Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Darcey Lynn

Asheville High School!

"AHS"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,160 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

215

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

3.0

public officials or leaders

contacted
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched

Darcey'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 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity Generation

Watch a Video about Methane Digesters

#30 Methane Digesters (large), #64 Methane Digesters (small)

I will watch a video about methane digesters (also commonly known as anaerobic digesters).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Online Energy Audit

Multiple Solutions

I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Women and Girls

Support Women-Owned Businesses

#62 Women Smallholders

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

COMPLETED 14
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

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

Electricity Generation

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

#18 Geothermal

I will spend at least 25 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Communicate With My Elected Officials

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore)

I will write or call 1 elected official(s) telling them not to support fossil fuel subsidies and instead support wind energy generation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Learn about Temperate Forests

#12 Temperate Forests

I will spend at least 25 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

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 25 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Micro Wind

#76 Micro Wind

I will spend at least 25 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of Micro Wind.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Research and Advocate for High-Speed Rail

#66 High-Speed Rail

I will spend at least 25 minutes researching and advocating for a comprehensive high speed rail network in my country/region.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Tour a Green Roof

#73 Green Roofs

I will set up a visit to tour a green roof in my city, and ask about the codes and process for installing a green roof.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Advocate for Forest Protection

#38 Forest Protection

I will contact 2 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

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

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

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?

Darcey Lynn 4/25/2018 7:33 AM
The eco challenge has been great to see how much food my family wasted this month. By the end of the month we were wasting less food, and we all learned not to buy, make, or serve more than we can eat.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport

What are the factors that influence your choice of transportation? These can include things like money, time, and convenience, as well as perceptions of danger or safety.
Darcey Lynn 4/25/2018 7:29 AM
My transportation is influenced by convenience, safety, cleanliness, and speed mostly, which all do not apply very much to the bus system we have now. I think that with new types of transportation we can let more people ride the bus.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use

Higher standards of living are very often dependent on moving our environmental costs elsewhere. What are some specific ways in which the environmental impacts of your own lifestyle might be shifted elsewhere?
Darcey Lynn 4/25/2018 6:15 AM
The environmental impacts of my lifestyle, like the waste created when producing the products I buy, are moved to china, where air pollution is common from production and industry to create goods that Americans consume.

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?
Darcey Lynn 4/25/2018 6:10 AM
Aside from environmental benefits, health benefits can come from eating with smaller portion sizes, I think it would reduce the risk of heart disease from overeating.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation

How does advocating for this type of technology connect to your values? How might you be able to get others involved in advocating for the shift to clean energy?
Darcey Lynn 4/24/2018 8:11 PM
The shift to clean energy is important to me because I see the effects that climate change will have on our world, and if something like using clean energy can change that, then I want to get people involved accordingly.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities

What did you learn on your green roof tour?
Darcey Lynn 4/24/2018 8:10 PM
I learned that the area of vegetation on a green roof does not have to be very big, and it can grow vegetables just like a real garden. It is very helpful in big cities and can help when there is not much green in the city.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation

Micro turbines can be placed on large structures to take advantage of stronger, steadier breezes. The Eiffel Tower now sports vertical axis turbines that produce electricity for use on site. Where could micro turbines potentially be installed in your city?
Darcey Lynn 4/23/2018 7:46 PM
Micro turbines could be placed on many city buildings, hotels, and new developments in asheville. Because of their compact size, they are perfect to be mounted on top of, and to power a building.

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?
Darcey Lynn 4/23/2018 1:40 PM
Environmental challenges greatly impact my thoughts because I feel overwhelmed by the impact and destruction that climate change has caused. I am hopeful that there have been and will continue to be changes made to reverse climate change.

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?
Darcey Lynn 4/23/2018 10:55 AM
I sometimes drink coffee, eat chocolate, and I have unknowingly consumed some products with palm oil in them. Being more aware of the environmental impact that what I’m eating has on the environment and buying rainforest alliance coffee and chocolate can reduce my environmental impact.

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?
Darcey Lynn 4/23/2018 10:53 AM
Now that I know the difference, I will not throw out foods now that are past the date if they look perfectly fine, and see the date as a reminder to eat the food soon rather than to throw it away then.

Read More