Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Benjamin Haden

Asheville High School!

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
941 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

245

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

330

miles

traveled by carpool
UP TO

2.0

public officials or leaders

contacted
UP TO

57

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

5.0

conversations

with people
UP TO

133

pounds of CO2

have been saved

Benjamin's actions

Food

Contact your Elected Officials

#23 Farmland Restoration

I will contact 3 elected officials to voice my opinion on the importance of restoring farmland in my region, including both public and private land.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Try Carpooling

#75 Ridesharing

I will commute by carpool 15 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 6.06 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity Generation

Advocate for Solar Installation

#10 Rooftop Solar

I will create a plan to and advocate for solar installation at my business, apartment building, or campus.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Explore Other Buildings and Cities Solutions

All Buildings and Cities Solutions

I will spend at least 60 minutes researching other Drawdown Buildings and Cities Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

#18 Geothermal

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

composting

#60 Composting, #3 Reduced Food Waste

I will start a compost bin where I live.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Research Retrofitting Incentives

#80 Retrofitting

I will spend at least 30 minutes finding out if my city, region, or state offers incentives for retrofitting existing buildings.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 3 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 19
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Materials

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

#1 Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 20 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 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

Electricity Generation

Communicate With My Elected Officials

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore)

I will write or call 2 elected official(s) telling them not to support fossil fuel subsidies and instead support wind energy generation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

#47 Bioplastic

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching how to properly dispose of bioplastics in my city and share this information with 5 friends, family and/or colleagues.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Learn about Temperate Forests

#12 Temperate Forests

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the environmental services provided by and the environmental issues affecting temperate forests.

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
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?
Benjamin Haden 4/25/2018 9:53 AM
It makes the problem a whole lot more real and scarier, but also more straight foreward and solvable. It feels overwhelming that the scope of the issue is so large and a solution would change such significant parts of everyday life. The parts that make me feel hopeful are that solutions are very feasable for the most part, and the earth is very resilient and can recover if we let it.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

What concerns you the most about how we are affecting the planet? Consider both local and global actions.
Benjamin Haden 4/25/2018 9:45 AM
What concerns me most is that we are provoking such drastic changes, the extent of which we cannot yet understand or apprecieate. Specifically the destruction of natural environment locally for new "developments" destroy beatiful forest and habitat for local wildlife.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

How do you address your own feelings of concern, fear or despair about climate change?
Benjamin Haden 4/23/2018 10:13 AM
I don't "address" them, as quelling such concerns could be justification for inaction, rather I use them to do as much as I can to lessen my impact and that of those around me, as well as becoming/staying informed and advocating for change.

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?
Benjamin Haden 4/23/2018 10:09 AM
I had not heard of silvopasture before, and I think the biggest advantage is making beef more sustainable since the US is addicted to it and it has such a large carbon footprint.

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?
Benjamin Haden 4/23/2018 10:05 AM
My consumption of dairy products has a large impact, and it can be reversed by buying sustainable and plant based alternatives.

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?
Benjamin Haden 4/23/2018 9:51 AM
I will not use sell by dates to judge whether food is still good, and will rely more on odors and visuals.

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?
Benjamin Haden 4/23/2018 9:29 AM
Public investment in the form of Congress working significant funds into the budget seems best to me. This is because taxpayers spend around 700 billion dollars every year to the Defense Department, and seing as Climate Change is a national security issue I beleive this is where the funds should come from.

Read More
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!
Benjamin Haden 4/17/2018 9:25 AM
I had heard of biomass, but had not seen it work on an industrial scale. It surprises me that it can actually offer a good solution until renewables catch up.

Read More