Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge 2025

Harper Flanders

Asheville High School/SILSA

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
656 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

15

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

15

miles

traveled by carpool
UP TO

5.0

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

105

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

65

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

498

minutes

spent learning

Harper's actions

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn About Aquaculture

Improved Aquaculture

Each day, I will spend at least 25 minutes learning about sustainable aquaculture.

COMPLETED 12
DAILY ACTIONS

Share Your Story

Share Your Aha Moment

Fill out this form and share your Ecochallenge story with us!

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 32 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Go for a Daily Walk

Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 25 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Land Sinks

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

Tropical Forest Restoration

I will spend at least 45 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

Industry

Practice the 5 Rs

Recycling

I will practice the "5 Rs" — refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle — to reduce my waste more than I can with just recycling alone.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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

Transportation

Try Carpooling

Carpooling

I will commute by carpool 20 miles per day and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY 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
Transportation

List some of the places you frequent often (work, grocery store, natural areas). Could you choose one or two days a week to schedule driving with a friend, neighbor or co-worker to these places?
Harper Flanders 4/12/2025 10:28 AM
I don't know if I could schedule driving these with a friend but I could make sure that I get all my errands done in one trip. Instead of going out multiple times a day, I could suggest to my dad or mom that we could get all of the trips done now. This will save gas and we wont have to drive home as much. Also, I could start carpooling to dance after school with someone. I carpool everyday in the morning but usually in the afternoon I am just by myself. I am going to ask my dance friend in the upcoming weeks if she wants a ride to dance after school.

Read More
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?
Harper Flanders 4/12/2025 6:59 AM
When I am practicing mindfulness while I am eating I am able to focus more. I am able to better dicern the portion size that I want, which helps me to reduce food waste. When I am eating mindfully I am more in tune with my hunger and fullness cues, so I am not overeating. When I am free of distractions I build a more concious relationship with food. My meals feel more nurturing and intentional. I also feel more gratefull for my food when I am paying extra attention to it.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

What are some more "Rs" you could add to your daily practice to reduce your waste?
Harper Flanders 4/12/2025 6:53 AM
One new "R" that I could add to my daily practice is refusing. I can start saying no to things I don't need like plastic straws, freebies, and exees packaging. I also want to start repurposing. Instead of just recycling the cans that I use maybe I could repurpose them and make them into something cool. Another thing I could do is to repair broken items instead of replacing them. My goal is to form these habits in order to reduce my daily waste.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

What did you learn about the climate impact of refrigerants? How do supermarkets contribute to this impact?
Harper Flanders 4/11/2025 12:11 PM
I learned that improper handling of refrigerants or failure to recycle leads to their release into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. Supermarkets heavily contribute to these emissions because they operate large scale refrigeration and air conditioning systems. These systems rely on HFCs or similar substances. By transitioning to natural refrigerants with less warming potential and implementing strict management rules, supermarkets could drastically reduce their contributions to global warming.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

What are some attributes of an offset that you should consider before purchasing them?
Harper Flanders 4/09/2025 7:50 AM
When purchasing carbon offsets it's important to check for certification standards like Gold Standard or VCS. . This will ensure that the product meets environmental standards. You also want to make sure that the offset represents a project that would not have occurred without the carbon offset funding, meaning it truly contributes to reducing emissions. Thinking about the permanence of the project is also important. You should ensure that the carbon reduction is long lasting such as reforestation efforts or renewable energy projects

It is also important to make sure the offset project is open about its activities. Co-benefits like biodiversity preservation or community development, are also significant factors. These things ensure that the project delivers positive effects beyond carbon reduction. In general, paying attention to your purchases and doing research is very important when considering purchasing/supporting an offset.

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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?
Harper Flanders 4/08/2025 7:44 AM
I learned that family planning is essential for attaining the desired amount of children and avoiding accidental pregnancies and large population growth. Improving access to family planning and reproductive health education services globally can help to prevent maternal deaths and reduce unintended pregnancies. Right now, the need for family planning is stronger than ever with the restricted range of contraceptives available.
Family planning can vary across the globe and is influenced by factors like cultural norms, access to healthcare, and economic conditions. Developed countries often prioritize comprehensive reproductive health education whereas developing countries may struggle to provide basic access due to limited resources and infrastructure. Despite this, developing countries, like America, still have limited access to contraceptives and education, especially lower income communities.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Health and Education

What are some of the barriers that exist to women's equal participation and/or representation in your community?
Harper Flanders 4/07/2025 8:01 AM
Some barriers that exist to women's equal participation/representation in my community include decreased access to abortion as well as the underrepresentation of women owned businesses. Despite these factors I feel that in Asheville there is less gender inequality than other towns might have. I think that Asheville is a pretty open and accepting place but I am only seeing this from where I stand. There may be many examples of gender inequality in Asheville that I am unaware of and I want to keep my eye out for women's underrepresentation. By better understanding women's participation and representation in my community I will better be able to address the problem. Also, I am not in the workforce therefore I don't have a very good view of how women are treated versus men in that kind of environment.

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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?
Harper Flanders 4/04/2025 1:50 PM
I have noticed all of the spring flowers and leaves that are coming back. I have also been seeing a lot of squirels and I even saw a white one the other day! I really enjoy looking at the mountains around me and taking in the fresh air. One infastructure change that would make my walks more enjoyable is having more trees. There are still a lot of trees where I lie but many people have cut them down on their property. I think my walks would be more enjoyable if people stopped cutting down the trees. It would also be nice if the roads were paved better because they are very bumpy, old, and worn down.

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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?
Harper Flanders 4/04/2025 1:40 PM
One way to ensure climate action plans are socially just is ensuring historically marginalized groups are actively involved in the planning of climate action. By communicating with these groups we could find a way to ensure housing remains affordable while also being environmentally sustainable. Cities should also make sure that climate action plans include investments in public transportation that are affordable and accessible to everyone, particularly low incline individuals.

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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?
Harper Flanders 4/03/2025 10:31 AM
I can make choices that help protect them by being mindful about the products that i buy. I can choose sustainably scorched palm oil and paper products certified by environmental friendly organizations. Reducing overall products linked to deforestation and land degradation will help protect these places, even from far away.

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