Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge 2025

Samuel Lordi

Asheville High School/SILSA

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
511 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

10

miles

traveled by bus
UP TO

30

miles

traveled by carpool
UP TO

5.0

miles

traveled by bike
UP TO

40

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

30

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

1.0

women, BIPOC, and immigrant-owned businesses

supported
UP TO

330

minutes

spent learning

Samuel's actions

Health and Education

Support Businesses Owned by Women, POC, or Immigrants

Sustainable Intensification for Smallholders

I will spend 10 minutes researching and shopping from 1 businesses owned by women, people of color, or immigrants.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Try Carpooling

Carpooling

I will commute by carpool 10 miles per day and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

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 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 12 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 10 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 10 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 10 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 10 minutes learning about green gentrification and how it relates to city planning for climate action.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Go by Bike

Bicycle Infrastructure

I will commute by bike 2 miles each day and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Health and Education

Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

Family Planning and Education

I will spend at least 20 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

Transportation

Use Public Transit

Public Transit

I will use public transit 10 miles per day and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY 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

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

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?
Samuel Lordi 4/22/2025 4:52 PM
I learned about Worldwide Technology, a 17 billion dollar company started by a black man. Also, my family has catered from Everyday Gourmet a few times, which is a woman-owned business.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

What did you learn about the climate impact of refrigerants? How do supermarkets contribute to this impact?
Samuel Lordi 4/10/2025 7:10 AM
I learned that refrigerants are harmful to the atmosphere, specifically the ozone layer. Supermarkets contribute to this impact by the large amounts of refrigeration they have to do to keep the dairy, drinks, produce, and meat cool. There have to be changes in refrigeration methods.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

What are some attributes of an offset that you should consider before purchasing them?
Samuel Lordi 4/09/2025 9:27 AM
You should consider your own finances before purchasing an offset. If you currently don’t have the money to make a contribution, you need to get your finances right before helping out. The next thing to consider is if you think the money will truly go to a meaningful cause and help the environment. If the offset seems like it won’t really make a difference or doesn’t clearly state the steps it will take, it could possibly be a scam. Finally, consider whether you trust the offset project's company or group. IF you think they have the good of the earth in mind, a carbon offset would be a good investment to make.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation

How has your access to various kinds of transportation throughout your life influenced your current attitudes about transportation and your transportation behavior?
Samuel Lordi 4/08/2025 2:51 PM
It has made me feel worse about public transportation because the middle schoolers on the bus make me angry. However, I do get to see Sawyer when I ride the bus.

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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?
Samuel Lordi 4/08/2025 9:29 AM
I learned about the importance of family planning. Family planning can save lives, for example, by preventing unintended pregnancies that could kill the mother. When women are younger, they and the child are both more likely to pass away in childbirth. Also, family planning empowers women. When women and their boyfriends or husbands learn about family planning, the woman is more likely to finish her education. Then, they can decide when to have children when they are both educated. These effects bring down global poverty.
Less-developed countries have a greater need to learn about family planning. Since childhood marriage is more common in less-developed countries, childhood pregnancies are also more common. However, if the citizens were more educated on the benefits and consequences of having children young, it might not happen as much, which would bring down deaths related to childbirth. The girl could finish her education, and her and her husband could choose to have kids together when her body is more ready for it.

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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?
Samuel Lordi 4/07/2025 9:29 AM
One barrier that exists today in our community is that the gender pay gap is still in effect. There are also still deep-rooted ‘traditions’ of belittling and disregarding women.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation

How does using human-powered transportation make you feel compared to using other methods of transportation?
Samuel Lordi 4/06/2025 11:22 AM
Human-powered transportation makes me feel more exhausted after travelling than other forms of trasnportation.

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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?
Samuel Lordi 4/04/2025 9:51 AM
My city can put laws in place to ensure the safety measures the city takes don't drive the people who live there out. Also, my city can make sure grassroots climate organizations have a "seat at the table" when making laws and policies.

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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?
Samuel Lordi 4/03/2025 9:32 AM
I can do two things to help protect peatlands. One is to only buy from companies that don’t exploit peatlands or use palm oil or pulp in their products. Another is to help pressure government officials worldwide to protect peatlands from development and draining.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks

How is your diet currently impacting deforestation? What can you do to decrease your negative impact and increase your positive impact?
Samuel Lordi 4/02/2025 9:37 AM
I eat chocolate a lot, which contributes to deforestation through palm oil use. Also, eggs, dairy, and meat are staples of my diet. Those three things require a lot of feed to sustain. The feed comes from forests, which are harvested through deforestation. I can look for alternatives to palm oil to decrease my negative impact.

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