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Welcome to Drawdown EcoChallenge!

Watch the short video below to learn the basics.
You'll be an Drawdown EcoChallenge expert in no time!

Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown
Drawdown EcoChallenge
April 4 - April 25, 2018
William Smith's avatar

William Smith

Asheville High School!

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 361 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    105
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    3.0
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    9.0
    lightbulbs
    replaced

William's actions

Food

Smaller Portions

#3 Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 1
DAILY ACTION

Women and Girls

Support Women-Owned Businesses

#62 Women Smallholders

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

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Food

composting

#60 Composting, #3 Reduced Food Waste

I will start a compost bin where I live.

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 1
DAILY ACTION

Women and Girls

Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

#6 Educating Girls, #7 Family Planning, #62 Women Smallholders

I will spend at least 90 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Eliminate Toxic Plastics

#47 Bioplastic

I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl and instead replace them with bioplastic or durable options.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

#33 LED Lighting (Household)

I will replace 9 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

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

COMPLETED 1
DAILY 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 1
DAILY ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Replace Manual Thermostats

#57 Smart Thermostats

I will replace manual thermostats with smart ones.

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?

  • William Smith's avatar
    William Smith 4/25/2018 7:21 AM
    I'm late to the game, and wish I had started earlier this year.  Next year, I hope to participate.  Go AHS!
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials
    What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?
    William Smith's avatar
    William Smith 4/25/2018 7:18 AM
    I've reduced most, but I could use a reuasable bag each day for lunch instead of a plastic bag.  I could keep the bags in the car for shopping instead of the laundry room.  Then I'd always have them.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials
    How can you take your action a step further?
    William Smith's avatar
    William Smith 4/25/2018 7:17 AM
    I can encourage my colleagues to do the same.  I can work to have as many school assignments electronic and paper-free.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials
    How could you incorporate other "R's" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle?
    William Smith's avatar
    William Smith 4/25/2018 7:16 AM
    I will strive to recycle other non-consumable items (clothes, books, cd) by getting them back in the local economy.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Buildings and Cities
    How do you anticipate replacing your thermostats for smart ones will positively impact your life?
    William Smith's avatar
    William Smith 4/25/2018 7:12 AM
    It will be well-worth the investment.  I see now that we can have the heat go off when we leave for the day or weekend.  We also travel extensively in December, and can program it to just give enough heat to keep pipes from freezing.  We don't have AC.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Women and Girls
    Globally, women typically invest a higher proportion of their earnings in their families and communities than men. How can you better support communities by supporting women?
    William Smith's avatar
    William Smith 4/25/2018 7:11 AM
    I always do this (Whist, Early Girl, Sunny Point, Farmer Jane, Kamibashi, Malaprops).  It's easy in Asheville because we have a vibrant local business community.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Women and Girls
    What are some of the barriers that exist to women's equal participation and/or representation in your community?
    William Smith's avatar
    William Smith 4/25/2018 7:10 AM
    The male-dominated society.  As a white, male teacher, I've focused this past 2 week unit on Women's Voices, teaching only female-authored short stories, and essays about gender equity.  I teach a class that is primarily female, so this seemed important.  Our Speech & Debate team is primarily female, so we have been having discussions about how to establish norms to prevent discriminatory behavior in competition.
    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?
    William Smith's avatar
    William Smith 4/25/2018 7:07 AM
    It's about using resources, respecting life, and the environment.  I figure if I can't stand to raise, hunt, or butcher my food, I probably shouldn't eat it.
    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?
    William Smith's avatar
    William Smith 4/25/2018 7:01 AM
    My health to be sure.  Just eating less (or choosing to eat half a plate and take the rest for tomorrow's leftovers) will make a huge difference on my waistline.
    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?
    William Smith's avatar
    William Smith 4/25/2018 7:00 AM
    I'm going to keep everything to the Use By date.  And use the smell test for anything past the Sell by and Best by dates.
    Read More