Ecochallenge.org

Earth Month Ecochallenge 2024: Conservation

April 1 - April 30, 2024

Brady Schacht

Emerson Boulder

"Yesterday is history, and tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift, that's why it's called the present. "

POINTS TOTAL

40 TODAY
175 THIS WEEK
880 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

11

pounds

food waste prevented
UP TO

99

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

166

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

27

plastic straws

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

536

gallons of water

have been saved
UP TO

13

public officials or leaders

contacted
UP TO

40

minutes

spent learning

Brady's actions

Biodiversity + Wildlife

Beauty and Personal Products

Beauty and personal products can create a lot of waste. I will spend 20 minutes learning about the beauty and body products I use to see if they are refillable or recyclable. If not, I will reach out to the manufacturer to advocate for those options.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Biodiversity + Wildlife

Endangered Species

Wildlife and biodiversity play an important role on our planet and are being threatened each year. I will spend 20 minutes each day learning about the current status of local or global wildlife and how I can align my actions to support their livelihood.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate + Air

Stay on the Ground

Carbon emissions from air travel is harmful to planetary and human health. 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

Freshwater + Oceans

Smart Seafood Choices

We need to support healthy seafood populations. I will spend 10 minutes learning about sustainable seafood choices, commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean, and share what I learned on the feed.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate + Air

🖥️ E-Waste Recycling Drive 🖥️

April 15th Monday – April 26th Friday Donation bins in Cafeteria Patio This popular event is back and this time for 2 weeks! Donate your old electronics.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate + Air

🥑 Meatless Specials Week on the Café Menu 🥑

April 22nd Monday – April 26th Friday Support the café meatless specials for the week to support meals with smaller environmental footprints!

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Freshwater + Oceans

Raise Awareness for the Conservation of Freshwater and Oceans

I will spend 10 minutes learning more about the importance of freshwater + ocean conservation, and how I can reduce my water use. I will share what I learn with people in person, on social media, and on the feed.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Biodiversity + Wildlife

Reduce Animal Products

One kilogram of beef and cheese emits 71kg and 24kg of greenhouse gasses, while 1kg of rice, grains, and legumes emits between 2-4kg. Fruits, vegetables, and nuts emit less than 1kg per 1kg. I will reduce my climate impact by enjoying 3 meatless meals and/or 1 vegan meals each day this week.

COMPLETED 24
DAILY ACTIONS

Climate + Air

Weekly Meal Planning

One third of all food produced worldwide is wasted, and so is the energy it takes to produce and transport that food. I will reduce food waste and save money by planning a weekly menu, only buying the ingredients I need and eating what I planned each day.

COMPLETED 24
DAILY ACTIONS

Climate + Air

Write Letters or Emails

I will gather a group of friends, family, neighbors or colleagues and write 1 letters or emails to public officials or companies to advocate for planet-friendly policies.

COMPLETED 23
DAILY ACTIONS

Freshwater + Oceans

Say No to Plastic Straws

An estimated 71% of seabirds and 30% of turtles have been found with plastics in their stomachs. When marine wildlife ingest plastic, they have a 50% mortality rate. By asking for no straw when placing a drink order, I will keep 3 plastic straw(s) of out of the ocean each day.

COMPLETED 24
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Community

Share My "Why"

I will record a video to share why I am taking action this Earth Month, a sustainable swap I've made, and/or a local conservation effort in my area.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate + Air

Climathon Boulder 2024

Share your idea to help Emerson make the world healthier and more sustainable. Come back daily with your ideas to rack up points. **TOP FIVE PARTICIPANTS WIN A PRIZE** Click on 'learn more' to access the collaboration board

COMPLETED 23
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Community

SIGN UP TO RECEIVE NEWS ON SUSTAINABILITY AT EMERSON

I will sign up to the Sustainability Aficionados distribution list to receive global news on sustainability at Emerson, including world news and Greening OF, BY, and WITH news.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Community

TAKE PICTURES AND SHARE ON LINKEDIN

I will take at least one photograph that is connected with this year's theme of Nature Conservation & Biodiversity (for example an urban park, bee hives, birds and other animals...) and I will post it on LinkedIn with the hashtags #EarthMonthEcochallenge #EarthMonthAtEmerson.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Community

ATTEND THE ECOCHALLENGE CONSERVATION WEBINAR

On Wed 24th April, I will attend the Earth Month Ecochallenge Webinar on Conservation to learn about what individuals, companies and other organizations can do to promote biodiversity and nature protection.

