Drawdown Ecochallenge 2024

David Harris

"Learning is a constant experience. We never stop experiencing. So, we should never try to stop learning from that experience. For, we will never know what we can do unless we try, do, and learn."

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
940 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

17

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

724

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

1.0

educational video

watched
UP TO

18

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

53

minutes

spent learning

David's actions

Share Your Story

Find out what’s happening in your neighborhood

While global and national actions get a lot of attention, it’s often at the local community level where individuals can have the greatest input and where change is most tangible. But every community is unique and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. I will spend 20 minutes finding out how my neighborhood, town or city is helping the environment and building local resilience.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Research and Advocate for High-Speed Rail

High-Speed Rail

I will spend at least 120 minutes researching and advocating for a comprehensive high speed rail network in my country/region.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Learn about Biochar

Biochar Production

I will spend 30 minutes learning about biochar and how it can help sequester carbon.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Education

Support Businesses Owned by Women, POC, or Immigrants

Sustainable Intensification for Smallholders

I will spend 20 minutes researching and shopping from 10 businesses owned by women, people of color, or immigrants.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Education

Connect With A Nonprofit

Family Planning and Education

I will connect with a local nonprofit working on issues affecting women, girls, trans people, and/or nonbinary people in my community, and find out how I can get involved or become a member.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Learn More about Biomass

Biomass Power

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Choose LED Bulbs

LED Lighting

I will replace 5 incandescent lightbulbs with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Research Bottom-Trawling Seafloor Impacts

Seafloor Protection

Each day, I will spend at least 45 minutes learning more about how bottom-trawling impacts on the seafloor.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn about Local Indigenous Practices

Indigenous Peoples' Forest Tenure

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning how local indigenous tribes are caring for the land by participating in a training, workshop, or presentation.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Smart Seafood Choices

Ocean Farming

I will visit seafoodwatch.org and download the app to commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Research the Wonders of Macroalgae / Seaweed

Macroalgae Protection and Restoration

Each day, I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about protecting and restoring macroalgae/seaweed.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Tend A Garden

Conservation Agriculture

I will tend to a garden, or prepare for one, each day using sustainable gardening practices.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

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 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

Ocean Power

I will spend at least 120 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of wave and tidal energy.

UNCOMPLETED
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 29
DAILY ACTIONS

Participant Feed

David Harris 6/18/2024 6:58 PM
I'm just trying to keep my head above water.

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David Harris 6/17/2024 9:10 AM
Trying, doing, and succeeding always starts with trying.

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- Louisa Lubiak 6/17/2024 4:45 PM
  Yoda said: "Do or do not. There is no try." But Yoda never did an Ecochallenge!
  
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David Harris 6/15/2024 6:22 PM
This challenge has been difficult for me. But, I'm not trying to give in.

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David Harris 6/13/2024 7:46 PM
Learn is not always by doing. It is also done by reading and listening.

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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?
David Harris 6/13/2024 7:43 PM
Some vegan meals are pretty good. I just need to find a diversity of choices.

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- Louisa Lubiak 6/14/2024 5:45 AM
  I've been experimenting with fermented soy products like tofu & tempeh, but they all come in some form of plastic packaging.
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation

What have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?
David Harris 6/13/2024 7:41 PM
Walking is a greeat exercise. I need to do it more often.

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David Harris 6/13/2024 7:14 AM
A more vegan diet was working when June and I did it together, She would concentrate on the ingredients, I would concentrate on the cooking. June cared about things so deeply and was so good at so many things. I was in awe that this woman would see a redeeming quality in me to try and keep me around. Maybe this is why this challenge is getting harder as we approach Father's Day, a day families celebrate their Fathers or Father Figures.

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- Louisa Lubiak 6/14/2024 5:42 AM
  Yes, June deeply cared about a lot of things, and I'm sure she would have participated in this Ecochallenge with you. Wishing you a blessed Father's Day.
  
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David Harris 6/11/2024 5:23 AM
I'm trying to improve my life. But it's been a struggle.

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David Harris 6/11/2024 5:19 AM
One thing is certain, slow and steady wins the race.

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David Harris 6/09/2024 7:23 PM
The things about taking mass transportation is that New Jersey does not have the greatest mass transportation system set up in comparison to other nations. Much like the energy grid in the US, mass transportation efficiency seems not to be as important as it should be.

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- Lydia Roe 6/10/2024 1:27 PM
  I agree. Unfortunately, American government bought into cars. We completely upended thousands of years of learned knowledge on human habitat to center around cars and suburbs. After WWII, automobiles seemed like the future so the federal government started backing them, even as Ford bought out public transportation networks to create a near-perfect market. Because powerful industries, like cars and fossil-fuels, can afford to lobby and bribe, lawmakers can't and won't fund public transportation even though Americans have demand for that infrastructure.
  
  Read More
- Lydia Roe 6/10/2024 1:27 PM
  I agree. Unfortunately, American government bought into cars. We completely upended thousands of years of learned knowledge on human habitat to center around cars and suburbs. After WWII, automobiles seemed like the future so the federal government started backing them, even as Ford bought out public transportation networks to create a near-perfect market. Because powerful industries, like cars and fossil-fuels, can afford to lobby and bribe, lawmakers can't and won't fund public transportation even though Americans have demand for that infrastructure.
  
  Read More
- Samantha Niven 6/10/2024 5:35 AM
  An interesting conversation I had with one of my colleagues this weekend was about the effectiveness of trolleys. Because they're on rails, they are often more efficient than buses and have the added bonus of regulating traffic; trolleys can't get out of the way of drivers the same way a bus can, which forces drivers not to drive as recklessly around them.
  
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