Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Aurelia Garlock

Asheville High School!

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
486 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

150

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

40

miles

traveled by carpool
UP TO

12

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

2.0

conversations

with people
UP TO

32

pounds of CO2

have been saved

Aurelia'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 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Women and Girls

Support Women-Owned Businesses

#62 Women Smallholders

I will support women-owned businesses when I shop this month.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Transport

Try Carpooling

#75 Ridesharing

I will commute by carpool 10 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 8.06 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 4
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

Transport

Use Muscle Power

#49 Cars

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips, and I will only use muscle-powered transportation for all other trips.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 30 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

Learn about Temperate Forests

#12 Temperate Forests

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the environmental services provided by and the environmental issues affecting temperate forests.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

#47 Bioplastic

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching how to properly dispose of bioplastics in my city and share this information with 2 friends, family and/or colleagues.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Keep Track of Wasted Food

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during the EcoChallenge, either because it went bad before I ate it, I put too much on my plate, or it was scraps from food preparation.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity Generation

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

#18 Geothermal

I will spend at least 15 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 15 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

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
Electricity Generation

Had you ever heard of biomass techonology before this? What did you learn that surprised you? Share this with your friends!
Aurelia Garlock 4/25/2018 6:37 PM
I’ve never heard of biomass technology before this but I think it’s really interesting that it is used as a gateway to eliminating fossil fuels simply because it continues to recycle the same carbon emissions that have been produced.

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?
Aurelia Garlock 4/24/2018 10:25 AM
Because Geothermal energy is so hard to expand on and new technologies that help this are so expensive that large amounts of money need to be available for the switch. Therefore it should be a larger public effort and governments should budget to include the switch to geothermal if it is available to them.

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?
Aurelia Garlock 4/24/2018 10:09 AM
I eat a lot of dairy, I try not to drink milk but I do still consume dairy products, often in place of meat products. I also drink a cup of coffee everyday with cocoa in it so I know that's not a great environmental habit!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use

As you learn more about the scope and seriousness of the environmental challenges we face, what impact does that have on your thinking and actions? What are the parts that feel overwhelming? What parts help you feel hopeful?
Aurelia Garlock 4/24/2018 9:45 AM
Parts that I find overwhelming include the fact that resoration to areas that have been affected by human activities often do not help the area as much as we hope to. This teaches me that the most important thing is to protect our resources and forests and land in order to optimize their availability rather than going back to try and solve the problem when theyve already been destroyed.

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?
Aurelia Garlock 4/24/2018 9:25 AM
Most dates do not correlate with when the product or food will actually be bad for you or put you at risk if you eat it. The best buy dates are mostly used to indicate when the product will be at the highest quality, not when it will become unsafe to ingest.

Read More
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?
Aurelia Garlock 4/16/2018 9:38 AM
I haven't heard of silvopasture before now and I think that the biggest advantage is the consistency of the environmant for the cows even in dorught. This way the livestock has consistent nutrients and the shade also provides a way for the cows to keep on the weight even in the summer without a need for over feeding.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

How do you address your own feelings of concern, fear or despair about climate change?
Aurelia Garlock 4/12/2018 9:20 AM
When I feel concerned about climate change I do research on political actions that are taking place that may do something to aid climate change. I read articles about new ways to combat climate change on my own and remember the things that my family already does like buying food locally and having applances that use less energy and water.

Read More