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
Freshwater + Oceans Smart Seafood Choices

Many states and countries have advisories on eating fish. Find out what is advised for your region. Do you think your diet choices fall within these guidelines? What steps do you need to take to make sure that they do?

Brady Schacht 4/23/2024 10:33 AM

SMART SEAFOOD CHOICES:
After researching this topic to a small degree, it seems clear to me that not all fish are the same in terms of their environmental impact. some types of fish are significantly more costly to farm than others (per gram of protein that we get from them.) According to Wholely.com, the worst offenders for the environment are catfish, lobster, and shrimp farms, whereas farms for shellfish and mollusks are typically significantly (almost 20x) better for the environment. As a result from this learning, I pledge right here and now to consume minimal catfish. lobster and shrimp going forward.
https://wholey.com/resources/healthy-eating/can-you-eat-fish-without-harming-the-environment/#:~:text=Second%2C%20what%20tools%20were%20used,but%20they%20taste%20better%2C%20too.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Biodiversity + Wildlife Endangered Species

What endangered species did you learn about and what did you learn?

Brady Schacht 4/23/2024 9:48 AM

ENDANGERED SPECIES:
I have been researching on the Colorado Parks & Wildlife threatened and endangered species list, and I was particularly focused on the amphibians and fish species (such as the Razorback Sucker or the Couch's Spadefoot) that are becoming endangered due to human development of dams and the various chemicals that we pump into freshwater streams. These dams block waterways that these fish and amphibians typically use for breeding/ inhabiting and the chemicals that we pump into their streams can disrupt their endocrine systems, which can cause infertility. While we cant do anything to disassemble various dams across Colorado (without endangering human lives/ homes) we can choose to not use endocrine disrupting chemicals to help out our fishy friends. These types of chemicals typically include things like pesticides, pharmaceuticals, plasticizers, cleaning agents, cosmetics, antibiotics, contraceptives, and illicit drugs, so when using these products be sure to check their contents before entering a waterway where these animals could be affected.

https://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/SOC-ThreatenedEndangeredList.aspx
https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/pesticides_reduction/endocrine_disruptors/index.html

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Climate + Air Stay on the Ground

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

Brady Schacht 4/22/2024 3:20 PM

STAY ON THE GROUND
I have reconstructed my trip to Brookings South Dakota to see my little brother's graduation. I was wavering over whether or not to drive/ fly to this event, but this final reminder was exactly what I needed to hear to decide how to travel. Thanks Ecochallenge

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Freshwater + Oceans Raise Awareness for the Conservation of Freshwater and Oceans

What did you learn about freshwater and oceans you did not already know? In sharing this information with people in your life, which conversation was impactful to you?

Brady Schacht 4/22/2024 2:58 PM

RAISE AWARENESS FOR THE CONSERVATION OF FRESHWATER AND OCEANS:
I had no idea how incredibly impact, and inspiring that the ocean was to our everyday life. According to Ocean Conservation Trust, " From mermaids to the kraken, the Ocean has been fascinating humans for centuries. It is difficult to imagine what it must have been like to set off across the Ocean without knowing ‘what was on the other side’, or even if you might fall off of the world!" Imaging the mystery and intriguing sight that the ocean must have been to humans throughout several generations is truly awe inspiring. Now that humans have a better control over the world, we typically take things like the water cycle or oceanic diversity for granted; however, we do this to our peril because the ocean is beyond vital for our everyday health. From the foods that we eat, to the air we breath, to our mental wellbeing(think about the therapeutic landscape, or the beneficial sounds of the ocean) the ocean has been providing for humanity since our inception, and as the species with the ability to change/ manipulate the world we need to be conscientious about how we care for our oceans.

https://oceanconservationtrust.org/ocean-advocacy/think-ocean/why-is-the-ocean-important/

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Brady Schacht 4/22/2024 2:28 PM

🖥️ E-WASTE RECYCLING DRIVE 🖥️
I have to say, after completing this event I feel great, rejuvenated in this challenge even. donating my semi-functional, old TV to a better place really made me feel like I was making a difference. Thanks Ecochallenge!

