Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Emmie Kendrick

Asheville High School!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world!"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
391 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

120

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

9.0

meatless or vegan meals

consumed

Emmie's actions

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

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

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 2
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 Regenerative Agriculture

#11 Regenerative Agriculture

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

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

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

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

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 25 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

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 1
DAILY 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?
Emmie Kendrick 4/25/2018 9:49 AM
Learning about the scope and seriousness of the environmental challenges we face has led me to think about positive changes that I can produce in my community. For example, I can start by educating my family members about sustainable methods and other manners of conserving energy (ranging from purchasing energystar appliances to creating a regenerative agriculture farm). While I am positive about the change that I can evoke, it is overwhelming to think about the amount of environmental issues we face, as well as the scale that they are on. I am hopeful about altering the perspectives of our current leaders in office due to our numbers.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Where would you rather use this money?
Emmie Kendrick 4/25/2018 9:37 AM
If I saved money from food that I would have wasted, I would put this money toward financing my secondary education (college!).

Read More
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?
Emmie Kendrick 4/25/2018 9:30 AM
People eat a lot of meat in North America for several reasons. For one, Americans have a love affair for consuming fast food, encouraging rapid meat consumption. In addition, meat is widely available, convenient, and affordable as well as serves as the primary source of protein for people. This way of eating translates into North American values in that we place too much on consuming fast food. We can start shifting a meat-focused food culture through making alternative sources of protein more available (including beans) as well as by making vegetables (and meat alternatives) more affordable.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

Clean air, clean water and healthy food are three reasons to care about regenerative agriculture. In what ways can you support your closest regenerative agriculture farm?
Emmie Kendrick 4/23/2018 3:09 PM
A couple ways in which I can support local/close regenerative agriculture farms is by purchasing fresh foods from the farmers' market as well as by making conversation with farmers in my community to discover what regenerative agriculture methods they are utilizing in their farming practices (and vocalizing my support for these sustainable and environmentally-friendly techniques).

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?
Emmie Kendrick 4/23/2018 2:55 PM
As a current vegetarian, I consume a lot of eggs for one of my protein sources. As such, my consumption negatively impacts deforestation as it is a requirement for land to be cleared to support crops that go towards feeding the livestock. To decrease my negative impact, I can consume other protein sources (such as nuts), and become more aware of my dairy consumption (as this is a primary factor in causing deforestation). In addition, I consume enough chocolate for at least three people, and I can increase my positive impact in this aspect by purchasing "Rainforest Alliance Green Frog" chocolate to support sustainable farming methods.

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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?
Emmie Kendrick 4/23/2018 2:39 PM
Using smaller plates allows people to become more mindful of the amount of food we truly need to satisfy our hunger, thereby allowing us to control the amount we prepare for ourselves. Because we normally stack our plates high, using smaller plates thereby reduces the amount of food we need to purchase, saving money!

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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?
Emmie Kendrick 4/23/2018 2:22 PM
Investing in geothermal energy would in turn allow me to save money to invest in buying a car, financing my education, and later purchasing a house/apartment.

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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!
Emmie Kendrick 4/17/2018 9:27 AM
Yes, before this activity, I learned of biomass in my AP Environmental Science class. After conducting research, I discovered that biomass technology is capable of converting wood into sources of oil and gas (in addition to burning to release energy). I was also surprised to learn that biomass “produces net zero emissions” and that biomass is not limited to the burning of wood as it can also involve municipal waste.

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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?
Emmie Kendrick 4/13/2018 9:29 AM
Before today, I had not heard of the term silvopasture! After learning more about it, I believe that the biggest advantage of silvopasture is that both the animals and land improve upon their quality of life and health (cows are able to receive sufficient amounts of shade and the land plants gather higher amounts of nutrients).

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

How do you address your own feelings of concern, fear or despair about climate change?
Emmie Kendrick 4/11/2018 9:59 AM
Currently, I am both saddened and inspired by climate change and what our population is doing to overcome it. While I am inspired and pleased that awareness has increased about climate change, I do not have faith in our current political administration to evoke positive change.

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