Katherine Byassee
5/17/2024 11:41 AM
I would rather use this money to either feed other people who need it or just support organisations that do good work for people who need it.
Katherine Byassee
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 135 THIS WEEK
- 351 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO9.0meatless or vegan mealsconsumed
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UP TO30minutesspent exercising
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UP TO9.0conversationswith people
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UP TO185minutesspent learning
Katherine's actions
Health and Education
Research Barriers to Participation and Representation
Family Planning and Education
I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.
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.
Health and Education
Learn about the Need for Family Planning
Family Planning and Education
I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.
Electricity
Learn More About Geothermal Energy
Geothermal Power
I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.
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.
Electricity
Learn More about Biomass
Biomass Power
I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.
Transportation
Go for a Daily Walk
Walkable Cities
I will take a walk for 10 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.
Land Sinks
Research Peatlands
Peatland Protection and Rewetting
I will spend 30 minutes researching the environmental benefits of peatlands and what is being done around the world to conserve and restore them.
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
Reduce Animal Products
Plant-Rich Diets
I will enjoy 2 meatless or vegan meals each day of the challenge.
Industry
Research Local Waste and Recycling Depots
To learn more about what is and is not recyclable in our area as well as how to properly dispose of hard to recycle materials to reduce my harmful impacts on the local environment AND learn how indigenous peoples and POC are more likely to be impacted by waste sites and pollution on a global scale.
Industry
Research the Climate Impact of Refrigerants
Refrigerant Management
I will spend 30 minutes learning about the climate impact of refrigerants and what climate-friendly refrigerants are by using the links below.
Electricity
Spread the Word about Energy Alternatives
All Electricity Solutions
I will research and tell 3 people each day about the benefits of alternative energy sources like wind turbines, solar energy, geothermal energy, and methane digesters.
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates
Reduced Food Waste
I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.
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?
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REFLECTION QUESTIONFood, Agriculture, and Land Use Reduce Food WasteAn 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?
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REFLECTION QUESTIONHealth and Education Research Barriers to Participation and RepresentationWhat are some of the barriers that exist to women's equal participation and/or representation in your community?
Katherine Byassee 5/17/2024 11:39 AMSome of the barriers to women's equal participation and/or representation on a global scale are the burdens of social expectations like taking care of your siblings, having children, taking care of your husband, and then taking care of his and your parents. Other barriers to exist are things like the wage gap which means even if you are able to secure a job as a woman, you will not be paid the same as the men, or treated the same in the workplace. For the representation aspect of women's equal participation on a global scale, lots of countries do not allow women to be any sort of political figure, much less a high up one. For my community I feel that it is pretty good because all of the people who were running for sophomore class president were all women, and there are pads and tampons in all of the bathrooms which is a life saver. I do feel that our country could make more steps towards having a female president or having more women in congress and senate. These barriers exist because of misogyny and men feeling that they are better or deserve more than women, and the dehumanization and objectification of women. I think that we can address these barriers by having more education in developing countries about women's reproductive health, and more access to normal education like school by allowing women to be in public while on their period and not considered dirty. I also think that we would need to fix how men see women as sexual objects or mothers, and to turn that narrative around so more women can continue to succeed. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONHealth and Education Learn about the Need for Family PlanningWhat did you learn about the need for family planning? How do the needs of different people in different places compare to each other?
Katherine Byassee 5/15/2024 10:26 AMWhat I learned about the need for family planning is that, without family planning, our earth will quickly become overpopulated and will accelerate the warming and dying of the earth. Family planning will also allow everyone on our earth to have the resources they need leading to a better quality of life. The last thing that I have learned about the need for family planning is that we need family planning to ensure that any of the people living on our earth will have a future.
The needs of different people in different places compares to each other with a pretty big disparity right now. I say this because if I a woman living in a wealthy country needed or wanted contraceptives I could go to my nearest CVS or Walgreens i'm pretty sure and grab some, but people in less wealthy countries would not have that easy access to contraceptives. Women in other lower wealth countries also already have a lower quality of life, so adding a child to that will just make the child and parents' life worse. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONElectricity Learn More About Geothermal EnergyGeothermal 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?
Katherine Byassee 5/14/2024 9:57 AMWays that I can invest in geothermal energy is by voting for politicians that support it and by installing geothermal energy in my own home, and then by supporting advocacy campaigns or by making my own campaign. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONElectricity Learn More about Micro WindMicro 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?
Katherine Byassee 5/14/2024 9:10 AMMicro turbines could be installed in high up places that do not bother other people but also have lots of access to wind. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONElectricity Learn More about BiomassHad 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!
Katherine Byassee 5/09/2024 9:53 AMI had not ever heard of biomass technology before this, what surprised me was all of the unconventional materials that could be used to make energy. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONTransportation Go for a Daily WalkWhat have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?
Katherine Byassee 5/08/2024 8:54 AMI have noticed lots of flora and fauna on my walk that has been a joy to see, I have also enjoyed seeing my neighbors cats roam. The infrastructure that would make my walks more enjoyable is more side walks since only part of my walks have sidewalks. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONLand Sinks Research PeatlandsMuch of Indonesia's peatlands have been drained so they could be replaced with palm oil or pulp and paper plantations. How can you make choices that help to protect peatlands, even if you live far away from one?
Katherine Byassee 5/03/2024 9:14 AMI can make choices to help protect peatlands even from afar by continuing to educate myself on the topic, donating to organizations that support peatlands, or by spreading awareness myself on the subject. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood, Agriculture, and Land Use Reduce Animal ProductsWhy do people in richer countries eat more meat than people in other places? How does eating more meat affect our bodies, our planet, and other people?
Katherine Byassee 5/02/2024 9:44 AMPeople in richer countries eat more meat than people in other places because meat costs more to make and eat, plants are also just grown and then fed to people where animals need to eat plants and take up resources to be fed to people. Eating meat affects our bodies by clogging up our arteries with fat blockages that can cause heart issues, affects our planet by adding more greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere that cause more global warming, and affects other people by hurting our planet where we all live. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONIndustry Research the Climate Impact of RefrigerantsWhat did you learn about the climate impact of refrigerants? How do supermarkets contribute to this impact?
Katherine Byassee 4/30/2024 2:30 PMI learned that refrigerants may seem fun and are helpful in certain circumstances, they cause major issues for our ozone layer and can lead to global warming. Supermarkets contribute to this impact because their refrigeration systems leak lots of refrigerants into the atmosphere every year.