Ecochallenge.org and Project Drawdown

Drawdown EcoChallenge

April 4 - April 25, 2018

Katherine Wimmer-Burbic

Asheville High School!

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,547 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

170

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

4.0

public officials or leaders

contacted
UP TO

44

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

17

conversations

with people
UP TO

2.0

documentaries

watched
UP TO

1.0

donation

made
UP TO

0.0

gallons of water

have been saved

Katherine's 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 17
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 22
DAILY ACTIONS

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 16
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

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

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 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

Land Use

Learn about Temperate Forests

#12 Temperate Forests

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the environmental services provided by and the environmental issues affecting temperate forests.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME 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

Materials

Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

#47 Bioplastic

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching how to properly dispose of bioplastics in my city and share this information with 2 friends, family and/or colleagues.

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 2
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Install a Toilet Bank

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will reduce the amount of water flushed and save up to 11 gallons (41 L) of water per day by installing a toilet tank bank.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Host a Film Screening

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

I will host a film screening and discussion about women's and gender equality issues.

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

Buildings and Cities

Plan to Insulate

#31 Insulation

I will find out how to make my home more energy efficient through better insulation and weatherization.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

#46 Water Saving - Home

I will save up to 15 gallons (56 L) of water a day by installing a low-flow showerhead.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Make School More Affordable

#6 Educating Girls

I will raise funds to help make school affordable for girls around the world.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Choose Renewable Energy or Purchase Renewable Energy Credits

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore), #8 Solar Farms

I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option. If my utility does not offer one, I will purchase Renewable Energy Credits to match my usage.

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

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

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

Women and Girls

Fund Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

I will donate to supply a community with reproductive health supplies.

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

Are bamboo alternatives readily available in your community? If not, what are other sustainable alternatives?
Katherine Wimmer-Burbic 4/25/2018 11:55 AM
I am lucky enough to live in a communtiy where bamboo alternatives are very common, so it was much less difficult to buy bamboo instead of wood

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation

What inspires you to act on sustainable energy and other energy issues?
Katherine Wimmer-Burbic 4/25/2018 11:49 AM
I am inspired to act on sustainable energy because I feel that it is better for the planet, but more importantly people's health. In many countries there is so much air pollution from energy/production that it isn't safe to breathe the air without a mask. I think this is something that should change.

Read More
Katherine Wimmer-Burbic 4/24/2018 11:25 AM
I think my biggest concern with our current environmental state is the fact that certain political leaders have moved us backwards in environmental progress, for example, backing out of the Paris Agreement, and that may cost us majorly in the long run. I think people in politics just have to get over the fact that it's not about what benefits them, it's about saving the planet.

Read More
Katherine Wimmer-Burbic 4/24/2018 11:20 AM
I think that if we could switch cultural and social constructs about red meat, we could cut down on our amount of methane produced. Less reliance on red meat, less methane production.

Read More
Katherine Wimmer-Burbic 4/24/2018 11:17 AM
I'm most overwhelmed by temperate forest issues because our forests are being destroyed on sucha large scale so quickly. I am most hopeful about temperate forests because if action is taken immediatley, we can prevent further damage and maybe reverse some of the damage already done.

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?
Katherine Wimmer-Burbic 4/24/2018 11:13 AM
My diet currently impacts deforestation because I happen to buy multiple products with palm oils unknowingly. I can decrease my negative impact by reading labels and buying less products with palm oil in them.

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?
Katherine Wimmer-Burbic 4/23/2018 11:27 AM
I think people in North America eat more meat than other countries, because the people have been fed this idea of Western culture being an all american family eating cheeseburgers in the backyard with a nice house and a seemingly good life. On top of this, acquiring things with meat is very cheap in North America, thanks to major fast food corporations like McDonald's or Wendy's. I think the best way to shift a meat based culture is to change prices on produce and to change this idea of "If meat isn't the center piece of the meal it isn't a meal".

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?
Katherine Wimmer-Burbic 4/23/2018 11:21 AM
It can help people with diabetes or clinical obesity eat more regular portions. It also promotes healthier eating for our counrty, which has the highest obesity percentage in the world (as of July 1st, 2017).

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use

How difficult or easy was it to change your diet?
Katherine Wimmer-Burbic 4/23/2018 11:19 AM
It was reasonably difficult because there are alot of things I had to give up to complete this challenge. However, I'm lucky enough to live in a community where alternatives are reasoably easy to obtain.

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?
Katherine Wimmer-Burbic 4/23/2018 11:17 AM
I worry more about us being a little too late to change it because no matter how many people are now starting to realize the effects we have on the planet, there are twice as many who still don't belive that anything is wrong or that they need to change. However, because actions to help reverse our environmental mistakes are spreading more than ever, I feel even more determined to do things to make change, and even more sure that we can reverse some of the damage we've done.

Read More