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Paul Wann's avatar

Paul Wann

Greening of EU UK & I

"Through menu and portion planning I aim to have zero food waste in our household. "

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 701 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    15
    miles
    not traveled by car
  • UP TO
    15
    miles
    traveled by foot
  • UP TO
    1.0
    Carbon Footprint
    Calculated
  • UP TO
    15
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    28
    pounds
    waste composted
  • UP TO
    1.0
    water footprint
    calculated
  • UP TO
    10
    hours
    volunteered
  • UP TO
    3.0
    advocacy actions
    completed
  • UP TO
    84
    minutes
    spent learning

Paul's actions

Land + Forests

Compost Food Waste

Food in the landfill is one of the main sources of greenhouse gasses. I will avoid sending up to .69 lbs (.31 kg) of food waste to the landfill per day by composting my food.

COMPLETED 28
DAILY ACTIONS

Freshwater + Oceans

Smart Seafood Choices

We need to support healthy seafood populations. I will spend 30 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

Freshwater + Oceans

Go Plastic-Free

Millions of tons of plastic is produced each year worldwide. Each day, I will conduct a plastics audit of what I buy and use throughout the challenge (kitchen, bathroom, personal care products, etc.), to see how single-use plastic shows up in my life. I will find plastic-free alternatives to these products and advocate for alternatives to single-use packaging at local grocery stores, product manufacturers, at work, or on campus.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Freshwater + Oceans

Understand My Water Footprint

Each of us has a water footprint, directly linked to our daily activities as well as the water required in the production of things we use each day. Understanding our water use is important for a healthy planet. I will calculate my water footprint and look for a few ways I can reduce consumption or waste, then share what I learned on the feed.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate + Air

Low Carbon Diet

Carbon is emitted into the atmosphere in a variety of ways, including through the foods we eat and food we waste. I will learn about low carbon foods and replace higher carbon foods with them in my diet.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Climate + Air

Use Muscle Power

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips, and I will only use muscle-powered transportation for all other trips.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Climate + Air

Calculate My Carbon Impact

Carbon emissions can show up in many surprising ways in our life. I will calculate the carbon emissions associated with my household and consider how lifestyle changes could reduce the carbon footprint and impacts on the environment.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Freshwater + Oceans

Cooking Oil Disposal

Pouring cooking oil down the drain can cause damage to waterways and ecosystems. I will learn how to properly dispose of cooking oil to help support healthy ecosystems.

COMPLETED 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Biodiversity + Wildlife

Beauty and Personal Products

Beauty and personal products can create a lot of waste. I will spend 1 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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Biodiversity + Wildlife

Volunteer in my Community

I will volunteer 2 hours in my community.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Community

JOIN OR CREATE A GREEN TEAM AT EMERSON

I will continue to contribute to Emerson's environmental sustainability goals beyond April by learning more about the Global Green Teams Network, joining a team near me, or maybe even creating a new team.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 Go Plastic-Free
    Where did plastic show up on your life that surprised you the most? What plastic alternative products did you discover you may switch to?

    Paul Wann's avatar
    Paul Wann 4/30/2024 12:32 AM
    Looked again at the supermarket on Sunday for refill and large package alternatives to save on plastic waste. As before, the personal care and beauty isle has a dearth of sustainable options and those which are, even of same product, are priced higher than the more plastic heavy alternatives, often on promotion. Still only one shampoo and one body wash. Very pleased to see laundry wash tablets coming in cardboard packaging now instead of peculiar plastic boxes though, and Fairy dishwash liquid refills in cardboard box packaging - still more expensive than the promoted bottled alternative of the same, and on par pricing with the undiscounted price!

  • Paul Wann's avatar
    Paul Wann 4/30/2024 12:28 AM
    At the start of the month I set myself / our household the target of zero food waste to the bin. Apart from one tangerine which had gone bad in a lunchbox left in a schoolbag over the weekend, we achieved this. Looking at the wheelie bin this morning, having missed putting it out a fortnight ago, I can see that it is less than half filled. I don't think we ever got close to filling it in a two week or four week period but it does look emptier than usual - can all of that really have been wasted food? surely not, I hope. The target has been relatively simple to achieve with some planning and acceptance of some strange menus, especially plates of combined leftovers :-) We will keep doing this as its not only good for environment but good for the pocket too.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Biodiversity + Wildlife Beauty and Personal Products
    What new insights did you gain about the skincare products you use? Did you reach out to advocate for refillable or recyclable packaging?

