Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Aubrey Austin

Asheville High School!

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
590 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

120

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

10

public officials or leaders

contacted
UP TO

18

meatless or vegan meals

consumed

Aubrey 's actions

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 2 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Recycle Everything I Can

#55 Household Recycling

I will recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community.

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food.

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

#1 Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 15 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Biomass

#34 Biomass

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

#18 Geothermal

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Advocate for Forest Protection

#38 Forest Protection

I will contact 5 congress people or representatives to advocate for public policy that protects forests and the enforcement of existing anti-logging laws.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Communicate With My Elected Officials

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore)

I will write or call 5 elected official(s) telling them not to support fossil fuel subsidies and instead support wind energy generation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

What do you think contributes to people in North America eating more meat than other countries, and what does this say about North American values and ways of living? How do we start shifting a meat-focused food culture?
Aubrey Austin 4/25/2018 9:58 AM
I think we eat more than other countries because our portion sizes are huge and we eat very unhealthy on a regular basis. We need to start shifting by taking challenges like this and focusing in getting proteins through other ways.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

Fun fact: Your brain and stomach register feelings of fullness after about 20 minutes of eating. While dishing food out, we tend to load our plates with more than we need. Using smaller plates helps to mitigate this. Aside from the environmental benefits, what other benefits might come out of this?
Aubrey Austin 4/25/2018 9:54 AM
I used smaller plates and bowls and I ate slower which made me eat less food. This would make humans as a whole healthier and would reduce overeating.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation

What inspires you to act on sustainable energy and other energy issues?
Aubrey Austin 4/25/2018 9:50 AM
I feel inspired because I want my children and grandchildren to live in a world that is beautiful and clean.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

How could you incorporate other "R's" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle?
Aubrey Austin 4/23/2018 10:09 AM
I recycle everything I can, I reuse many water bottles and containers, I need to do more to refuse, repair and re purpose in my daily lifestyle.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

Now that you know the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates, how will you view expiration dates differently?
Aubrey Austin 4/23/2018 10:07 AM
Use by is not the end all be all. You can use it after and it won't harm you. The sell by date is when it should be off the self by. The best by date is when to eat to get the best quality. The dates mean very different things and it is not a universal expiration date.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use

How is your diet currently impacting deforestation? What can you do to decrease your negative impact and increase your positive impact?
Aubrey Austin 4/23/2018 9:42 AM
Almost everything I eat contributes to deforestation. A lot of foods that I eat have palm oil in them, like Cheez-its. I drink coffee almost everyday which contributes to deforestation. I eat eggs everyday for breakfast and eat a lot of meat. I need to reduce how much meat I eat because it seems like a lot.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation

Geothermal energy is reliable, abundant, and efficient. Project Drawdown states that public investment will play a crucial role in its expansion. What kind of investment seems most feasible for you?
Aubrey Austin 4/23/2018 9:27 AM
The investment that seems most feasible is beginning with buildings and expanding to homes. The hard part is that it can be hard to have enough space.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation

Had you ever heard of biomass techonology before this? What did you learn that surprised you? Share this with your friends!
Aubrey Austin 4/17/2018 9:23 AM
I have learned about biomass in my Earth and Environmental class. We learned about all different types of energy sources. I learned that small communities have implemented biomass as their energy source. This includes a county in Oregon that is extremely isolated.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

Had you heard of the term silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?
Aubrey Austin 4/13/2018 9:25 AM
I have never heard of the term silvopasture until today. After learning more about it, I think the environmental aspects are great. However, I believe the biggest advantage of silvopasture is that it helps farmers while helping the environment. Silvopasture benefits farmers financially while sequestering carbon.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

How do you address your own feelings of concern, fear or despair about climate change?
Aubrey Austin 4/11/2018 10:00 AM
I address my feelings by talking to others. Many of my friends know a lot about climate change and how to reduce our footprints every day. I spend time talking to them about climate change because hearing things out loud helps me learn. My friends and I are able to talk about what is happening and then talk about the fear for ourselves and the future generations.

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