Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge 2025

Riley Peltz

Asheville High School/SILSA

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
956 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

80

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

145

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

3.0

lightbulbs

replaced
UP TO

809

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

423

minutes

spent learning

Riley's actions

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 37
DAILY ACTIONS

Share Your Story

Share Your Aha Moment

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 39 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 20 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 26
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity

Choose LED Bulbs

LED Lighting

I will replace 2 incandescent lightbulbs with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Learn More about Silvopasture

Silvopasture

I will spend at least 14 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 60 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 40 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 60 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

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Cook With Seaweed

Seaweed Farming

I will use seaweed in a new recipe.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Learn about Carbon Offsets

I will spend 60 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 60 minutes learning about the climate impact of refrigerants and what climate-friendly refrigerants are by using the links below.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Stay on the Ground

Telepresence, High-Speed Rail

Instead of traveling by plane, I will find an alternative way to accomplish the goals of an upcoming trip (i.e. telepresence, vacation locally).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Education

Connect With A Nonprofit

Family Planning and Education

I will connect with a local nonprofit working on issues affecting women, girls, trans people, and/or nonbinary people in my community, and find out how I can get involved or become a member.

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 are the most pressing issues for women, girls, and trans/nonbinary people in your community?
Riley Peltz 4/21/2025 7:48 AM
I think that the most pressing issues for women, girls, and trans/nonbinary people in my community today are that they are being denied rights. Like participating in sports for nonbinary people and not being able to get an abortion for girls.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation

What was your process like for restructuring your trip? How can you avoid more air travel in the future?
Riley Peltz 4/21/2025 7:45 AM
It was not as hard as I thought to rearrange my trip to car. It actually made it easier because then I could have as many bags as I wanted. I can avoid more air travel in the future by making car rides more fun.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

What did you learn about the climate impact of refrigerants? How do supermarkets contribute to this impact?
Riley Peltz 4/11/2025 6:43 PM
I learned that the climate impact of refrigerants is very bad. When they have leaks or are disposed of without drawing CFCs, these CFCs can leak into our atmosphere tearing at the good ozone layer. Supermarkets contribute to this phenomenon because they rely heavily on refrigeration and air conditioning and don’t usually dispose of the appliances properly after use.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

What are some attributes of an offset that you should consider before purchasing them?
Riley Peltz 4/09/2025 8:02 AM
There are many attributes of an offset that I should consider before purchasing them. This includes additionality and permanence. Additionality, as an attribute, is important because it ensures that the carbon offset project is contributing to fewer emissions and is not just an activity that already existed. This means that it must be genuine, and it would not have occurred without the revenue from selling carbon credits. Permanence is an important attribute because it ensures that carbon will stay out of the atmosphere for a long time. This means that the emissions reductions must be permanent and can not be reduced in the future.

There are two more attributes of an offset that I should consider before I purchase them. This is leakage and verification. Leakage is making sure that the project does not cause emissions to be simply put somewhere else. This matters because it ensures that it has a net positive impact with the emissions reduction. Verification is when the project's emissions reductions are accurately measured, reported, and independently verified. This matters because it ensures that carbon offsets are accurately represented in the emissions reduction achievement. Overall, these are just four of the many attributes that should be considered before anyone purchases an offset.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

What recipe did you make and how did it turn out? Will you cook with seaweed again?
Riley Peltz 4/08/2025 8:06 AM
I made miso soup with seaweed. It was very yummy and I will continue to do it.

Read More
- Sunayani Katamreddy 5/02/2025 12:30 AM
  
  TEAM CAPTAIN
  would be glad to know the recipe and try that :)
  
  Read More
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?
Riley Peltz 4/08/2025 7:59 AM
I learned that the need for family planning is now. We need it to reduce poverty, instate gender equality, and more. It will help our world move in a better direction. This makes a better future for all. The needs of different people in different places compare to each other. People in low-income areas, such as parts of Africa, need more education about their options, such as family planning. People in high-income areas, such as parts of the United States, need a lot of energy and resources, and they use that to their advantage. Overall, some people need education and others more energy depending on your wealth.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health and Education

What are some of the barriers that exist to women's equal participation and/or representation in your community?
Riley Peltz 4/07/2025 7:06 AM
Some obstacles that exist to women’s equal involvement in my community is the history and past of my hometown's government. This is because there are usually white males in charge, and that has been accepted. If a woman comes into power, it changes the norms, and most people don’t accept it. So, women are not really in charge because it would challenge the past.

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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?
Riley Peltz 4/04/2025 7:43 AM
My city, Asheville, can make climate action plans equitable and socially just through a few things. One of them is that we can prioritize community engagement, specifically with people of color. Community voices should be heard because they are the ones that suffer from the effects of green gentrification. Everyone should also be informed of the plans before they are put into action so they still get a say before it is too late.

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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?
Riley Peltz 4/03/2025 8:01 AM
Even if I live far away from peatlands, there are still measures that I can take to protect them. These include choosing sustainable products, reducing palm oil use, supporting conservation organizations by donating money, and raising awareness about the destruction of peatlands.

Read More
Riley Peltz 4/03/2025 7:11 AM
I think that my drawdown ecochallenge is going great! I am learning a lot about different ways I can implement environmentally safe things into my life.

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