Image: ecochallenge.org
Day 44 of 365 Days Of Low Carbon Living: Joining the Drawdown EcoChallenge.
Do you find yourself full of intention but somehow never get around to doing much about it? Maybe it’s because you don’t have the right tools or inspiration to help you shift from ‘going to’ do something to actually doing it.
A great way to get over the ‘not getting round to it’ problem and to try out new things is to take part in a challenge.
You may have heard about the Drawdown book. It’s based on meticulous research that maps, measures, models, and describes the top 100 solutions to global warming that already exist.
‘That’s great’, I thought. Now we have a simple effectiveness list against which we can check off actions that we take.
Well now it’s even easier.
Project Drawdown and Northwest Earth Institute have created the Drawdown EcoChallenge that to help us take action on the most effective solutions to global warming. highlighted in the Drawdown book.
The Drawdown EcoChallenge gives us tools and inspiration to help us turn our intentions into action. We can choose from a diverse selection of over 80 actions within seven Challenge categories to reduce our damage to the climate.
What a great idea!
What I am doing
So, starting yesterday, I am taking part in the Drawdown EcoChallenge. It is a fun and social way to think about and act on proven solutions to reverse global warming.
Why I am doing the Drawdown EcoChallenge
Here are five reasons I am doing the Drawdown EcoChallenge:
1 I love trying out new ways to reduce damage to the climate. As we all need to be doing whatever we can to stop damage to our previously stable climate, I am always open to new ideas. Among the actions the EcoChallenge offers are some I haven’t done yet, so now I am challenged to do them!
2 I love seeing how I am going at making changes – both my habits and the effectiveness of the actions. The Drawdown EcoChallenge ticks both these boxes.
3 It is time-limited – and it’s always easier to do something when the end is in sight! The time limit is one of the things I like about challenges. (That’s why I undertake and promote things like carbon fasts for Lent and Ramadan.)
4 Common wisdom says it takes 21 days to change a habit. That’s why the Drawdown EcoChallenge is taking place around the world on the 21 days from 4-25 April.
5 And finally, it is social. Taking collective action, camaraderie, and friendly competition makes change a little easier — and a lot more fun. That’s why the Drawdown EcoChallenge allows us to track and share our progress online and earn points for taking action.
Why join the EcoChallenge now?
Why not? The sooner we step up our action, the better chance we will have of being able to stop and reverse damage to our climate, reduce the consequences of damage already done to our climate – and reap the other benefits that each of the actions offer.
Just as – if not more – important, the Drawdown EcoChallenge is on right now. Many of the tracking benefits (reason 5 above) will not be available after it ends.
The challenge for you
Join the Drawdown EcoChallenge – it’s free and open to anyone. You can join an existing team, create a new one, or join the Community team. If you live in Canberra, I’d love you to join me in the Cool Canberra team.
Go on! Take the challenge. See how just three weeks of action can add up to a lifetime of change for you, your family and friends and our world, now and into the future.
Join me!
Any change or challenge is easier if you have company along the way.
So let’s embark on this journey together.
- Read my blog every day for ideas, thoughts and experiences for living a lower carbon lifestyle, more in harmony with nature – while also adapting to the consequences of our damaged climate.
- Subscribe to get posts direct to your inbox.
- Commit to taking action yourself.
- Add a comment to let me know you’re joining in the effort to turn around our world so it can remain liveable – and what your experiences are.
- Share with others my posts and what you’re doing – our efforts, progress, experiences and challenges – on Facebook, on Twitter, in conversations with friends, on talkback radio and in letters to the editor.
A problem shared is a problem halved. We’re all affected by the changes to our world so we need to be all in on the action!
Till next time…