Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Collier Pate

Asheville High School!

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
970 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

205

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

4.0

public officials or leaders

contacted
UP TO

22

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

1.0

conversation

with a person
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched

Collier's actions

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 1 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 22
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Support Nutrient Management

#65 Nutrient Management

I will buy from organic and local farmers who have made the decision to not use synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.

COMPLETED 22
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

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 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

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

#47 Bioplastic

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching how to properly dispose of bioplastics in my city and share this information with 1 friends, family and/or colleagues.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Learn about Temperate Forests

#12 Temperate Forests

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the environmental services provided by and the environmental issues affecting temperate forests.

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

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

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

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

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?
Collier Pate 4/25/2018 12:19 PM
Some specific ways in which the environmental impacts of my own lifestyle being shifted elsewhere are by reusing plastic containers instead of one time plastic bags and not using one time plastic water bottles anymore. Water conservation is also important and I would use least amount of water as possible.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation

What inspires you to act on sustainable energy and other energy issues?
Collier Pate 4/25/2018 12:15 PM
What inspires me to act on sustainable energy and other energy issues the most is realizing that we all play a pert in helping the earth no matter the job we do

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?
Collier Pate 4/24/2018 11:53 AM
I still won’t really pay any attention to the use by, and best by dates unless I forget something in the fridge or pantry for a while.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

What concerns you the most about how we are affecting the planet? Consider both local and global actions.
Collier Pate 4/24/2018 11:50 AM
What concerns me the most about how we are affecting the planet is the use of carbon emissions and greenhouse gasses. In both global and local locations we are spreading carbon emissions and pollution in the air at a rate that we cannot control.

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?
Collier Pate 4/24/2018 11:43 AM
As I learn more about the scope and seriousness of the environmental challenges we face, I've realized the impact that each of us have on the environment is very important based on our thinking and actions. The most overwhelming parts are using less energy on day to day bases, I never realized how much energy I used until I lost power. I have hope in the electric car market

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?
Collier Pate 4/18/2018 11:38 AM
I feel like i am causing a part of deforestation in third world countries based on my diet everyday. I can decrease my negative impact on deforestation by watching what items purchase and what ingredients are in it.

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?
Collier Pate 4/17/2018 12:11 PM
Passive energy seems like the more reasonable energy source for me. The reason I choose passive energy for my investment is because I don't have a huge house and much property to build and active energy source on. Building an passive energy source would be a great investment because I would save money on the energy bill and have a energy source that is better for the planet.

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!
Collier Pate 4/16/2018 11:24 AM
I have not heard of biomass technology before taking this class. What surprised me the most was how much energy you could save and create so much energy just by burning biomass

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?
Collier Pate 4/13/2018 11:33 AM
I had never heard of silvopasture. The biggest advantage of a silvopasture is Fertilization from the animals and nutrients from the plants. Both the animals and the plants co exist with each other and help each other survive by each providing nutrients

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?
Collier Pate 4/12/2018 11:23 AM
My vision of a sustainable community looks like one that has electric transportation causing less energy use. Another vision would be having community gardens in neighborhoods so that people would be less reliant on buying food from the grocery store, instead of growing their own. For a major change in electric transportation, we would need to have family affordable electric cars from reliable name brands like Tesla.

Read More