Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Thea Talamhan

Asheville High School!

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
381 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

105

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

1.0

zero-waste meal

consumed
UP TO

20

meatless or vegan meals

consumed

Thea'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 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

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

COMPLETED 10
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

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

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

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Micro Wind

#76 Micro Wind

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of Micro Wind.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Improve a Bus Stop

#37 Mass Transit

I will improve a bus stop in my neighborhood by posting the stop schedule, adding seating or shelter, adding art or flowers, picking up litter, or some other small improvement.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

#5 Tropical Forests

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Zero-waste Cooking

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 1 meal(s) with zero-waste each day.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 2

#5 Tropical Forests

I will replace or remove products in my current diet that are known to contribute to deforestation.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY 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
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?
Thea Talamhan 4/24/2018 10:25 AM
In Asheville, we could put micro wind turbines on many large buildings in the community such as the BB & T building and the court house. This would bring a clean, off grid energy source to our city. The more micro turbines we implement, the cheaper the overall cost becomes and the solution becomes very feasible.

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?
Thea Talamhan 4/24/2018 9:28 AM
A lot of the foods I love such as chocolate, coffee, meat and eggs are contributing to deforestation. I already avoid palm oil because I know how bad it is for the rainforest. I really need to cut back on the above products and search for more sustainable options such as shade grown coffee.

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!
Thea Talamhan 4/24/2018 9:06 AM
I learned that biomass is helping a city in Oregon, Burns, enormously through the accessible and clean energy it produces. I was initially surprised to see what looked like forest fires, but then I realized they were only burning waste, not harming living things.
I was surprised that its only a bridge solution and not a true, final solution to the issue of energy and fossil fuel use.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food

An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Where would you rather use this money?
Thea Talamhan 4/18/2018 9:49 AM
It's crazy how much food we waste, especially given the issues of malnourishment and under nutrition so prevalent in our country and other nations around the world. I would rather spend the money I use on wasted food on many other things such as college tuition and travel money. Here's the link to a presentation me and Youna did on the topic of food waste!
https://www.powtoon.com/html5-studio/#/edit/cuGJXRhMfaP

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?
Thea Talamhan 4/16/2018 9:25 AM
I'd never heard of silvopasture before now. To me, the biggest advantage is the benefits it brings to the animals and farmers, while simultaneously reducing carbon sequestration. This makes it a win-win solution, because it improves animal welfare, brings revenue to farmers, and helps the environment.

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?
Thea Talamhan 4/12/2018 9:20 AM
I have learned that confusion over the meaning of these dates is a major contributor to food waste. Use by, sell by and best by dates reflect the quality of food, not the safety of food. This means you can definitely still eat food after these dates; just check and make sure it doesnt exhibit signs of spoilage.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials

How do you address your own feelings of concern, fear or despair about climate change?
Thea Talamhan 4/12/2018 9:09 AM
I address my fears about climate change by focusing on small changes I can implement in my daily life. This is an issue that can often seem overwhelming, scary and unsolvable, especially given the current administrations denial that the issue even exists. By educating myself on contributors to climate change and trying to reduce my personal footprint (through more biking, walking, composting, gardening, etc.) I feel better about the issue as a whole.

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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?
Thea Talamhan 4/10/2018 10:31 AM
People in North America eat more meat because meat is generally more expensive and has historically been a luxury item; eating more meat is a way to show off affluence. Now it has been subsidized by the government and fast food places serve meat everywhere; it has become entrenched in American culture and is even associated with virtues such as manliness. To shift this, I think we need to stop offering it so much, stop government subsidies of it, and discourage eating it in ads and in the media.

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- Sarah Duffer 4/10/2018 12:25 PM
  Spot on! Great work!
  
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