Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge

madeline mccullough(101)

YCP Fall 2024

POINTS TOTAL

45 TODAY
105 THIS WEEK
556 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

3.0

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

44

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

275

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

107

minutes

spent learning

madeline's actions

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Research Retrofitting Incentives

Building Retrofitting

I will spend at least 5 minutes finding out if my city, region, state, or country offers incentives for retrofitting existing buildings.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

Ocean Power

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of wave and tidal energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Choose LED Bulbs

LED Lighting

I will replace 3 incandescent lightbulbs with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Learn about Temperate Forests

Temperate Forest Restoration

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning more about the environmental services provided by and the environmental issues affecting temperate forests.

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Learn More about Silvopasture

Silvopasture

I will spend at least 5 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Transportation

Go for a Daily Walk

Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 30 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Electric Cars, Hybrid Cars

I will spend at least 5 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Education

Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

Family Planning and Education

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Education

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

Family Planning and Education

I will spend at least 6 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Industry

Reduce Single-Use Disposables

Bioplastics; Reduced Plastics

I will avoid buying and using 4 single-use plastics and instead replace them with durable options.

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Industry

Recycle Everything I Can

Recycling; Recycled Metals; Recycled Plastics

Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will research and recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community, including electronics and metals.

COMPLETED 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity

Learn More about Micro Wind

Micro Wind Turbines

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of micro wind.

COMPLETED
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 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Share Your Story

Share Your Aha Moment

Fill out this form and share your Ecochallenge story with us!

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
Buildings Learn about the Legacy of Redlining

How does city planning and design relate to equity and climate change?

madeline mccullough(101) 10/22/2024 8:23 AM

City planning greatly influences equity and climate change because if a city is created with green areas, and using land sustainably can greatly decrease many citizens economic footprint, and decrease the speed of climate change.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

What did you learn about wave and tidal energy? How do they compare to other energy sources?

madeline mccullough(101) 10/22/2024 8:20 AM

I learned that tidal and wave energy offer stability , and is considered a highly renewable source. Tidal energy is more consistent that solar energy because solar energy relies mainly on the sun, or daylight, while tidal and wave energy can be produced at anytime of the day.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry Reduce Single-Use Disposables

What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

madeline mccullough(101) 10/21/2024 7:24 AM

Regularly, I use plastic straws to drink out of plastic cups. I usually drink Starbucks 4 times a week, meaning I waste 4 plastic cups, and 4 plastic straws. Instead of wasting plastic, I can use my own personal cup at Starbucks withs a rubber straw.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks Learn about Temperate Forests

As you learn more about the scope and seriousness of the environmental challenges we face, what impact does that have on your thinking and actions? What are the parts that feel overwhelming? What parts help you feel hopeful?

madeline mccullough(101) 10/20/2024 12:01 PM

Learning about the seriousness of the environmental challenges we face allows me to be more aware of what I am throwing away, and how every time I use and create waste I am creating air pollution. This makes me feel scared because toxic air is bad for our lungs, and health. Knowing now, that I have so many reusable products available to me, gives me hope that by using reusable products, I can limit my waste, and decrease air pollution.

Read More
madeline mccullough(101) 10/20/2024 11:55 AM

Amazing! I am being more aware of the the amount of waste i use, and how to use less waste to reduce my ecological footprint.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks Learn More about Silvopasture

Had you heard of the term "silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?

madeline mccullough(101) 10/20/2024 11:54 AM

Before now, I have never heard of the term silvopasture. By taking the time to learn about it, I have learned that the biggest advantage of silvopasture is that it gives us a variety of different types of vegetation and improves the quality of our water.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health and Education Learn about the Need for Family Planning

What did you learn about the need for family planning? How do the needs of different people in different places compare to each other?

madeline mccullough(101) 10/16/2024 6:02 AM

I learned that people need family planning because it makes it more likely for people to have the desire amount of children they want, reduces teen pregnancy, and can help avoid social problems between couples during a sparatic pregnancy. There are a couple of factors that play in how needs for family planning differ in different areas. These factors include immigration, education, and income. People who have less income tend to use contraceptives over high income people. people that live in an area with lower education services tend to not have the knowledge of family planning, therefore have more kids. Immigrants, may not have access to certain contraceptives.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health and Education Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

What are some of the barriers that exist to women's equal participation and/or representation in your community?

madeline mccullough(101) 10/15/2024 10:18 AM

Within my community, I have researched and found that there have been many cases of mishandling work requests upon maternity leave. After a mother gives birth, or is about to give birth, she is filled with a bunch of different emotions, and can suffer from many different physical symptoms. I have read many different scenarios on how the workforce doesn't offer, or isn't respectful of a mothers needs. Which also relates to the fact that there is a high amount of harassment within many businesses near me.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Reducing (or eliminating) exhaust emissions and improving public health are two benefits of green vehicles. What other motivators inspire you to consider switching to a more fuel-efficient vehicle?

madeline mccullough(101) 10/15/2024 10:09 AM

Through my consideration to switching to an electric vehicle, 2 motivators inspired me to consider switching my vehicle. the first one being is that an electric car is more cost efficient. An electric car cost $12-$16 dollars to charge fully while its $45 to fill up my gas tank. The second motivator is my car usage can collide with wildlife, which can cause destruction of their homes. I am a big animal lover, and I do not want to be the main cause of their destruction.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks Forest-Friendly Foods 1

How is your diet currently impacting deforestation? What can you do to decrease your negative impact and increase your positive impact?

madeline mccullough(101) 10/15/2024 10:03 AM

Within my household, we eat a lot of red meat, which requires more land than plant based products. In order to decrease negative impact, I can start eating more plant based by focusing on eating more nuts, fruits, and vegetables, which require less land usage.

Read More