Drawdown Ecochallenge 2025

HAHNA SONG

"Growing up, as a seafood lover and ocean lover I have started to realize the impacts of my lifestyle that is hurting the very thing that I love. If I want to live in a future home with clean air (allergy victim) near the ocean, I will have to live a lifestyle that supports the ocean and its functions. This includes supporting marine life's ecosystems by reducing my unethical seafood consumption. This includes wearing reef safe sunscreen to the ocean. This includes so many easy lifestyle changes that not only I can implement, but I can encourage those around me to implement. I am passionate about the climate crisis' affect on the ocean. This includes ocean acidification and carbon sink and how this affect human's access to certain foods and research in medicine. Additionally, I am interested in how this affects marine animals and the entire ecosystem. I feel the same way about our contribution to the overheating. If there are small ways we can change the way our future looks like carpooling, thrifting, or reducing our consumption rate, I want to take action to do them! "

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
188 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

2.0

zero-waste meals

consumed
UP TO

65

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

60

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

3.0

public officials or leaders

contacted
UP TO

3.0

advocacy actions

completed
UP TO

30

minutes

spent learning

HAHNA's actions

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Zero-Waste Cooking

Reduced Food Waste

I will cook 1 meals with zero-waste each day.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Cook With Seaweed

Seaweed Farming

I will use seaweed in a new recipe.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Learn about Biochar

Biochar Production

I will spend 30 minutes learning about biochar and how it can help sequester carbon.

UNCOMPLETED
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).

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Visit the Coast

Macroalgae Protection and Restoration

I will visit a coastal or ocean site to experience the ecosystem and look for the presence of macroalgae/seaweed.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Go for a Daily Walk

Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 45 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Building With Carbon Storing Waste Products

Engineered Sinks

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching how people can build with carbon-storing materials - including agricultural byproducts - and discuss it with my peers or post to social media.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME 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 2
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

Reduce Food Waste

Reduced Food Waste

I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during Drawdown Ecochallenge, either because it went bad before I ate it, I put too much on my plate, or it was scraps from food preparation, and commit to reducing my food waste throughout the challenge.

COMPLETED 0
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

Cook With Sustainable Seafood

Improved Fisheries

Using the Seafood Watch guide, I will feature a sustainable seafood ingredient in a new recipe.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Talk With a Local Grocer

Improved Fisheries

I will ask my local seafood market or grocery store if their seafood is sustainable and share the Seafood Watch resources so they can stock sustainable options.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Advocate for Wetland Protection

Coastal Wetland Protection

I will write 3 letters or emails per day to a public official or representative to advocate for policies that protect wetlands.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY 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?

HAHNA SONG 4/28/2025 10:42 AM
I began to wonder if a ban on oxybenzone (a toxic chemical common in beauty products) will not happen, a tax on products containing toxic chemicals could reduce its use in common goods. Such a policy would create a financial disincentive for companies to continue using harmful chemicals. Contacting my local government officials, like the LA county mayor, about this proposal felt like a meaningful way to amplify my personal actions into systematic change.

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- CHARLOTTE GAYNER 4/29/2025 10:23 PM
  Hi Hahna! I love that you reached on via Instagram, showing the progression of social media in today's day and age and how leaders are adapting to our generation. I agree that a tax or ban would be beneficial, as it is hard to expect people to not use products with the ingredient, especially when there is a lack of education on the subject. I also think commercials on the dangers of oxybenzone would help to lower its use!
  
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- BRYAN CHOW 4/29/2025 10:02 AM
  I always used to shy away from contacting local officials because it seemed like something complicated and scary. But seeing that your voice can be heard through a simple instagram message is really encouraging and may help me do the same.
  
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HAHNA SONG 4/25/2025 9:05 PM
In my paper, I am writing about protecting the coral reef and how oxybenzone is toxic to the coral reef. Many companies still use oxybenzone to this day, even though places like Hawaii and the Key West have banned selling any products with oxybenzone. I contacted 3 major companies that still use oxybenzone from a list I found called EWG's Skin Deep. These companies include Burberry, La Roche-Posay, and Neutrogena.

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- HAHNA SONG 4/28/2025 10:51 AM
  Oxybenzone is commonly used in sunscreen but is also in other products like perfume and deodorant.
  
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- Gavin Yang 4/27/2025 1:15 PM
  I like that you took the initiative to contact companies to try and enact broad scale change. I think many of us feel that our individual actions don't make a huge difference but trying to influence people who do have the ability to make bigger changes is a great way to make individual actions more meaningful. I'm also not too familiar with oxybenzone, what types of products mainly use it?
  
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HAHNA SONG 4/12/2025 12:51 PM
I contacted three government officials/administrators about wetland protection advocacy. I wrote to the US Department of the Interior, EPA, and Governor Gavin Newsom about supporting stronger protections for our coastal wetlands and why it should be a priority.

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HAHNA SONG 4/07/2025 2:27 PM
This weekend, I attended Deltopia in Santa Barbara to visit one of my hometown best friends. We carpooled together in my hybrid car to avoid driving separately. When we got to Santa Barbara, we parked my car and walked and used public transportation to get around everywhere. The great thing about visiting a college town is that it is so walkable (no hills in SB too!). We even rode the local bus and got to see the huge biking culture at UCSB. Below is a photo of us walking the streets of UCSB.

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- David Yang 4/28/2025 11:38 AM
  Hi Hanna, it's great to hear you had a nice trip! I also found that I started carpooling more as I live closer with my friends. I used to live with 4 other friends, where each of us had a car. Due to different schedules, we all drove separately to class. Now, all of us are in our seniors, some graduated early, so that we have much more flexible schedules. Even though we do not live in the same place anymore, I actually find us carpooling together a lot more often!
  
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- Isabela Vega 4/07/2025 8:16 PM
  I love that you carpooled to Santa Barbara because everybody I know that went also carpooled, but the hybrid car is a plus too haha! How was the public transportation there, would you say it is better than LA? I had no idea they had a good biking culture, but I feel like that is not as prevalent especially around UCLA since it is so hilly.
  
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- HAHNA SONG 4/07/2025 2:28 PM
  here is the photo
  
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