Inspire others with the EcoChallenge actions that you are interested in trying out. Include a photo of yourself if you like.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

SiA Homework for Sept 4 - PRACTICE POST

Write an Ecochallenge POST to our team, briefly stating how you currently commute to Vanier. In Quebec, because we have a lot of hydro electric power, one of the main source of carbon emissions is from transportation. What commuting options do you have that would be healthier for you and the planet? Will you be considering any changes for this semester? If so, select or create an EcoChallenge action. If not, explain what your particular challenges are and what you could do to help other people in your situation (e.g. organise car sharing, propose a bus shuttle, etc.)

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Share Your Story

SiA Homework for Sept 4 - PRACTICE POST

On Sept 4, we will have 3 guests come talk to us about sustainability initiatives at Vanier. In preparation, please read over VANIER'S 5-YEAR SUSTAINABILITY ACTION PLAN 2018-2023 and then write an EcoChallenge post that includes the following: - What do you think about the plan? Is it ambitious enough? Is there anything missing or superfluous? From your own observation and experience, how well is Vanier doing? List some questions that you would like to ask our speakers regarding Sustainability at Vanier? - Identify at least 3 initiatives that you are potentially interested in contributing to this semester and explain why. (Note there is a column labelled student involvement.) For more detailed information, you can also consult the 2020 VANIER ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT in the links.

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
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Smaller Portions

While dishing food out, we tend to load our plates with more than we need. Using smaller plates helps to mitigate this. Aside from the environmental benefits, what other benefits might come from eating/serving smaller portions?

Jai’la Dobson 10/08/2024 6:52 PM

Smaller Portions
Obviously using less food to cook a meal means less waste, which helps keep our planet healthier. Less garbage tossed out, less garbage in landfills means less toxic substances polluting the earth. Aside from the earth, eating in smaller portions helps humans health as well. It can help prevent people from overeating. Eating in smaller portions, means less calories consumed by an individual. Consuming less calories can help with weight loss. Therefore, having smaller portions can help with the health of the plant but also people.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Stay on the Ground

What was your process like for restructuring your trip? How can you avoid more air travel in the future?

Jai’la Dobson 10/07/2024 11:48 PM

Travelling By Plane
I am supposed to take a trip in January, to New York city. I was planning on taking a plane ride there, from montreal. However, as this is one of my actions, and since joining this sustainability class, i’ve concluded it will not only be more beneficial for me but for the planet as well, if i opted to take the train instead. This is actually a win win for me because i do have a fear of planes, and it is better for the earth, as train rides require less resources, than plane rides. I think the change of transportation for my trip will be just fine. To avoid more airtime in the future, i will simply evaluate all the possible ways of getting to my destination. If it is somewhere where, my only option is to take a plane, then i would have to assess whether or not the trip is necessary. It is only then, when i’d travel by plane.

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Jai’la Dobson 10/02/2024 10:00 AM

Quebec’s Principles For A Just Transition

Mass demonstrations are when a lot of individuals come together and express their concerns on a particular topic. This can be effective because voices are powering, and the only thing better than one voice is two. Protests and strikes are both forms of mass demonstrations and have been , maybe not always, affective over time. Mass demonstrations like protests, generally make it on the news or at the very least social media, this helps branch out the topic that people are fighting for or against. The climate march that happened on the 27th of September is exactly what mass demonstration is. A large group of people attacking a similar issue, in this case climate change. Climate change is a serious matter than affects the earths health. It is because of humans that the earth’s health isn’t exactly intact, ironically. I unfortunately did not get to make it to the climate march as i had other business to attend to, however i’m sure it was a success. I seen photos that were uploaded on the internet from the march and there was one poster that caught my eye. It read, “I like my poutine hot, not my planet. I liked this message because as simple as it is, it is very true. The term “hot” refers to the global warming we are currently facing.

Link to poster: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/photos-montreal-climate-march-signs-1.5300373

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Reduce Animal Products

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?

Jai’la Dobson 9/25/2024 7:30 AM

Reduce Animal Products

It is no secret that just buying meat is expensive which means that collecting , to sell it, also isn’t cheap. In order to have an abundance of meat to sell to consumers, greenland is needed. In order to get greenland, to keep and harvest animals , the trees must be cut down. It is generally known what the purpose of trees is. However, just incase, trees provide humans and living organisms with oxygen, an essential part of living, if not the most essential. In theory, eating more meat can lead to a lack of trees which ultimately leads to a lack of oxygen which is horrible for people on earth. Technically, we can say that vegans not only care about the well being of animals but also that of humans. I digress, i never thought eating meat would correlate with the earths health, so there are obviously people who didn’t know that either. As we should know or will know , climate change is real and is only getting worse, if you don’t have to eat meat , don’t, do you and I a favour.

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- Jai’la Dobson 9/25/2024 7:48 AM
  
  Reduce Animal Products (Continued)
  
  I would like to add that , people in richer countries eat more meat because they have the luxury to do so. Having more money means being able to get the expensive things. If it is expensive to acquire something, leave it up to the rich to acquire it. Also, meat has both positive and negative impacts on the human body. For example it carries a lot of protein and can help one sustain and build muscle, however it can also lead to long term health issues like, high blood pressure or even cancer. So again, if you don’t have to eat meat , don’t, do us all a favour.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Zero-Waste Cooking

In North America, up to 65% of food waste happens at the consumer level. Chef Steven Satterfield advocates for utilizing every part of a vegetable. How can you incorporate using an entire vegetable, including the skins, tops, and stalks during your next meal prep?

