Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Mary Ana Lechman

Asheville High School!

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
631 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

145

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

16

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

3.0

conversations

with people

Mary Ana's actions

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

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 8
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

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

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

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity Generation

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

#18 Geothermal

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

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

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

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 3 friends, family and/or colleagues.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Choose Renewable Energy or Purchase Renewable Energy Credits

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore), #8 Solar Farms

I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option. If my utility does not offer one, I will purchase Renewable Energy Credits to match my usage.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

Mary Ana Lechman 4/25/2018 10:29 AM
My family is getting bees!! :) We planted a bunch of bee-friendly plants in our garden as preparation

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Mary Ana Lechman 4/25/2018 10:09 AM
This has been a really interesting and eye-opening experience. I'm glad to have gotten the chance to participate in this :)

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

What concerns you the most about how we are affecting the planet? Consider both local and global actions.
Mary Ana Lechman 4/25/2018 10:08 AM
I am most concerned about the decreasing quality of air and water as a result of human actions. We need clean air in order to live to the fullest (and be healthy -- as lung problems and asthma can develop when we are breathing in toxins and pollutants) and we need clean water even more. By cutting down trees and polluting at the rate we are and releasing such terrible chemicals, we are affecting our health and the health of future generations. Whether or not the environment and well-being of animals is a concern, people should at least be worried about their own well-being. This is what makes the problem so extremely baffling and hard for me to comprehend. I just cannot wrap my mind around how cavalier politicians are being about this kind of thing.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation

Your utility company is able to tell you your average energy usage. Ask them how your energy usage compares to others in your zipcode, and in your state. What steps can you take each day to reduce your electricity usage?
Mary Ana Lechman 4/25/2018 9:51 AM
Steps I can take to reduce my energy usage:

1. Take shorter showers -- use up less hot water
2. unplug things when i'm not using them (vampire energy!)
3. turn of lights when I'm not in the room
4. Don't heat up water then not use it (make that tea!)

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Mary Ana Lechman 4/25/2018 6:32 AM
This is a picture of a sea turtle in rehabilitation. So many wonderful people are making an impact by helping hurt or sick sea turtles in sea turtle hospitals like this one. :)

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Mary Ana Lechman 4/25/2018 6:20 AM
My family has a large compost container, as well as two compost bins. We use the bins to make "compost juice" which we pour on the plants in our garden. The large outdoor compost container is used for compost, compost-able containers, and yard waste (like clippings from bushes or weeds we have pulled).

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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?
Mary Ana Lechman 4/25/2018 6:14 AM
Although geothermal energy is very reliable, abundant, and efficient, I think solar energy is more feasible for my family. Our house gets a lot of sun. While we don't have a passive solar design in place, we do have some windows situated advantageously and we have a lot of trees on our property. We could install solar panels, which I think would work very well for us (our neighbours have them). In a few years geothermal energy may be feasible for our family, since my mother plans to move out to a 40-ish acre property out in Madison county. She's planning to install geothermal energy and I'm working on convincing her to use passive solar design when building the new house.

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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!
Mary Ana Lechman 4/25/2018 6:06 AM
I've briefly studied biomass before -- in honors Earth and Environmental Science and 8th grade science, but never before in as much depth and with as much understanding. Sometimes I find that only briefly touching upon a subject leads to confusion rather than insight. Generally it is best to go into depth to really promote comprehension. I was surprised by what I learned about ethanol. I had no idea it was corrosive (one of the draw-downs of using it i guess). Overall though it is a good source of biofuel and I liked exploring it in more depth.

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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?
Mary Ana Lechman 4/25/2018 5:59 AM
I certainly throw out less food now because of it! I am very afraid of consuming rotten or too-old food -- I really don't want to get food poisoning. Now that I know that sell by simply means that the grocery store needs to sell it by that date, it doesn't need to be consumed by that date, I am relieved and am also throwing out less food. This has also led me to enact an organization system in my refrigerator, putting old food in front of the new food so it is easier to get to. I find that I put the new lettuce in front when I put groceries away and then I eat that instead of the older lettuce that should be consumed first! Understanding expiration dates will hopefully allow me to lessen my environmental impact and save money.

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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?
Mary Ana Lechman 4/25/2018 5:55 AM
I eat at least one source of meat every two days (usually chicken or turkey). Livestock takes a lot of space, and forests are cut down to accommodate cows and other such animals. On average, I probably consume a hamburger a week, and even though I eat meat sourced from local farms, such as hickory nut gap, trees are still cut down to make grazing possible for cows. I can't really consume less meat (I'm anemic and my doctor told me I need to have more meat in my diet -- I was previously almost vegetarian), but I can be extra conscientious about the source of different meats and make sure to spread awareness.

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