Earth Month Ecochallenge: Drawdown

April 1 - April 30, 2021

Katrin Werlen

Arch

Points Total

0 Today
0 This Week
864 Total

Participant Impact

up to

105

minutes

spent learning
up to

340

minutes

spent outdoors
up to

19

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill

Katrin's Actions

Industry

Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

Bioplastics

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching how to properly dispose of bioplastics in my city and share this information with 2 friends, family and/or colleagues.

Uncompleted
One-Time Action

Health and Education

Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

Health and Education

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.

Uncompleted
One-Time Action

Electricity

Electric cars

study the energy efficiency of electric cars including battery life, power production and disposal at end of lifetime.

Uncompleted
One-Time Action

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Tend A Garden

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

COMPLETED 13
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Sinks

Research Peatlands

Peatland Protection and Rewetting

I will spend 30 minutes researching the environmental benefits of peatlands and what is being done around the world to conserve and restore them.

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.

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.

Uncompleted
One-Time Action

Action Track: Climate Resilience

Learn about 'Green Gentrification'

Multiple Solutions

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning about green gentrification and how it relates to city planning for climate action.

Uncompleted
One-Time Action

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Keep Track of Wasted Food

Reduced Food Waste

I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during Earth Month Ecochallenge, either because it went bad before I ate it, I put too much on my plate, or it was scraps from food preparation.

COMPLETED 16
DAILY ACTIONS

Industry

Reduce Single-Use Disposables

Bioplastics

Cheap, single-use items and disposable packaging end up blowing around as litter more often in poor and BIPOC-majority neighborhoods. I will avoid buying and using 1 single-use plastics and instead replace them with durable options.

COMPLETED 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Climate Resilience

Learn More about Biomass

Biomass Power

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

Uncompleted
One-Time Action

Industry

Practice the 5 R's

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 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Industry

Recycle Everything I Can

Recycling

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, making sure to not contaminate recyclables with non-recyclables.

COMPLETED 18
DAILY ACTIONS

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Smart Seafood Choices

Ocean Farming

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

Completed
One-Time Action

Land Sinks

Explore My Area

Sometimes protecting nature requires feeling connected to nature. I will invest 120 minutes in exploring and appreciating a natural area in my region, whether a forest, wetland, coastal area, or somewhere else.

Completed
One-Time Action

Transportation

Conduct Virtual Meetings

Telepresence

I will encourage my office to hold meetings virtually whenever possible instead of requiring travel.

Completed
One-Time Action

Transportation

Use Muscle Power

Multiple Transportation Solutions

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 15
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity

Calculate My Carbon Footprint

All Drawdown Solutions

I will calculate the greenhouse gas emissions associated with my household and consider how different lifestyle choices could reduce my negative impact on the environment.

Completed
One-Time Action

Feed

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?

Katrin Werlen 4/16/2021 8:45 AM

We stopped any palm oil products a long time ago. When I started, I had to check the ingredients very carefully and I was sometimes shocked where I would find them. Even your local bakery uses it. I try to shop products that are certified, I love the variety you find when you look for coffee or chocolate from small cooperatives or farms.

Read More
Reflection Question
Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks 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?

Katrin Werlen 4/15/2021 2:31 AM

90% of all commercially used fish populations are over-fished. So fish is healthy but we have to treat it as a luxury product and eat fish from sustainable sources. I was surprised to see, that fish farms need more fish (for feeding) than they actually produce (it was 4kg feeding fish for 1 kg of salmon! improved now to 1.2kg, but still...!!)
Switzerland doesn't have any direct sea contact, so all salt water fish needs to be imported. There are labels that help define what fish makes sense, which I already use to decide on what fish I buy. However, given the high demand for fish, those labels get to there limits when it comes to certifying. Luckily, my son loves fishing, so we enjoy some fresh local trout from time to time. It is also a nice learning exercise for the kids, that those are living animals and need to be treated with respect.

Read More
Katrin Werlen 4/15/2021 1:53 AM

I started already some years ago to stop using my car for grocery shopping, transportation for short distances. I have my wonderful Cargo bike, which helps me transport a family grocery shopping list easily. Nice side effect that I get some exercise (I admit it is supported by electric to go uphill though :-)), enjoy some fresh air and don't use a car park.

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?

Katrin Werlen 4/08/2021 5:39 AM

I think a lot of this starts in our head.
Take a look at this:
https://youtu.be/4kFC7669quE

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?

Katrin Werlen 4/08/2021 2:53 AM

Good thing about home office, that I don't use any of this currently. We have banned straws from our household long time ago, I don't use plastic bags for my veggies, I always have my own bag with me when I go shopping, and I have my re-usable coffee mug. There is still room to improve, i.e. if I by food which is not packed at all, but shops that offer it, are not around my area, so it is difficult to achieve.

Read More
Reflection Question
Electricity Calculate My Carbon Footprint

What stood out to you most about your carbon footprint? What surprised you or sparked curiosity? Where can you take most immediate action?

Katrin Werlen 4/08/2021 2:49 AM

I did the WWF footprint calculator (https://www.wwf.ch/de/nachhaltig-leben/footprintrechner). Although I think I have a relatively mindful lifestyle, there is still a lot of room to improve. Being better than Swiss average still means, I am using more than our planet can give, and there is no planet B!

Read More
Reflection Question
Industry Practice the 5 R's

What are some more "R's" you could add to your daily practice to reduce your waste?

Katrin Werlen 4/08/2021 2:29 AM

I still think the best way to help our planet is to reduce our resource usage. whether it is biodegradable or not, is only one part, it still needs to be manufactured, transported and in the end disposed. So I always think twice if I really need something new, so the R would be Re-think.

Read More
Reflection Question
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Tend A Garden

Have you ever had a significant experience in nature that altered your perspective or focus? If so, please describe it.

Katrin Werlen 4/06/2021 5:36 AM

I don't have a garden, but we have a big terrace, which is perfect for small trees, growing herbs, tomatoes, berries. Every year we make syrup and jam from the fruits and berries and we have fresh herbs for cooking all through the summer. It is important to me, that the plants are local plants, so the bees and birds can profit from it too. We grow cherries, apricots, red current, basil, mint, oregano,... it not only tastes great but also looks very nice.

Read More
Reflection Question
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Keep Track of Wasted Food

An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. How would you rather use this money?

Katrin Werlen 4/01/2021 2:31 AM

We try to minimize food waste as good as possible.
I dry the fruits that are past there optimal "look" and with that everyone still likes to eat it! It is also great to take with you on hikes :-) We also never throw away food, just because the expiry date has passed, you can judge yourself whether something is still eatable.
With that money saved you could rather spend it on nature conservation helping to save the natural habitats that are still left on earth. Less food waste means, we need less land to actually produce food and hence there is more left to be kept in natural state.

Read More
Reflection Question
Transportation Conduct Virtual Meetings

How can you ensure that your virtual meetings honor your values and your company's culture?

Katrin Werlen 3/25/2021 1:12 AM

The pandemic has certainly have one positive side effect. We learned how efficient virtual meetings can be and the technology to go virtual has advanced a lot. While it might seamed unrealistic a year ago, virtual meetings are now our daily business life. And it works!

Read More

load more posts