Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge

Emry O'Neill

Asheville High School Spring 2024!

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
120 THIS WEEK
426 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

7.0

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

182

minutes

spent learning

Emry's 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

Electricity

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

Geothermal Power

I will spend at least 20 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 Micro Wind

Micro Wind Turbines

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of micro wind.

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

Land Sinks

Research Peatlands

Peatland Protection and Rewetting

I will spend 20 minutes researching the environmental benefits of peatlands and what is being done around the world to conserve and restore them.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Forest-Friendly Foods 2

Tropical Forest Restoration

I will replace or remove the palm oil, coffee, and cocoa products in my current diet that are known to contribute to deforestation.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Industry

Research Local Waste and Recycling Depots

To learn more about what is and is not recyclable in our area as well as how to properly dispose of hard to recycle materials to reduce my harmful impacts on the local environment AND learn how indigenous peoples and POC are more likely to be impacted by waste sites and pollution on a global scale.

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

Reduce Animal Products

Plant-Rich Diets

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

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

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 Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

What are some of the barriers that exist to women's equal participation and/or representation in your community?

Emry O'Neill 5/17/2024 11:14 AM

There are many different factors that limit women's participation in society. One of, if not the largest reason is the access to education. Without the privilege to learn it is so much harder to advance in life and gain representation. Also because so many girls are put into situations at a young age where they may have to give birth and take care of children it takes up all of their time and leaves no space to do otherwise. Although some of these problems are not nearly as bad in the US compared to many other countries there are still some factors that make it harder. For example women are statistically paid less than men with the same job.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Learn More About Geothermal Energy

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?

Emry O'Neill 5/14/2024 12:05 PM

Because Geothermal energy costs so much to set up they would need money from the public. I think that the easiest way to help out in this would be to invest in companies or corporations with values you believe in that are trying to cut down on emissions through geothermal energy.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Learn More about Micro Wind

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?

Emry O'Neill 5/14/2024 10:50 AM

They could be installed all throughout downtown on the taller buildings like hotels and parking garages!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Learn More about Biomass

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!

Emry O'Neill 5/09/2024 11:28 AM

I have heard a little of biomass technology but didn't know many of the details or examples of how it works. I think that it is a really interesting way to get energy! I was surprised by how many unique ways there are to create biomass energy and want to learn a little more about how it works.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks Research Peatlands

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?

Emry O'Neill 5/03/2024 10:55 AM

To help protect peatlands in Indonesia you can try to stop using palm oil, and be very vigilant about your use of paper.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Reduce Animal Products

Why do people in richer countries eat more meat than people in other places? How does eating more meat affect our bodies, our planet, and other people?

Emry O'Neill 5/03/2024 10:16 AM

People in richer countries eat more meat because it is more expensive. Although meat is good for you to an extent, eating to much can get quite unhealthy. Also it is VERRY bad for our planet because of how it is produced.

Read More
Emry O'Neill 5/02/2024 8:48 AM

I don't know why it didn't ask for a time or reflection for
"Research Local Waste and Recycling Depots"
-40 minutes-
Reflection:
There are many different places where you can recycle many different things, but you might not know this if you aren't looking into it. Neighborhoods and regions with less income tend to be where these landfills are located which sadly usually correlates with black, and indigenous people.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry Research the Climate Impact of Refrigerants

What did you learn about the climate impact of refrigerants? How do supermarkets contribute to this impact?

Emry O'Neill 4/30/2024 11:20 AM

Refrigerators have a much larger impact on our climate than I used to think. Although CFS’s have been banned they were replaced with HCFC’s which is a very strong greenhouse gas. Supermarkets are a big deal in this just because of how many refrigerators they are using every single day, with sometimes no doors on them.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?

Emry O'Neill 4/25/2024 10:44 AM

You can choose which food you need to buy based on how much longer it can be eaten. For example if a food is running out of its best by date you can still buy it because it will usually last much longer, this prevents wasting this food because it may not be sold otherwise.

Read More