Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge 2025

Leo Mensch

Asheville High School/SILSA

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
631 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

11

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

1.0

educational video

watched
UP TO

416

minutes

spent learning

Leo's actions

Transportation

Explore Other Transportation Solutions

All Transportation Solutions

I will spend at least 5 minutes researching other Drawdown Transportation Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Research Heat Pumps

High-Efficiency Heat Pumps

I will spend at least 10 minutes researching heat pumps to see if installing one makes sense for my home/building.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Learn about 'Green Gentrification'

Multiple Solutions

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning about green gentrification and how it relates to city planning for climate action.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

Geothermal Power

I will spend at least 25 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 40 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

Ocean Power

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of wave and tidal energy.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Learn about Carbon Offsets

I will spend 10 minutes learning about carbon offsets, and why they are a necessary solution in combating a climate crisis.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Learn about Biochar

Biochar Production

I will spend 20 minutes learning about biochar and how it can help sequester carbon.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

Conservation Agriculture, Regenerative Annual Cropping

I will spend at least 25 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn About Aquaculture

Improved Aquaculture

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

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

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

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

Family Planning and Education

I will spend at least 45 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn About Cattle Farming

Improved Cattle Feed; Improved Manure Management

I will spend 60 minutes researching cattle feed and manure management, or visiting a dairy farm to learn about their farming practices.

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

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

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 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 15 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 20 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Learn More about Micro Wind

Micro Wind Turbines

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of micro wind.

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?
Leo Mensch 4/30/2025 12:14 PM
Things I learned about family planning is that for every 1 dollar invested in reproductive health services is estimated to yield returns of $120. Also I learned that the UNFPA works at every level to improve access to family planning and empower individual choices. UNFPA also works with governments, NGOs, community-service organizations, faith-based organizations, youth groups and the private sector to strengthen community-based and youth-friendly reproductive health services, and to provide services during humanitarian crises. The needs of different people can range from small things to big things. The needs can change if the people are in poor or rich countries.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health and Education

What was an inspiring thing you learned in Drawdown's Climate Solutions 101 Series?
Leo Mensch 4/30/2025 11:03 AM
I learned that humans can change the earth massively whenever we want to. That means we can stop climate change if we really tried.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

What was the most interesting thing to learn about sustainable aquaculture practices?
Leo Mensch 4/29/2025 11:55 AM
The most interesting thing about sustainable aquaculture practices are how many different seafoods can be farmed sustainably.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Clean air, clean water and healthy food are just three reasons to care about regenerative agriculture. What are some other reasons? How could/does regenerative agriculture positively impact you and your community?
Leo Mensch 4/29/2025 5:53 AM
Other reasons to care about regenerative agriculture are it makes food cheaper and more affordable and better soil. Regenerative agriculture could make food cheaper and healthier at the same time. This could allow people with low incomes to have access to healthy food.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Can biochar provide additional benefits besides sequestering carbon?
Leo Mensch 4/28/2025 10:48 AM
Yes and they can make better soil, more water and nutrient retention, and reduced need for artificial fertilizers that might use harsh chemicals.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

What are some attributes of an offset that you should consider before purchasing them?
Leo Mensch 4/25/2025 6:54 AM
Some attributes of an offset that you should consider before purchasing them are they allow people to finance projects that lower CO2 and take the credit for getting rid of that CO2. Also keep in mind the difficulty of verifying their environmental benefits. Another thing is companies and countries can use carbon offsets as a “get out of jail free card” to avoid lowering their own carbon emissions.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity

What did you learn about wave and tidal energy? How do they compare to other energy sources?
Leo Mensch 4/24/2025 12:21 PM
I learned that they get more energy per rotation because water is heavier than water. It can cause environmental damage because there are a lot of large underwater structures. They are way more reliable and stable than any other energy sources.

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?
Leo Mensch 4/23/2025 10:39 AM
I can invest in geothermal energy by donating to geothermal energy facility's.

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?
Leo Mensch 4/22/2025 12:13 PM
They can put inclusionary zoning, production incentives, and developer impact fees for affordable housing.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings

Why is taking action on climate change important to you? Why do you care?
Leo Mensch 4/22/2025 6:17 AM
Taking action on climate change is important to me because it affects everyone on earth.

Read More