    Paul Wann's avatar
    Paul Wann 4/25/2024 6:25 AM
    retailers and supermarkets don't make it easy to make sustainable packaging choices. In my local supermarket, which is not small, there is only one brand and flavour of body wash in larger volume, less material packaging c/w tens to hundreds of options in plastic bottles. The plastic bottles and those with dispenser are often the ones on promotion where as those with sustainable packaging are rarely discounted and can often be significantly more expensive than the plastic bottled options.

    • Maria Couvoussis's avatar
      Maria Couvoussis 4/25/2024 9:12 AM
      I find the same. There are less eco-friendly alternatives and they are often a lot more expensive.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Freshwater + Oceans Understand My Water Footprint
    What did you learn about your water footprint and what are you going to do to reduce and be aware of the water you use?

    Paul Wann's avatar
    Paul Wann 4/24/2024 1:23 AM
    This was an interesting thing to find out but half way through the calculator it becomes very US-Centric, assumes all cars are petrol powered, and you can only progress if you select a US State to reside in, so unfortunately I only found out I have a direct footprint of 135 gallons (no time period specified in the answer however) for my household.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Biodiversity + Wildlife Volunteer in my Community
    How does volunteering enhance your community and/or change your relationship with it?

    Paul Wann's avatar
    Paul Wann 4/15/2024 1:20 AM
    Every Saturday morning, our cycling club for which I am a coach, hold mountain-bike and BMX coaching sessions for riders with a wide range of ability, from first timers to experts, and we have a collection of bikes to enable even those without one to join us. The club not only offers the option of a healthy activity but we also take care of the grounds around the BMX track to keep it litter free, and support basic forestry management around the mountain bike trails to remove fallen trees, dangerous items and remnants of fires. Each coach or volunteer is typically giving 2-3 hours of their own time each week.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Land + Forests Compost Food Waste
    New to composting? Be sure to check out the action resource links to learn tips and more about it. As you transition from throwing food away to composting, what do you notice about how much you are tossing? How will you use your compost once it is ready?

    Paul Wann's avatar
    Paul Wann 4/15/2024 12:55 AM
    I don't have a compost plan but target to put zero food waste to the bin every day

  • Paul Wann's avatar
    Paul Wann 4/12/2024 5:33 AM
    Almost two weeks into the month and so far, no food waste to the bin :-)

    • Paul Wann's avatar
      Paul Wann 4/15/2024 1:36 AM
      Thanks Maria. I'd say possibly, but unless you are buying everything loose, it can be a balance between package size and portion size. Sometimes you might need to spread one pack of something across a couple of menus. Also, daily makes sense if shop is walkable or is on the way to somewhere you need to be daily.

    • Maria Suggitt's avatar
      Maria Suggitt 4/12/2024 7:05 AM
      This is something that I need to work on more - we currently just do a weekly shop and I think small daily ones would ensure less waste.
  • 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?

    Paul Wann's avatar
    Paul Wann 4/12/2024 2:34 AM
    locally sourced and rod caught fish is a good sustainable option. The linked articles suggest to buy american but clearly that's only sustainable if you live in america. local is best - fresher and lower carbon impact
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Climate + Air Use Muscle Power
    How do your transportation choices affect your engagement in your community? Does your experience or enjoyment differ while walking, riding transit, biking or driving?

    Paul Wann's avatar
    Paul Wann 4/11/2024 3:29 AM
    I join the Stockton on Tees Business Climate Coalition each month when I can. On a good day it is a pleasant walk along the Tees from Emerson office to the town centre. Today was a bit windy but OK. The walk is good for health and a chance to clear my mind, or think about things without constant email checking. It also saves the fuel cost and associated emissions and any parking charges in the town centre
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Freshwater + Oceans Cooking Oil Disposal
    Did anything about this action surprise you? Do you use more or less oil than you thought?

    Paul Wann's avatar
    Paul Wann 4/05/2024 6:49 AM
    Collecting leftover oil from pans before washing not only prevents blocking the drains but also reduces how much detergent is needed to clean the remainder. Collect spent oil in an old jam jar and dispose of safely. Correct selection of pan type also reduces the need for additional cooking oil, especially when there is oil in the food itself.