"I joined the Drawdown Eco Challenge to explore practical, everyday actions I can take to help address the climate crisis. My goal is to learn impactful strategies that I can incorporate into my routine and inspire more sustainable habits in both my life and community."
POINTS TOTAL
0
TODAY
75
THIS WEEK
156
TOTAL
participant impact
UP TO
75
minutes
being mindful
UP TO
180
minutes
spent exercising
UP TO
120
minutes
spent outdoors
UP TO
30
minutes
spent learning
Sasha's actions
Transportation
Go for a Daily Walk
Walkable Cities
I will take a walk for 30 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.
COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS
Land Sinks
Explore My Area
Sometimes protecting nature requires feeling connected to nature. I will invest 30 minutes in exploring and appreciating a natural area in my region, whether a forest, wetland, coastal area, or somewhere else.
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
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 0
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 1
DAILY ACTION
Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks
Research Bottom-Trawling Seafloor Impacts
Seafloor Protection
Each day, I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about how bottom-trawling impacts on the seafloor.
COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS
Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks
Visit the Coast
Macroalgae Protection and Restoration
I will visit a coastal or ocean site to experience the ecosystem and look for the presence of macroalgae/seaweed.
UNCOMPLETED
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
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
What was the most interesting thing to learn about sustainable aquaculture practices?
One of the most interesting things to learn about sustainable aquaculture practices is that over half of the seafood we eat today is farmed rather than caught in the wild, through a method called aquaculture. This is important because wild fish populations around the world are declining due to overfishing, poor resource management, climate change, and unsustainable consumption habits. Aquaculture can reduce the pressure on these wild populations by providing an alternative source of seafood, but only when done responsibly. Sustainable aquaculture involves using farming techniques that minimize environmental harm, such as managing wastewater to prevent the spread of disease and water pollution, and using feed that doesn’t rely heavily on wild fish. It also includes using more selective fishing gear that reduces bycatch, the unintentional capture of other marine species, and avoids damaging ocean habitats like coral reefs. Additionally, sustainable practices ensure that the people working in the seafood industry have fair, safe conditions. Governments play a crucial role by setting and enforcing regulations that promote responsible farming and fishing. Consumers also have power: by choosing sustainably sourced seafood, people can support environmentally friendly practices and encourage producers to protect ocean ecosystems for future generations (Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, 2025).
Spending more time outdoors has completely transformed the way I connect with my hometown. It’s no longer just the place I grew up, but a living, breathing landscape with its own story. On a recent hike through Portuguese Bend, I saw massive cracks in the earth and found that my favorite childhood trail to Abalone Cove was now closed—a powerful reminder of how quickly and unpredictably the land is shifting. Being out there, surrounded by nature’s quiet force, deepened my appreciation for this place in a way I never could have gained from afar.
Over the weekend, I went on a hike with friends around Portuguese Bend in my hometown of Palos Verdes, a landscape I have been familiar with for most of my life but recently began to view through a different lens. While I have always known that the land in this area is geologically active, I had not fully grasped the extent of its recent transformation. The scale and speed of land movement over the past year are striking. Deep fissures have formed along the ground, major trails are now closed, and large portions of the peninsula are cordoned off with warning signs stating: Hazard. No beach access. No trail access.
For me, one of the most personally impactful closures is the trail to Abalone Cove, a hike I grew up taking frequently, now entirely inaccessible due to ground instability.
Despite these changes, the hike we were able to complete offered stunning views and a powerful reminder of the dynamic force of nature. The experience underscored the reality that, regardless of human intervention, natural processes, particularly geological ones, often operate beyond our control.
Along the trail, we encountered several historical plaques dating back to 2000 that highlight the natural and cultural history of Palos Verdes, Portuguese Bend, and Santa Catalina Island. Although the plaques have become difficult to read due to weathering, I took the time to interpret and transcribe them to the best of my ability. I’ve included those translations below for anyone interested in learning more about the region’s ecological and geological significance.
Plaque 1
Portuguese Bend
The Palos Verdes Peninsula is an uplifted block of land forced out of the sea at a rate of about 4 millimeters per year during the last 2 million years. Once an island, the peninsula is encircled by thirteen wave-cut terraces. These broad “benches” were cut out of the rock by ocean waves when the rising land was still at sea level.
Portuguese Point is surrounded by the active Abalone Cove and Portuguese Bend landslides and stands as a sentinel against the waves of the Pacific Ocean. The strata on the Portuguese Point illustrate layered resistant basalt capped by Altamira Shale that can be seen dipping toward the coast. The toe contains an abundance of rock formations that create tide pools that are especially evident during the low tide. Portuguese Point is illustrative of the geology found on the peninsula.
Portuguese Bend received its name because of the Portuguese whaling company that operated on the peninsula in the middle of the nineteenth century.
December 2000
Plaque 2 Palos Verdes Peninsula Habitat
The Palos Verdes Peninsula supports a plant community called coastal bluff scrub that contains elements of coastal sage scrub. Coastal sage scrub plant communities are composed of soft, woody sub-shrubs. The coastal sage scrub seen at this site is dominated by lemonadeberry (Rhus integrifolia), California sagebrush (Artemisia californica), California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), and small amounts of cactus.
The California sagebrush and California buckwheat are the natural habitat of a bird called the coastal California Gnatcatcher. Indigenous to the coastal zones of California, the California Gnatcatcher is a threatened species that feeds on insects gleaned from California sagebrush and buckwheat. The California Gnatcatcher maintains a year-round territory but stays within a home range during the breeding season. Since these areas of the Peninsula maintain California sagebrush, keep an eye out for a California Gnatcatcher, like the one pictured to the left.
December 2000
Plaque 3
Santa Catalina Island
Located approximately 20 miles from the mainland, Santa Catalina Island rises 2,000 feet above sea level, approximately 500 feet higher than the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The island is over 20 miles long, making it one of the largest of the eight California Channel Islands. People have inhabited Santa Catalina Island for at least 7,000 years. Archaeologists have found evidence of complex hunter-gatherer cultures with strong maritime adaptations. Prior to the Spanish discovery of the island on October 7, 1542, it is believed that the people living on Santa Catalina Island called the island Pimu or Pimugna. Several settlers have occupied Santa Catalina Island including ranchers, miners, and military personnel. The island has largely been left in its natural state, preserving its marine life, flora and fauna, geology, and history.
In conjunction with the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the island is thought to be utilized as a navigational landmark by gray whales as they migrate along the North American coastline 5,000 to 7,000 miles south from the cold waters of Alaska to the warm waters of Baja California, Mexico. The Californian winter through spring is known as the whale-watching season, where 2,500 to 3,000 whales on average are spotted annually from the Palos Verdes Peninsula. So look closely, because you may see one along the coastline.
Prabhakaran Arjunan 4/17/2025 3:50 AM
