Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge 2025

Aleena Bennett

Asheville High School/SILSA

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
396 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

20

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

1.0

donation

made
UP TO

25

women, BIPOC, and immigrant-owned businesses

supported
UP TO

504

minutes

spent learning

Aleena's actions

Electricity

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

Geothermal Power

I will spend at least 25 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 30 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn About Aquaculture

Improved Aquaculture

Each day, I will spend at least 30 minutes learning about sustainable aquaculture.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

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

Transportation

Explore Other Transportation Solutions

All Transportation Solutions

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching other Drawdown Transportation Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 1
DAILY ACTION

Industry

Recycle Everything I Can

Recycling; Recycled Metals; Recycled Plastics

Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will research and recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community, including electronics and metals.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Eat Mindfully

Reduced Food Waste

I will eat all of my meals without distractions, e.g., phone, computer, TV, or newspaper.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Health and Education

Support Businesses Owned by Women, POC, or Immigrants

Sustainable Intensification for Smallholders

I will spend 30 minutes researching and shopping from 20 businesses owned by women, people of color, or immigrants.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Education

Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

Family Planning and Education

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Building With Carbon Storing Waste Products

Engineered Sinks

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching how people can build with carbon-storing materials - including agricultural byproducts - and discuss it with my peers or post to social media.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Learn about Biochar

Biochar Production

I will spend 25 minutes learning about biochar and how it can help sequester carbon.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Research Heat Pumps

High-Efficiency Heat Pumps

I will spend at least 25 minutes researching heat pumps to see if installing one makes sense for my home/building.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Education

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

Family Planning and Education

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Research Retrofitting Incentives

Building Retrofitting

I will spend at least 25 minutes finding out if my city, region, state, or country offers incentives for retrofitting existing buildings.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Support Indigenous Peoples' Land Management

Indigenous Peoples' Forest Tenure

I will donate to Native American Rights Fund, which protects tribal natural resources and environmental rights and promotes Native American Human Rights.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

Ocean Power

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of wave and tidal energy.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion

Multiple Industry Solutions

I will learn about sustainable fashion and begin practicing it in my own life.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Learn about 'Green Gentrification'

Multiple Solutions

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning about green gentrification and how it relates to city planning for climate action.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

Tropical Forest Restoration

I will spend at least 40 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn About Cattle Farming

Improved Cattle Feed; Improved Manure Management

I will spend 70 minutes researching cattle feed and manure management, or visiting a dairy farm to learn about their farming practices.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Research the Climate Impact of Refrigerants

Refrigerant Management

I will spend 40 minutes learning about the climate impact of refrigerants and what climate-friendly refrigerants are by using the links below.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Learn More about Silvopasture

Silvopasture

I will spend at least 29 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

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
Health and Education

What did you learn about the need for family planning? How do the needs of different people in different places compare to each other?
Aleena Bennett 4/30/2025 7:18 PM
I learned that family planning is essential for promoting reproductive health, empower individuals to make informed decisions about when and how many children to have. The needs of different people can vary significantly; for example, in some developing countries, access to contraception and education may be limited, while in more developed regions, the focus might be on balancing career and family life.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings

How can you share what you have learned in your research with others?
Aleena Bennett 4/30/2025 7:09 PM
I have learned that in the United States the federal government gives money back to people who retrofit their buildings.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings

Why is taking action on climate change important to you? Why do you care?
Aleena Bennett 4/30/2025 6:59 PM
Taking action on climate change is important to me because it is making the world suffer horribly. I care because I don't want to see the world suffer just because us humans can't get it together.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Can biochar provide additional benefits besides sequestering carbon?
Aleena Bennett 4/30/2025 6:50 PM
Yes, biochar can provide several additional benefits besides sequestering carbon. It improves soil health by enhancing nutrient retention, increasing water holding capacity and promoting beneficial microbial activity. Additionally, biochar can help reduce soil acidity, leading to better crop yields and contributing to sustainable agricultural practices.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Indigenous speaker and activist Winona LaDuke says that, "most indigenous ceremonies, if you look to their essence, are about the restoration of balance — they are a reaffirmation of our relationship to creation. That is our intent: to restore, and then to retain balance and honor our part in creation." Why is balance important to sustainability?
Aleena Bennett 4/30/2025 6:37 PM
Balance is important to sustainability because the more we keep polluting the more unbalanced it will become which will make everything harder to manage.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation

What did you find out? What is the most interesting fact you learned?
Aleena Bennett 4/30/2025 6:06 PM
Exploring transportation solutions for helping the environment, I found that options like, bike, walking, carpooling, and using public transit can significantly reduce carbon footprints. One of the most interesting facts I learned is that electric vehicles can produce far fewer emissions over their lifetime compared to traditional gas-powered cars, especially when charged with renewable sources.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health and Education

Which businesses that you researched are you excited to support? Are you already supporting businesses that you didn't know were owned by women, people of color, or immigrants?
Aleena Bennett 4/30/2025 9:18 AM
Out of the businesses that I researched I am mostly excited to support Soulku which is a local jewelry business owned by a bunch of moms. I didn't know that Kendra Scott was owned by a woman. I thought it was one of those brands that uses just a name but is actually owned by a man.

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?
Aleena Bennett 4/30/2025 8:54 AM
Eating smaller portions, especially when you use smaller plates, can be really helpful for more than just cutting down on food waste. It can help you keep your blood sugar levels in check, make you feel fuller for longer, and help you manage your weight better. It also can save you money on food! Plus, eating smaller portions can help you focus more on your food and help your digestion work better.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

How could you incorporate other "Rs" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle? How does considering implementing these "Rs" make you feel?
Aleena Bennett 4/30/2025 8:43 AM
Incorporating the "Rs" into my lifestyle can be done by consciously choosing to reduce waste, reuse items whenever possible, refuse single-use plastics, repair broken items instead of discarding them, and repurpose materials for new uses. Implementing these practices would make me feel empowered and responsible, knowing that I am contributing positively to the environment and promoting sustainability.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Mindful eating is healthier for us than eating with distractions. How does your eating experience differ when practicing mindfulness?
Aleena Bennett 4/30/2025 8:32 AM
Mindful eating helps me savor each bite and enhances my appreciation for flavors and textures. Eating with distractions often leads to mindless consumption and disconnect from the body's hunger cues. I realise that when I am not paying attention to what I am eating I usually am hungrier after which makes me want more.

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