Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge 2025

Lilah Butcher

Asheville High School/SILSA

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
566 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

135

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

80

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

427

minutes

spent learning

Lilah's actions

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Composting

Composting, Reduced Food Waste

I will start a compost or worm bin where I live.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

Tropical Forest Restoration

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 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.

COMPLETED
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.

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

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Learn about Carbon Offsets

I will spend 30 minutes learning about carbon offsets, and why they are a necessary solution in combating a climate crisis.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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.

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 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Go for a Daily Walk

Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 20 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Tend A Garden

Conservation Agriculture

I will tend to a garden, or prepare for one, each day using sustainable gardening practices.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Land Sinks

Learn More about Silvopasture

Silvopasture

I will spend at least 30 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
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?
Lilah Butcher 4/21/2025 9:36 AM
I have seen silvopasture practiced before but I didn’t know the name for it until now.I think the biggest benefit of silvopasture in the future will be the protection from the heat and sun that cattle will get. Global warming is getting worse and not only is this going to reduce carbon emissions but it will also provide natural protection for the cattle from the heat. It is expensive and slow to get silvopasture started. I think the prospect of that much money and that much time is going to be too daunting for a lot of farmers. Not only that but if it is not a stable forest ecosystem the addition of livestock can be harmful to the trees.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?
Lilah Butcher 4/21/2025 9:31 AM
Knowing the difference between a use be, sell by and best by dates allow you to make more educated decisions because these things give you different information and when you know the difference between them you will be less likely to throw away good food and not mistake it for being expired.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation

What have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?
Lilah Butcher 4/20/2025 4:51 PM
I had already had the habit of going on walks all of the days that I didn't have dance and I enjoyed walking every day. It was a good excuse to go outside and enjoy the warm weather and get in some physical exercise.

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?
Lilah Butcher 4/20/2025 4:47 PM
Aside from the environmental benefit of using smaller portions, other benefits are reducing waste, conserving energy by not making too much food, and in some peoples cases health benefits.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

What did you learn about the climate impact of refrigerants? How do supermarkets contribute to this impact?
Lilah Butcher 4/13/2025 7:29 AM
I learned that refrigerators use harmful chemicals to work and they can’t just be recycled anywhere. Supermarkets contribute to this impact because they use massive refrigerators and maybe don’t always dispose of them the right way.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

What are some attributes of an offset that you should consider before purchasing them?
Lilah Butcher 4/09/2025 9:23 AM
Carbon offsets on paper are a great thing that encourage companies to make choices that better the environment but there is a risk of them being misused or leaked.

Read More
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?
Lilah Butcher 4/08/2025 9:41 AM
I learned that the need for family planning is greater than ever with the population growing at the rate that it is and that if everyone had access to family planning maternal death rates could be reduced by ¼. the need different because in low- income, or third world countries the need for family planning may be even more than in well developed countries, because access to healthcare, education or resources may be harder to come by. The need may also be greater in countries with a greater population, because more people means less access to resources.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health and Education

What are some of the barriers that exist to women's equal participation and/or representation in your community?
Lilah Butcher 4/07/2025 9:46 AM
Some barriers that women face in my community is the wage gap, the cost of living in America is incredibly high and the wage gap for women can be incredibly challenging. I also think that because of the wage gap there is more of a need to have multiple people working to make money and pay bills, which can put more pressure on a woman to get married or find a partner to support her.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings

Cities and towns need to plan for climate change. How can your city or town make its climate action plans equitable and socially just?
Lilah Butcher 4/07/2025 7:27 AM
I think the best thing my city can do is do things like changing the infrastructure in buildings in downtown, like adding green roofs, or making the roads more eco-friendly. That way there won’t be major changes made in residential areas so people’s house values won't change as much.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks

Much 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?
Lilah Butcher 4/03/2025 9:47 AM
I can help by not buying products that contain palm oil and reduce the amount of paper I use or waste. If the demand for the product goes down then there will be no more need for the product and palm and paper plantations will stop being made.

Read More