Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Nancy Oliver

Asheville High School!

"To make a smaller impact by careful choices in consumption "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
911 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

140

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

24

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

4.0

public officials or leaders

contacted
UP TO

24

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

14

lightbulbs

replaced

Nancy'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 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Support Local Food Systems

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will source 3 meal(s) from local producers each day. This could include signing up for a local CSA, buying from a farmer's market, visiting a food co-op, foraging with a local group, or growing my own ingredients.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Biomass

#34 Biomass

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Support Companies Leading in Green Energy

#8 Solar Farms

I will use my spending power to reward companies leading in purchasing green energy and incentivize others to invest more in green energy.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Buy Bamboo

#35 Bamboo

When they are available, I will purchase products made from bamboo instead of wood, plastic, or metal.

COMPLETED 7
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

Buildings and Cities

Express My Support

#54 Walkable Cities

I will find out who in my city makes decisions that impact neighborhood walkability and express my support for better walking infrastructure.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Launch a Recycling Program

#56 Industrial Recycling

I will set up a recycling center at my workplace or school.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Choose Recycled Paper

#70 Recycled Paper

If I have to buy paper products, I will only purchase products made from post-consumer recycled paper for my home or office.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Replace Manual Thermostats

#57 Smart Thermostats

I will replace manual thermostats with smart ones.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 14 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

#29 Wave and Tidal

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of wave and tidal energy.

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

Transport

Test Drive an Electric Bike

#69 Electric Bikes

I will test drive an electric bike at a local distributor to see if it makes sense to use one in place of my car, or to extend the area I can cover by bike.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Explore Other Transport Solutions

All Transport Solutions

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching other Drawdown Transport Solutions.

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
Transport

Half of all trips made in the US are three miles or less; 72% of them are driven. Private vehicles account for 60% of trips of a mile or less. Do you feel that these facts apply to you? If so, how might you incorporate an electric bike into your lifestyle?
Nancy Oliver 4/25/2018 6:45 PM
I’ve been looking at these electric bikes online for about a year now. I used to have a scooter that got ~100mpg but it was heavy and was a 2 stroke engine. I like the idea of a lighter vehicle that I could pedal if it became necessary. Now to find a local dealer.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport

What did you find out? What is the most interesting fact you learned?
Nancy Oliver 4/25/2018 6:42 PM
As a frequent visitor to London, I am impressed with how wonderful it can be to have robust public transportation. Also the walkability of this major city means that legs are often the best mode of transportation. Oh how I wish my little city was so accessible. This has inspired me to check out an electric bike to extend my personal range of self propelled transport.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation

What does your vision of a sustainable community look like? What would need to be changed in order for such vision to become reality?
Nancy Oliver 4/25/2018 9:21 AM
Wow, good info to know if I'm ever caught in a dire situation. Human waste can be used to produce methane gas. It's a bit tricky to catch and compress but good survival skill.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities

Changing lightbulbs is an excellent first step toward energy efficiency! What's next?
Nancy Oliver 4/25/2018 8:38 AM
Our hallway at school just replaced 14 old inefficient fluorescent bulbs with efficient LED bulbs! And it's now much brighter.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings and Cities

How do you anticipate replacing your thermostats for smart ones will positively impact your life?
Nancy Oliver 4/25/2018 8:35 AM
We just put in a new more efficient furnace and along with it an easier to understand programmable thermostat.

Read More
Nancy Oliver 4/25/2018 8:04 AM
This challenge has made me think of many ways to address ecological situations and make improvements in my lifestyle

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Women and Girls

What did you learn about the need for family planning? Share some of the learning with your friends!
Nancy Oliver 4/25/2018 8:02 AM
Unmet need for contraception is a big problem in low to middle-income areas of the world. This results in an undue burden on women of childbearing years to have more children than they can support. Availability, cost and cultural norms all contribute to this problem. It makes it hard on women to provide for their offspring.

Read More
Nancy Oliver 4/25/2018 7:45 AM
So Glad I can go back a few days since I switched to healthier eating I can now get credit for it !

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

How can you take your action a step further?
Nancy Oliver 4/24/2018 7:08 PM
I buy a lot of the paper that is used fo school printing, i will commit to purchase recycled paper. Also i will find uses for paper that has been donated to our school in up coming pring jobs.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

How can you take your commitment to sustainable living beyond yourself? How can you, personally, work toward broader change?
Nancy Oliver 4/24/2018 7:06 PM
I do a lot of printing for the school, I will make a conserted effort to be sure that paper is recycled.

Read More