GEO Carbon Reduction Challenge

	A	B	C	D	F	G	H	I	J	K	L	M
1	Air travel accounts for roughly 2.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, which is much less than passenger vehicles. However, air travel is expected to increase significantly and an individual trip creates a large footprint for each individual on the flight. The average roundtrip flight from Eugene, OR to Bolivia generates approximately 1000-2000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCDe). That’s a lot of carbon to offset! Unfortunately, personal actions over a week will not be enough to offset the entire carbon impacts of a flight. However, by completing these challenges, you will offset a portion of your carbon footprint and also learn how to lower your personal carbon footprint generally. Have fun, ask questions, and share your challenge with others!				Enter points for challenges you've completed in the column with your name at the top. Enter as you complete them or no later than Monday June 1st at 12pm. Mark your calendars for a celebration and debrief session on Monday June 1st at 3pm!
2	Challenge	Carbon Reduction Points	Carbon Footprint Reduction Impacts	Resources	Margery	Reese	Gordon	Mecca	Nikos	Maddie	Pow	Donovan
3	Challenge	Carbon Reduction Points	Carbon Footprint Reduction Impacts	Resources	Add in points for challenges completed	Add in points for challenges completed	Add in points for challenges completed	Add in points for challenges completed	Add in points for challenges completed	Add in points for challenges completed	Add in points for challenges completed	Add in points for challenges completed

4	Read the University of Michigan’s Carbon Footprint Factsheet to learn about carbon footprint areas.	3	Indirect. May inspire holistic changes and give information that can be “paid forward” to others.	Carbon Footprint Fact Sheet: http://css.umich.edu/factsheets/carbon-footprint-factsheet	3	3			3	3	3
5	Explore the Project Drawdown website to learn about the top solutions to reverse global warming.	3	Indirect. May inspire holistic changes and give information that can be “paid forward” to others.	Project Drawdown: www.drawdown.org	3	3			3	3	3
6	Conserve Electricity! Explore the regional eGrids linked under "Resources" for your area. 1. Unplug “electricity vampires.” Many appliances and devices draw power even when not in use. Unplug items like your television, computers/devices, lamps, coffee makers, etc. when not using them to save power. 2. Turn off the lights in unoccupied spaces. 3. Change out your lightbulbs for efficient ones, which last longer and pay for their extra cost over time.	3 (1 point per action taken)	Varied. If you live in the Pacific Northwest the “fuel mix” that makes up your electricity is one of the lowest carbon power grids in the US, due to the high amount of hydroelectric power. If you’re in Eugene, it’s even better. Other places, particularly those that still use a lot of coal, will have much higher footprints and, thus, more impact from saving energy. These points were derived assuming Eugene residency.	Regional eGrids & their emissions: https://www.epa.gov/energy/egrid-summary-tables	1	3			2	3	3
7	Calculate the carbon footprint of your household. You’ll need to gather some information, like recent utility bills and the square footage of your house. If you live with roommates, you can do the math to calculate only your portion of the house (square footage of your room; divide remaining square footage by number of household members total) and bills (divide bill totals by numbers of household members total).	5	Indirect. May inspire holistic changes and give information that can be “paid forward” to others.		5	5			5	5	5
8	Use a reusable coffee mug but….you have to use it! Read the life cycle analysis report under resources.	5	Minimal. It takes a lot of energy and resources to make reusable mugs (like any product) and if it doesn’t get used, it’s not doing any good for the planet. If you need to purchase a mug for this challenge, buy used if you can. The need to wash mugs also has environmental impacts so use water and soap as sparingly as possible with your reusable mug.	Life-cycle assesment report on reusable and single-use coffee cups: https://www.recyc-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/sites/default/files/documents/acv-tasses-cafe-resume-english.pdf	5	5		5	5	5	5
9	Do your laundry sustainably. 1. Give clothes more than one wearing between washes, if possible. 2. Wash clothes in cold water. 3. Air/hang dry your clothes.	6	Medium. The energy saved from sustainable laundry practices can impact your overall carbon footprint		6	6		6	4	6	6
