Carnegie Mellon University

To continue in May! Will spend the final minutes of April challenge saving learning links from the potpourri lists I haven't yet gotten to:

Last-minute learning within active EcoChallenge (2 of 2 = improving food choices): From my daily meatless meals & weekly meal planning commitments, my point total is ~550. I reported those details in a separate small family & friends team, so am not logging them here to avoid messing up EcoChallenge's overall metrics. But insofar as...

Last-minute learning within active EcoChallenge (1 of 2 = carbon calculator): I didn't know a lot of the answers from the housing topic, so have saved questions and links to follow up on. Potential top change in the upcoming year = research and change my electricity supply sources to greener options within reason.

Most useful commitments so far, especially in tandem: Weekly meal planning 1+ meatless meals daily Needs vs. wants Water footprint taught me about virtual usage; I had no idea that my consumption choices beyond using toilets, faucets, etc. used so much water! That overlapped well with my commitment to 1+ meatless meals daily, which modified...

My indoor water usage is a lot worse than the US average. My virtual water usage is generally better than the US average, but In sheer volume, my virtual water usage still dwarfs my indoor water usage. The US has the most profligate average water usage in the world (other than the UAE). Near-term action items: Meatless meals are one of the...

I feel particularly pulled to effective planting either with natives or native friendly trees, shrubs, and plant. Restoring the canopy and planting an array of pollinators are acts with many benefits, producing shade, absorbing water while we are having increased flooding, improving air quality, reducing the localized temperature, maintaining...

I am not new to composting, but I've been keeping with it now for about 6 or 7 years. It never stops shocking me how much goes in the bin and how much less goes to the trash. Free compost for the garden is a bonus, that goes right in my pollinators garden or on my rose bushes to break down and give it nutrients.

Flooding and occasional drought are a concern along with pollution. We have a tremendous amount of rainfall and have been experiencing mild to intense drought periods during the hottest part of the summers. It has been a challenge for gardeners to find plants that can tolerate both that do not also need a lot of watering and attention. Our...

So excited to kick off ecochallenge!