Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge 2025

Sally Fender

Asheville High School/SILSA

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
556 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

4.0

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

3.0

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

4.0

miles

traveled by bus
UP TO

4.0

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

1.5

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

85

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

1.0

educational video

watched
UP TO

402

minutes

spent learning

Sally's actions

Health and Education

Watch Drawdown's Climate Solutions 101 Series

Family Planning and Education

I will watch Drawdown’s Climate Solutions 101 and share what I learned with others.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Education

Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

Family Planning and Education

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

Geothermal Power

I will spend at least 35 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 20 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Learn More about Micro Wind

Micro Wind Turbines

I will spend at least 25 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of micro wind.

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

Electricity

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

Ocean Power

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of wave and tidal energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn About Cattle Farming

Improved Cattle Feed; Improved Manure Management

I will spend 50 minutes researching cattle feed and manure management, or visiting a dairy farm to learn about their farming practices.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Support Local Food Systems

Plant-Rich Diets

I will source 33 percent of my food from local producers each day. This could include signing up for a local CSA, buying from a farmer's market, visiting a food co-op, foraging with a local group, or growing my own ingredients.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

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 3
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 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Industry

Research the Climate Impact of Refrigerants

Refrigerant Management

I will spend 60 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

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

Tropical Forest Restoration

I will spend at least 60 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Use Public Transit

Public Transit

I will use public transit 5 miles per day and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY 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

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

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Mulch the Base of Trees and Plants

Farm Irrigation Efficiency

I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency by mulching the base of trees and plants in my yard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Reduce Animal Products

Plant-Rich Diets

I will enjoy 1 meatless or vegan meals each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Industry

Join a Recycling Program

Recycling

I will set up or join a recycling program at my workplace or school.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Electric Cars, Hybrid Cars

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

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?
Sally Fender 4/30/2025 8:01 PM
I learned that due to the lack of the correct services, almost 257 million women who want to avoid pregnancy are not using safe and effective family planning methods. The lack of support that other people may show women and parents makes it more difficult for parents to act and plan effectively and properly. The needs of different people in different places change due to their environment around them. People’s needs change based on how many people they have in their family or what their community is like. Around the world people prioritize different things and so these things go in demand based on where you live.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity

What did you learn about wave and tidal energy? How do they compare to other energy sources?
Sally Fender 4/30/2025 6:21 AM
I learned that tidal energy is the oldest form of energy used by humans. Tidal energy is different from solar and wind energy because it is constantly making energy because tides never stop moving. However it is also different in the sense that not many people use this type of energy because there is no strong guarantee that it will make money or benefit the consumers.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity

Micro 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?
Sally Fender 4/30/2025 5:33 AM
These micro turbines could be placed on cell towers on mountains, they could also be placed on the tops of buildings so that they are very high up.

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!
Sally Fender 4/24/2025 5:42 AM
I had not heard of biomass before I took this challenge. I found it surprising that bioenergy crops like corn are not better than fossil fuel energy in terms of climate and energy impacts.

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?
Sally Fender 4/23/2025 6:12 AM
To invest in geothermal energy it is important to advocate for it to let it be well known. The best way to expand the use of geothermal energy is to let other people know about it and to let them decide on their own if they want to use it. Putting in time or money is also good, but that is something that only you could do, as one person you don't make as much of an impact.

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?
Sally Fender 4/22/2025 3:41 PM
Some examples of the barriers that exist to women's participation and representation would be that women get paid less. For every dollar a man makes a woman gets about 85 cents. When getting the same exact job as a man it is hard to want to continue with that job knowing that there are men who don't work as hard as you, but get paid more than you.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation

Reducing (or eliminating) exhaust emissions and improving public health are two benefits of green vehicles. What other motivators inspire you to consider switching to a more fuel-efficient vehicle?
Sally Fender 4/22/2025 6:30 AM
Other motivators inspiring people to consider switching to more fuel-efficient vehicles would be that you can save a lot of money. Gas for cars is a huge part of the money we spend each day, and bringing the cost down just a little will help it become more affordable.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health and Education

What was an inspiring thing you learned in Drawdown's Climate Solutions 101 Series?
Sally Fender 4/21/2025 7:02 PM
While the world is changing in a bad way, there are also good things that may be inspiring to the growing population. For example, people have longer lives now. Women have fewer children and those kids grow up healthier. People are more literate, people today are more connected, and less violent, and there are so many more things that have changed for the better.

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?
Sally Fender 4/21/2025 6:24 AM
Some benefits coming from smaller serving portions would be that then you don't have to buy as much food, and so you are spending less money that you can save up for other things. Another benefit would be you would be able to feel full without stuffing yourself.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

How can you take your commitment to sustainable living beyond yourself? How can you, personally, work toward broader change?
Sally Fender 4/20/2025 2:40 PM
To make your life around you more sustainable and to make a change in your community, you can go outside and clean your area. This helps the plants and animals, makes the outside clean, and your home will be more beautiful. You can do many other things like recycling, start composting, or by save energy like turning off lights when you don't need to use them.

Read More