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Brady Schacht 4/11/2024 11:56 AM

CLIMATHON BOULDER 2024: Post 6 - Controlling the Pandamonium
Hello everyone! For my sixth idea, I was looking through old photos of hikes that I did in Hawaii when I saw a picture of this cool bamboo rainforest hike that I did and it got me thinking, "how are the bamboo forests going to be affected by climate change?" To my surprise, there is a significant amount of research regarding this topic. According to Jane Marsh, editor-in-chief of Environment.co, "...one hectare of bamboo forest may sequester 12 metric tons of carbon annually — equal to 26,000 pounds. The rate of sequestration can potentially slow global warming." I have to agree with Marsh, that is an amazing amount of impact that bamboo could have on the climate crisis, the problem is that a significant amount of deforestation happens every day to our wonderful bamboo forests, most of which is committed by construction/ cattle farming, but surprisingly a large amount of this deforestation is being committed by a seemingly innocuous, friendly species, the panda bear. Pandas, while absolutely adorable, are utter obliterating bamboo forests with the amount of bamboo that they need to consume daily. According to Xue Z, Zhang and her team in the article I linked below, adult panda will consume up to 80 pounds of bamboo a day and they are incredibly inefficient at digesting the highly fibrous plant as well. Pandas, like most bears, are omnivores, whose digestive tracks are perfectly capable, and are much more efficient, of eating meats, which is why they chew bamboo for up to 14 hours a day! It was only around 7 million years ago that pandas began eating bamboo due to the ease at which they could gather/ find it. Frankly, their diet is incredibly deleterious to their overall wellbeing and the wellbeing of the forest overall. What I recommend is simple, we need to incarcerate and train the pandas. Hear me out, by capturing the remaining pandas that are not already in captivity and helping reintroduce meats in their diet, we could save entire ecosystems. Then, after several generations of panda have relearned to hunt, we could could consider reintroducing them back to their native environments (so long as we can confirm that there would be no threat to people in the area of course.) I know that this action may sound callous or rash; however, this course of action could save entire ecosystems and would help pandas be healthier and happier during the process, and since bamboo forests would be saved in the process this would also aid in the fight against climate change, it's really a win for everyone involved. Thanks for reading and have a great day everyone!
https://www.sustainability-times.com/in-depth/bamboo-can-help-us-fight-both-climate-change-and-poverty/#:~:text=Additionally%2C%20one%20hectare%20of%20bamboo,become%20vulnerable%20to%20devastating%20impacts.
Xue Z, Zhang W, Wang L, Hou R, Zhang M, Fei L, Zhang X, Huang H, Bridgewater LC, Jiang Y, Jiang C, Zhao LPang X, Zhang Z. 2015. The Bamboo-Eating Giant Panda Harbors a Carnivore-Like Gut Microbiota, with Excessive Seasonal Variations. mBio 6:10.1128/mbio.00022-15.

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Brady Schacht 4/10/2024 8:41 AM

CLIMATHON BOULDER 2024: Post 5 - Coffee's Caffeine Comeuppance
Hello again everyone! For my fifth idea, I was drinking my morning energy when I thought "I wonder how my favorite forms of caffeine will be affected by climate change?" The answer, unfortunately, is fairly grim as many coffee and tea verities may be affected by our changing climate. The University of Queensland created a post saying, "By 2050 experts predict that climate change could kill off the 2 main coffee varieties we drink daily while also jeopardizing 60 percent of the planet's 124 wild coffee plants." This will unfortunately mean that most natural forms of caffeine may not be available in the next few years. While this is tragic, the good news for all us caffeine consumers is that there are already synthetic forms of caffeine which are typically being used in energy drinks and sodas that will likely not be affected by climate change. Therefore, since climate change seems fairly unavoidable at this point, I would recommend that people join me in getting used to drinking energy drinks instead of tea/ coffee for they daily dose of dopamine since that will likely be the only option available here soon.
https://stories.uq.edu.au/research/2022/coffee-is-going-extinct/index.html

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- Eliana Van Etten 4/11/2024 10:33 AM
  
  Not sure I will be able to survive without coffee, even knowing that "cups of ‘liquid gold’ are responsible for biodiversity loss, excessive fertilizer use, water pollution and contamination, and deforestation." [Tamborazi.com] Fortunately, there are many up-coming coffee brands that are trying to reverse the effects and make coffee drinking a sustainable "addiction".
  
