Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge

October 1 - October 31, 2023

Gus Levin

Asheville High School

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
291 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

12

more servings

of fruits and vegetables
UP TO

170

minutes

spent learning

Gus's actions

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

More Fruits And Veggies

I will eat a heart healthy diet by adding 1 cups of fruits and vegetables each day to achieve at least 4 cups per day.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Smaller Portions

Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Reduce Food Waste

Reduced Food Waste

I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during Drawdown Ecochallenge, either because it went bad before I ate it, I put too much on my plate, or it was scraps from food preparation, and commit to reducing my food waste throughout the challenge.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity

Learn More about Micro Wind

Micro Wind Turbines

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Research the Climate Impact of Refrigerants

Refrigerant Management

I will spend 45 minutes learning about the climate impact of refrigerants and what climate-friendly refrigerants are by using the links below.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

Geothermal Power

I will spend at least 45 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Learn More about Biomass

Biomass Power

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

Tropical Forest Restoration

I will spend at least 33 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Learn More about Silvopasture

Silvopasture

I will spend at least 15 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Learn about Temperate Forests

Temperate Forest Restoration

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

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 Sinks

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?
Gus Levin 10/31/2023 8:08 AM
I am more careful with what I do and I make sure that I am not doing something that could negatively affect the environment. When we learn something serious that could cause harm to our environment and people's/animals lives it can feel overwhelming. The parts that feel hopeful are the solutions to the problems and what people are doing to stop disasters.

Read More
- Anan Srivilai 10/31/2023 8:10 AM
  We face so many environmental challenges and it significantly changed how I make my decision in shopping or doing daily activities. Such as when I go camping, I always use eco-friendly or reusable dishes to reduce waste.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks

Had you heard of the term "silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?
Gus Levin 10/31/2023 7:44 AM
I had never heard of the term silvopasture but I think it is a great Idea that has a lot of benefits, personally I think that the biggest advantage of a silvopasture is that it is humane to the livestock and lets them have a good time to be shaded and hidden from the wind

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity

Had you ever heard of biomass technology before you took this challenge? What did you learn that surprised you? Share your new knowledge with your friends!
Gus Levin 10/25/2023 7:42 AM
I had heard of biomass technology before this but I didn't know the specifics about it and what it does exactly. It surprises me because of how renewable it is and how it is carbon friendly.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity

Geothermal energy is reliable, abundant, and efficient. Project Drawdown states that public investment will play a crucial role in its expansion. In what ways (i.e. with money, time, advocacy) can you invest in geothermal energy?
Gus Levin 10/24/2023 7:48 AM
Passive seems the most viable because lawmakers can give property owners incentives like tax credits which will reduce the money they spend out of pocket to get passive geothermal installed in their buildings.

For active geothermal, lawmakers can pass policies that help businesses pay for large scale active geothermal power plants to be built.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

What did you learn about the climate impact of refrigerants? How do supermarkets contribute to this impact?
Gus Levin 10/17/2023 7:22 AM
I learned what refrigerants do for the environment and the negative and positive impacts that they have. supermarkets contribute to that impact because CFC's are used to make refrigerators which is bad and supermarkets need to keep a lot of food cold.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

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 from eating/serving smaller portions?
Gus Levin 10/17/2023 7:08 AM
a better more healthy diet and less of a cost for food.

Read More