10	Don’t waste any edible food for a week. Food waste accounts for 8% of global emissions per year, according to Project Drawdown, and a third of food grown/raised is wasted. Reducing food waste is one of the top solutions to reverse global warming because we can limit 1) wasting the resources that go into growing/raising, transporting, and preparing food; 2) the methane emissions that come from rotting food that gets thrown away (methane is an even more potent greenhouse gas than CO2); and 3) the destruction of forest land for agricultural use. (Forests are powerful carbon sinks, a.k.a. areas that pull carbon out of the atmosphere and store it.) In poor countries, food waste tends to happen pre-consumer when supply chains break down. In rich countries, like the US, food waste tends to happen when we, the consumers, throw it away, either because we didn’t eat it before it went bad or simply because we don’t want it. See tips to avoid food waste under "Resources."	7	Significant. Avoiding food waste at the consumer level is one of the most impactful personal choices individuals from rich countries can make to reduce our carbon footprints and mitigate global climate change.	Reducing Food Waste Tips: -Only buy the amount of food you can and will eat before it goes bad. -Prioritize eating what you’ve got. (Consider it a cooking challenge!) -Don’t order takeout or make food that you won’t want to eat as leftovers. -Extend the life of your food. Ideas include: If fruits and vegetables are nearing spoilage, freeze them or turn them into sauces and pickles. You can often cut off areas that are slightly moldy or brown and still use the rest. Freeze bread and rolls before they go bad and toast before re-using. (Can also do this with extra pancakes, waffles, scones, cookies, etc.) Turn stale or near-spoiling bread into bread crumbs (pan toast and add to a salad or a baked pasta), croutons, or toasted/pan-fried sandwiches. If milk is near spoiling, turn it into a creamy soup or use in baked goods, pancakes, or waffles. *Save veggie scraps in a bag in the freezer to turn into vegetable stock. -Transform basic, versatile ingredients so you don’t get tired of them. Beans can be used for burritos, tacos, bean dip, chili, Mexican-style grain bowls; any kind of pasta sauce can become pizza sauce or be added to a soup for additional flavor. -If you do need to throw food or scraps away, compost them.		7			7	7	7
11	Don’t shop for anything you don’t need. Watch the Life Cycle of a T-Shirt TED video and play with the publicly-disclosed product footprints visualization. Explore some sustainable product certifications. (see resources) If you do buy things, prioritize: 1. Local 2. Fair Trade Certified (e.g., workers are protected), Blue Sign, EPEAT, and/or Energy Star. 3. Organic.	7	Varied. As with driving, shopping reductions will be more impactful from those who shop a lot currently. That said, transitioning to a low consumption lifestyle will have significant impacts over time.	Life Cycle of a T-Shirt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiSYoeqb_VY Global Publicly Disclosed Product Carbon Footprints: https://carboncatalogue.coclear.co/?sector=all&company=all&year=2016&sort=sector Independent Product Certifications -Fair Trade: https://www.fairtradecertified.org/ -Blue Sign (textiles): https://www.bluesign.com/en -EPeat (electronics, more rigorous than Energy Star): https://epeat.net/ -Energy Star (electronics, appliances, focused on energy efficiency): https://www.energystar.gov/		7			7	7	7
12	Call or write your senators, congressperson, governor, and mayor. Tell them that you care about environmental and social justice issues, including climate change, and that you will vote for politicians who lead in these areas.	7	Indirect. This action won’t lower your direct carbon footprint but personal choices only do so much to reverse global warming. To really tackle the climate crisis, we will need action at the governmental and corporate levels—local, national, and global.	Find your elected officials: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials		7					7
13	Do not drive for one week. Walk, bike, skateboard, scoot, take public transit but whatever you do, don’t drive!	8	Varied but potentially Significant. During the COVID-19 pandemic most of us are not driving much, if any. In other times, not driving has significant impacts. On average, you will save .79 pounds of CO2 for each mile you do not drive a passenger car.						8	8	8
14	Increased Plant-Based Eating 1. Eat vegan for the week (e.g., no meat, fish, dairy products, or eggs). 10 points 2. Too hard or not able for personal reasons? Eat vegan for two of your three daily meals, and choose poultry or fish over beef or pork when eating meat. Studies show that his “flexitarian” approach has a lower carbon footprint than being vegetarian, due to the high carbon impacts of cheese and other dairy products, as well as of goat meat, beef, and pork. 8 points if you eat “flexitarian” (little-to-no cheese, minimal dairy, no beef, pork, or goat meats).	8-10	Significant. Eating a more plant-based diet is one of the most impactful personal choices you can make to reduce your carbon footprints and mitigate global climate change.	How to reduce your food's carbon footprint in two charts (Vox): https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2020/2/20/21144017/local-food-carbon-footprint-climate-environment Eating some meat may be better than straight vegetarian: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/climate-and-people/eating-meat-better-environment-going-vegetarian-finds-new-study/		8		10	8	10	10
15		Points possible: 64			23	54	0	21	52	57	64	0
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