Jai’la Dobson 9/18/2024 10:42 AM

Food Waste

This week , i cooked two meals , without any waste. The vegetables i used were fully used up, unless anything wasn’t edible. I used a lot of vegetables for this action which is a personal bonus for me as i don’t typically add them to my meal. However, i noticed that i would typically throw a lot of food away, parts of food that i can still eat. I used the entirety of my vegetables and used boneless chicken breast , so not even bones were thrown away. My meal consisted of boneless chicken breast, potatoes that i didn’t peel, and all kinds of vegetables. Some of the vegetables i used were carrots and green onions which were all used in my meal to the fullest. What i did differently was not trim anything off my vegetables. I also have no problem clearing a plate so absolutely nothing from my meal was tossed away. For example when i eat fruits i tend to eat every last bit, when it comes to peaches i throw the pit away, as expected. However, with apples i eat the entire thing, this was done solely because i enjoyed but now the next time i do it , i will think back to this and how i am also just not waisting food. Both my meals were identical as i am a very odd eater, i could eat the same thing everyday until i get tired of it which happens very often. I can’t say my actions in the future, in terms of waste, will be perfect, although, i will ask myself the golden question before i throw something away, “can i eat this? “ if the answer is yes i will add it to meal as opposed to throwing it away. I also noticed that i dont even put waste in the waste bin, and i put it directly in the garbage and sometimes even the recycling bin, but i will now take initiative to make sure my food waste goes into the compost bin. Lastly, seeing how easy it was to not waste food, which is both beneficial for the earth and considerate for those who don’t have food, i will again try my best to have minimal to no waste.

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Jai’la Dobson 9/10/2024 7:47 PM

Intro Post

My name is Jai’la Dobson, i am 21 years old and in my, thankfully, last semester here at Vanier College. I enjoy soccer, video games and movies. I am pretty average in terms of interests. I am in the Law program and desire to be a detective one day. I do not currently have an idea for my sustainability project, i plan to decide on one soon. A few EcoChallenges actions that i am interested in are transportation, recycling and more. This week i started to actually put my plastic water bottles in the recycling bin, as opposed to the regular garbage bin. This may seem minor to some but was a big step for me as i don’t typically recycle. I learned that about 1500 water bottles are tossed away every second, every day. Now imagine how horrible for the planet it is, if just half of those bottles are placed in the garbage bin. So maybe just me, throwing my plastic bottles in the designated bin won’t do much, however if we all came together it would make a massive difference. It can be “difficult” to recycle for multiple reasons, accessibility, knowledge and more. Accessibility, there are way more garbage bins than recycle bins placed around a city or building. Knowledge, some people are just ignorant to the issues of not recycling, and that’s okay, just learn more. I intend to recycle all my recyclable items, water bottles are just a start.

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Jai’la Dobson 9/04/2024 8:02 AM

Vanier Sustainability Action Plan

I think this plan is well thought out, evidently and not exaggerated. I would say this action plan is ambitious, because it is quite detailed and based off a 5 year timeline. 5 years shows longevity and realism, if it was this same plan but for only 1 year, my answer would be totally different.

There are a lot of things written on this list, some of which i wouldn’t have thought of like, purchasing for example. When thinking of sustainability of the environment purchasing isn’t usually what comes to mind for me. Therefore, i would have to say i don’t feel like anything is missing.

I can’t confirm or deny whether or not vanier is doing well in terms of this action plan. However, what i can say is that the term sustainability, pertaining to the earth and environment is new to me. I did not even know there was a class solely based on it. What i am getting at is i would not know whether or not we are doing a good job, but if i was ignorant to the term, that means there are others like me. Therefore, i think it is safest to say that vanier could be doing better.

One question i would like to ask the representatives is what pushed this plan to existence? As in, who decided it and what was the main driver ? Another question i have is, based on their perspective, has Vanier been acting accordingly to this Action Plan or not?

1 initiative i would partake in is engaging in activities pertaining to sustainability, particularly water education. Although i rarely participate in events/activities, there’s a first for everything. I would be able to embark in something new and it is for a good cause and drinking water is a necessary part of our daily routine, if not the most necessary. The second initiative i would participate in is, surveys in the energy field. Since saving energy is important it would be great to see if things are improving , and if not, how we, collectively, can change that. The more people that participate in the surveys, the more answers there will be , which is always better for more accurate information. Lastly, the third initiative i would be interested in participating in is, eating healthier for the environment. What i mean by this is, cut back on non reusable food items, and use things that can be recycled and reused. Again, just like water this is important because it is apart of our daily routine. I am guilty of throwing reusable and recyclable items in the garbage and will definitely work on that this semester.

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- Richard Klopp 9/04/2024 8:45 AM
  
  Please ask your question to Stewart Wiseman today!
  
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Jai’la Dobson 9/03/2024 8:40 PM

Vanier Commute
I currently commute to Vanier by metro and bus. That is the best way i can commute to Vanier while still having the best interest of our earth in mind. I think public transportation is one of the best options as opposed to cars, even carpooling. Unless you can afford a car , either a hybrid or an electric car, public transportation is your best bet.

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