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Brady Schacht 4/08/2024 8:53 AM

CLIMATHON BOULDER 2024: Post 4 - Sleeping with the Fishes
Hello again everyone! My apologies for the lack of posts lately, life is crazy sometimes. For my fourth idea I was tossing and turning, unable to sleep, so I started to do some research over what methods people employed to help them sleep, when I stumbled upon audio therapy. For those of you who dont know, and dont worry I didnt either, audio therapy is defined by Wikipedia as, "is the clinical use of recorded sound, music, or spoken words, or a combination thereof, recorded on a physical medium such as a compact disc (CD), or a digital file, including those formatted as MP3, which patients or participants play on a suitable device, and to which they listen with intent to experience a subsequent beneficial physiological, psychological, or social effect." How this is typically used to aid sleep is by playing some calming, mentally relaxing music or sounds, and one of the most highly recommended noises for this was whale noises. Whale noises are great forms of audio camouflage, helping our brains ignore potential "red flag" noises and helps us achieve a deeper sleep. Tim Wheater, a composer and sound healer who has released a collection of compositions set to whale song, says, "They're very inspiring, and so huge and ancient. They make you feel mortal, more human. They are quite frankly hugely superior and hugely intelligent." I have to agree with Wheater, whales are incredible creatures and allowing their noises to permeate your sleep may help you sustain a better sleep too.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/jan/16/thameswhale.music
https://www.livescience.com/53403-why-sound-of-water-helps-you-sleep.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_therapy

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Brady Schacht 4/03/2024 9:35 AM

CLIMATHON BOULDER 2024: Day 3 - Protein is Bugging Me
Hello again everyone! For my third idea I was eating my protein rich, 0% fat Greek yogurt when a thought occurred to me, is this really the most environmentally friendly way to get our protein? I did a little digging and it turns out that in terms of emissions and in terms of protein content, insect meat is actually the most suitable candidate for the job. According to a study that I found while on the web (get it?) last night, "Adapting foods such as insect-based products into our diets could cut the environmental impacts of global food systems by up to 80%." This number stems from the lack of methane that bugs produce, the fact that our vegetable food waste could be used as their feed, and the ease at which we can cultivate this protein (less infrastructure, less human labor, and less transport fuel.) 80% reduction in emissions is such a massive impact that we can have that on our global emissions, considering that the animal livestock industry consists of 14% of overall global emissions. I know it doesn't sound the most the most appetizing, but we as a society need to make certain concessions for the greater good of the earth, and this could be one small, insect size step that we take in the right direction.
https://outrider.org/climate-change/articles/would-you-eat-bugs-save-planet#:~:text=The%20Benefits%20of%20bug%2Dbased%20foods&text=Alexander%20says%20that%20cultivating%20insects,a%20much%20smaller%20carbon%20footprint

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- Eliana Van Etten 4/04/2024 9:29 AM
  
  Insects, hum? Not sure I am ready for that. But I will start looking at them with a different eyes, now. My kids changed their palates constantly, why can't I?
  
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Brady Schacht 4/02/2024 8:50 AM

CLIMATHON BOULDER 2024: Day 2 - Combat Global Warming with Shower Cooling
Hello everyone! For my second idea I was taking a steaming hot shower this morning when a thought occured to me, why does everyone take hot showers? Sure they are comfortable, help reduce stress and help you when fighting a cold, but why dont we all start taking colder showers? According to the internet, "... a shower of 5 minutes will consume 75L of water, which amounts to 9 MJ, or 2.5 kWh." That's a lot of energy just to feel a little cozier in the morning! Doing a little more digging, since I wanted to believe that there were some health benefits associated with this lifestyle change as well, I found a website that agreed with this opinion, stating that "In one clinical study, participants who took daily cold showers for several months reported decreased depression symptoms." So not only would this help mother nature feel better by all of us consuming less energy, but it could also make us feel a little better as well! https://www.uclahealth.org/news/6-cold-shower-benefits-consider

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