Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge

Maia Rosenberg

Asheville High School Spring 2024!

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
160 THIS WEEK
511 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

14

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

14

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

251

minutes

spent learning

Maia'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

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

More Fruits And Veggies

I will eat a heart healthy diet by adding 1 cups of fruits and vegetables each day to achieve at least 4 cups per day.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Smaller Portions

Reduced Food Waste

I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY 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 20 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 30 minutes researching the environmental benefits of peatlands and what is being done around the world to conserve and restore them.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Reduce Single-Use Disposables

Bioplastics; Reduced Plastics

I will avoid buying and using 2 single-use plastics and instead replace them with durable options.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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 items 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

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 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?

Maia Rosenberg 5/17/2024 8:10 AM

Some of the barriers that exist for women are laws against reproductive health, unavailable resources, and the loss of control over their lives. In many countries around the world, girls at a young age are barred from reproductive and sexual healht programs and this causes them to be uneducated well into adulthood. Another way women are underrepresented is through the fact that essential products cost money. This could keep women and girls from being able to buy tampons and other menstrual products. This will only continue because women do not have much representation in governments around the globe and can therefore not take initiative in changing the laws.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Smaller Portions

While dishing food out, we tend to load our plates with more than we need. Using smaller plates helps to mitigate this. Aside from the environmental benefits, what other benefits might come from eating/serving smaller portions?

Maia Rosenberg 5/16/2024 7:24 AM

Doing this can keep you healthy because you aren't overloading your body with excess food.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health and Education Learn about the Need for Family Planning

What did you learn about the need for family planning? How do the needs of different people in different places compare to each other?

Maia Rosenberg 5/15/2024 8:07 AM

I learned that the need for family planning is extremely high. It influences the rate of teen and young pregnancies and the outcomes of having a family planning program are overwhelmingly, if not all, positive. Events that stem from these programs include more women being able to get long-acting reversible contraception and are protected as new and young mothers.

Lower-income countries have a larger need for daily planning programs. These countries usually have younger mothers who are sometimes forced to have children against their will. Family planning can teach them more about bodily autonomy and that they only have to have children if it’s their choice.

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?

Maia Rosenberg 5/14/2024 7:55 AM

The investment that seems most feasible for me is installing one of these systems in my house.

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?

Maia Rosenberg 5/13/2024 7:33 AM

Microturbines could potentially be placed on some of the hotels downtown. They are high rise buildings and therefore would not impact any city life or pedestrians.

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!

Maia Rosenberg 5/10/2024 2:29 PM

I had heard of biomass technology before this but was not completely sure what it meant. Something I learned that surprised me was how manure can be converted into fuel using a digester.

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?

Maia Rosenberg 5/03/2024 7:34 AM

I can try to use less palm oil by choosing foods without it as an ingredient, and I can use scratch paper when I need to jot something down instead of using a fresh piece of paper.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry Reduce Single-Use Disposables

What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

Maia Rosenberg 5/02/2024 8:04 AM

I sometimes use plastic bags in my lunch but have replaced them with reusable silicone bags instead.

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?

Maia Rosenberg 5/02/2024 7:30 AM

I learned that much of the ozone depletion that has happened in recent years is because of the refrigents we use. Supermarkets heavily contribute to this because they used so many freezers, refrigerators, and air conditioning units to keep products cool.

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?

Maia Rosenberg 4/26/2024 7:37 AM

People in richer countries probably eat more meat than people in other places because meat is expensive. People in countries with less money also probably do not have a way to properly sanitize meat which could put them at risk for diseases and infections. Eating more meat can be a good source of protein but can cause obesity in unregulated amounts. It also strongly affects the planet because animals produce methane which contributes to global warming.

Read More