Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge 2025

Pearl Seifert

Asheville High School/SILSA

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
307 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

2.0

zero-waste meals

consumed
UP TO

1.0

carbon footprint

calculated
UP TO

20

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

383

minutes

spent learning

Pearl's actions

Electricity

Learn More about Biomass

Biomass Power

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Research the Wonders of Macroalgae / Seaweed

Macroalgae Protection and Restoration

Each day, I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about protecting and restoring macroalgae/seaweed.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Electric Cars, Hybrid Cars

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Zero-Waste Cooking

Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 2 meals with zero-waste each day.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Eat Mindfully

Reduced Food Waste

I will eat all of my meals without distractions, e.g., phone, computer, TV, or newspaper.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Electricity

Calculate My Household Carbon Footprint

I will calculate the carbon emissions associated with my household and consider how different lifestyle choices could reduce our carbon footprint and our impact on the environment.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Sinks

Learn More about Silvopasture

Silvopasture

I will spend at least 5 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 30 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 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

Buildings

Learn about 'Green Gentrification'

Multiple Solutions

I will spend at least 30 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 30 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 30 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME 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
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

In North America, up to 65% of food waste happens at the consumer level. Chef Steven Satterfield advocates for utilizing every part of a vegetable. How can you incorporate using an entire vegetable, including the skins, tops, and stalks during your next meal prep?
Pearl Seifert 4/22/2025 2:54 PM
I can incorporate using an entire vegetable, including the skin, top, and stalks in my next meal by making a smoothie. I feel like when you blend things together you won't really notice the stems of the fruit or veggie. Therefore I would use the whole fruit or veggie.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

What did you learn about the climate impact of refrigerants? How do supermarkets contribute to this impact?
Pearl Seifert 4/22/2025 6:10 AM
Supermarkets contribute to climate change through refrigerant leaks from their refrigeration systems. The large number of supermarkets and the scale of their refrigeration systems make this a big source of emissions.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Mindful eating is healthier for us than eating with distractions. How does your eating experience differ when practicing mindfulness?
Pearl Seifert 4/21/2025 8:57 PM
The main difference is when I have distractions versus when I don't because when I do it ends up taking me longer to finish my food. When I had no distractions I ate in a more reasonable time frame. I am also able to enjoy the food more, and what I am actually eating.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity

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!
Pearl Seifert 4/21/2025 8:44 PM
No, I have not heard of biomass technology before I started this challenge. I really knew nothing but mainly biomass has the ability to decrease greenhouse gas emissions. One interesting fact that I learned is that it is the number one form of renewable energy in Europe.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation

Reducing (or eliminating) exhaust emissions and improving public health are two benefits of green vehicles. What other motivators inspire you to consider switching to a more fuel-efficient vehicle?
Pearl Seifert 4/21/2025 8:35 PM
Besides the fact that green vehicles will help to reduce exhaust emissions and improve public health, they are also going to make you have a more pleasant quieter ride. Not only that but you will save money on fuel by switching over to a "green" vehicle such as electric or fuel efficient.

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?
Pearl Seifert 4/21/2025 8:16 PM
Some things in my community that limit women's equal participation are maybe sports. I can’t really think of anything but I will say that there are not a lot of people that come to women's sports events. That can lead to less opportunity when it comes to playing that sport.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

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?
Pearl Seifert 4/21/2025 6:45 PM
Aside from the environmental benefits, serving and eating smaller portions can help to stay more healthy physically. If you tend to just eat what's on your plate no matter what even if you are full, you may be eating then you really need to be.

Today I decided to serve myself less food than normal in hopes to reduce the amount of food waste that I normally would produce.

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?
Pearl Seifert 4/20/2025 8:20 PM
One unintended cost of cities reacting to the climate crisis is green gentrification. The reason this could happen is because of the need to take away or add different things in cities or towns to make it more sustainable.
What is 1 benefit to city climate action? Explain in detail.

One big benefit to city climate action is just better health for people and animals overall. Because of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other things that pollute the air, we will have an increase in air quality.

Read the article HERE (reading recording of the article HERE follow along on your screen please and no judgement on mispronounced words please).
What was 1 unintended cost of cleaning up the waterfront, Sunset Park, in Brooklyn?

One unintended cost of cleaning up the waterfront, Sunset Park, in Brooklyn was the increase in housing in places near the waterfront.

What is one connection you can make between what is happening in Brooklyn and in our town?

One connection that I can make between what is happening in Brooklyn and in our town is that we are both working on trying to clean the rivers and water fronts that have been contaminated.
Read More
- Prabhakaran Arjunan 4/20/2025 10:34 PM
  
  TEAM CAPTAIN
  
  4-DAY STREAK
  Good explanation.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

What are some attributes of an offset that you should consider before purchasing them?
Pearl Seifert 4/09/2025 9:56 AM
Some attributes of an offset that you should consider before purchasing them are what kind of offset that it is. There are different types so you should make sure you purchase the right one. Some of them include Renewable Energy, Reforestation, and Carbon Sequestration. Other things that you should look for are location and social value benefits of the offset.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks

Had you heard of the term "silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?
Pearl Seifert 4/08/2025 10:01 AM
I think that the biggest advantage of silvopasture is the increase in the health of the animals. I think this is because not only are the animals going to be healthier but the animal products we eat will be better quality if the animals are healthy and treated well.

I think that the biggest disadvantage is that you have to constantly move the grazing animals around so that they don’t “overeat” one area. Although I personally don't think that this is a big enough set back to not do it entirely.

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