Gayle Giovanna
"We cannot forget about the climate emergency, even though we have the pandemic to worry about as well."
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 1,036 TOTAL
participant impact
-
UP TO31conversationswith people
-
UP TO36minutesspent learning
-
UP TO28poundswaste composted
-
UP TO8.0treesplanted
Gayle's actions
Action Track: Earth Day Together!
Beginning Biochar
Biochar is a way to sequester carbon, improve soil tilth and fertility, and prevent agricultural runoff-- at the same time. I will try and compare two different methods of making biochar. My goal is to educate myself and others about the advantages of biochar over the traditional burn pile. I chose this challenge because biochar locks up carbon for a very long time, and thus could be part of the solution to the climate emergency.
Action Track: Earth Day Together!
Earth Day Action: Share Eco Tips
Through social media or on the Earth Day Ecochallenge feed, I will share my favorite environmentally friendly habit with my friends, even if it’s not an Earth Day action.
Food
Compost Food Waste
I will avoid sending up to .69 lbs (.31 kg) of food waste to the landfill each day by composting my food or learning how to.
Oceans
Learn about Our Oceans
I will spend at least 30 minutes learning about how our oceans support life on Earth by producing oxygen, regulating climate, and providing habitat, food, and jobs.
Forests
Plant Trees
I will plant 6 native tree(s) in my community, public parks, or backyard.
People
Connect While Social Distancing
I will connect with at least 1 person/people a day through phone call or video chat to support mine and other’s mental and emotional health during this challenging time.
Action Track: Building Resilience
Earth Day Art Project
Complete an art project using found objects, waste and other materials you have at home. Share what you create on the Virtual Earth Day Art Show at AVA Gallery.
Action Track: Building Resilience
#onethingforearth Photo & Video Challenge
The purpose of the challenge is for people to record a short video or take photos of themselves doing one thing that is good for the earth, then in the video, challenge their family, friends and others to do their own video. People who accept the challenge should post the videos on any or all of their social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter) and use the hashtag #OneThing4Earth and tag NHDES (@NHDES for Twitter; @NHenvironmentalservices for Facebook and Instagram) The worldwide response to the coronavirus pandemic is and should be all of our priorities. NHDES hopes that a social media-based video challenge, like the #OneThing4Earth, will provide people practicing social distancing with a way to recognize the importance of Earth Day. You do not have to be challenged to participate, but remember in your video to challenge your friends, family, coworkers and others to join in. This challenge was created by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES).
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?
-
Gayle Giovanna 4/30/2020 8:19 AMFurther thoughts on biochar: since this process sequesters carbon for thousands of years and adds to soil tilth and fertility, it is valuable. But only a proportion of the carbon is locked up; the rest is sent off into the atmosphere as CO2. It is still essentially a burning process. My original interest in biochar was as a replacement for burning brush-piles, which many people do in this area to get rid of waste wood. So biochar is better than that, but not as good as letting the brush-pile give up its carbon slowly through decomposition. This may take many years, during which the carbon is sequestered in the wood. Even better is burying the brush-pile: then the carbon is slowly added to the carbon sponge in the soil as organic matter. -
Gayle Giovanna 4/29/2020 9:27 PMThe biochar challenge was educational: I learned quite a lot about the pluses and minuses of making biochar. This evening I finally had the perfect weather conditions, so I gathered everything and grabbed the matches. The feedstock was fallen branches: my path up to the cabin is littered with them. My intention was to see if I could get the wood to char without burning all the way to ash. The idea is to start with a small, hot fire then smother it with an armload of fresh wood. This pulls the O2 up to the newly added wood; the fire below dies from lack of oxygen. As the new armload start to burn, you are preparing the next armload.Timing is everything: you want each armload to char without burning completely to ash. When you are done, you douse the fire with water.
Tonight's burn was okay without being spectacular. The wood was rather too small and burned too quickly; I should have used a larger diameter. Minimum of 2". But I did get some usable char, and I learned what not to do . -
Gayle Giovanna 4/28/2020 11:56 PMToday is the day! I have been waiting for a good, not-too-windy, dry day to try out my newfound skills as a biochar maker. While biochar is not a panacea and there are a lot of considerations and nuances as to whether to do biochar, I have learned a lot through researching this topic. More on this tomorrow. -
Gayle Giovanna 4/28/2020 5:24 AMBiochar update: I am working on a presentation for my town's Energy Committee on biochar. Since biochar locks up about 40% of the carbon in wood for thousands of years, it is a better way to deal with getting rid of brush piles than simply burning them, which loses all of the carbon to CO2.-
Evelyn (lyn) Swett 4/28/2020 6:31 AMGayle - - Thank you for inspiring my curiosity about Biochar! I just take my brush, put it in various piles, add compost, leaves and mulch and eventually turn those piles into garden beds...So many options.
-
-
Gayle Giovanna 4/28/2020 4:41 AMThe ginger root that I started indoors has leaf buds that are getting bigger by the day. It's still way too cold for it to go outdoors: It was snowing at my place yesterday. -
Gayle Giovanna 4/27/2020 4:08 AMLast few days of the Ecochallenge--- I have enjoyed this immensely. Thanks to all of the team and especially Captain Evelyn! And to the larger organization for setting the whole thing up.-
Evelyn (lyn) Swett 4/28/2020 6:32 AMThank you, Gayle. I'd love to stay in touch beyond the challenge. Will you e-mail me your e-mail? Thanks!
-
-
Gayle Giovanna 4/26/2020 2:48 PMRainy day: I was going to try a biochar but it is too wet. It is supposed to rain for the next couple of days, at least. Hope I get to do a biochar before the 30th.-
Evelyn (lyn) Swett 4/26/2020 3:54 PMGood luck! I think Wednesday may be nice...
-
-
Gayle Giovanna 4/25/2020 5:12 AMI noticed that a ginger root I had bought was starting to put out buds so instead of using it I potted it up. Right now it is in a south window indoors, and later on I will put it outdoors. I might try building a mini-greenhouse around it out of old windows to give it more of the tropical heat it is used to.-
Evelyn (lyn) Swett 4/26/2020 3:55 PMGayle - - I love that idea for the ginger. I've never grown it, but I hear it's possible. So fun.
-
-
Gayle Giovanna 4/25/2020 4:34 AMI have been enjoying writing these posts: it is kind of a public journaling! -
Gayle Giovanna 4/24/2020 2:30 PMThe Michael Moore movie Planet of the Humans was certainly eye-opening, but I have this criticism: The movie tore apart fossil fuel alternatives (solar, wind, biomass) without proposing a single workable solution. So what are we supposed to do for energy? If fossil fuels are bad , and alternatives are just as bad and also hypocritical, then we are up the proverbial creek. Much as I love horses, I wouldn't want to seriously use them for transportation. Nor bicycles. Obviously the point of the movie was that until we solve the problem of overpopulation and overconsumption, nothing is really going to ameliorate climate change.But that is easier said than done, and the movie doesn't offer any suggestions.-
Evelyn (lyn) Swett 4/24/2020 6:08 PMI find it really frustrating when one set of options are negated, but realistic alternatives not proposed. I have not seen this Moore movie, but I can imagine.
-