Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge 2025

Mikaela Stuck

Asheville High School/SILSA

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
446 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

8.0

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

58

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

30

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

408

minutes

spent learning

Mikaela's actions

Transportation

Go for a Daily Walk

Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 30 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY 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 4
DAILY ACTIONS

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

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 40 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

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 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Sinks

Learn More about Silvopasture

Silvopasture

I will spend at least 20 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

Land Sinks

Buy Bamboo

Bamboo Production

When they are available, I will purchase products made from bamboo instead of wood, plastic, or metal.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Explore My Area

Sometimes protecting nature requires feeling connected to nature. I will invest 45 minutes in exploring and appreciating a natural area in my region, whether a forest, wetland, coastal area, or somewhere else.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Practice the 5 Rs

Recycling

I will practice the "5 Rs" — refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle — to reduce my waste more than I can with just recycling alone.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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

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
Industry

What are some more "Rs" you could add to your daily practice to reduce your waste?
Mikaela Stuck 4/24/2025 6:42 AM
Refuse and recycle a lot more than I have been. I use a lot of reusable items when I eat and when I don't use reusable items I try my best to make sure they can at least be recycled. I have been tryin recently to not throw anything away and buy things that can be reused and when done with recycled.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation

What have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?
Mikaela Stuck 4/24/2025 6:17 AM
I have noticed the change in weather I try to go on a walk all the days I don't do sports. I have been walking since the winter and seen Beaver lake get frozen over to ducks back and swimming around. Music or walking with a friend makes walks more enjoyable. When walking with someone or listening to music the time flies and before you know it you are done with your walk.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

What did you learn about the climate impact of refrigerants? How do supermarkets contribute to this impact?
Mikaela Stuck 4/10/2025 6:59 AM
I learned that refrigerants have caused the world to warm faster due to the chemicals used in refrigerators and AC. Supermarkets have lines of refrigerators and freezers, and by having that much food needing to be cold they are going through more refrigerants that they should be going through. Over half of almost every store has cold food that needs to be refrigerated.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

What are some attributes of an offset that you should consider before purchasing them?
Mikaela Stuck 4/09/2025 7:53 AM
When purchasing them you should consider where you are buying these from. You need to make sure that they aren’t greenwashing, and that they are planting trees instead of using machines to take carbon out of the atmosphere. If you decide to purchase one you should always check who you are purchasing from, how they lessen carbon emissions, and if they are accurate. Always do the research before purchasing and know who you are buying from.

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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?
Mikaela Stuck 4/08/2025 8:06 AM
I can try not to buy things that have Palm oil and pulp. I can also start buying recycled paper.

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?
Mikaela Stuck 4/08/2025 7:44 AM
I learned that we need better education for everyone on family planning, and by providing this for people more people can make safe and informed decisions. What we need in the US is different from what we need in different countries, so we have to take a look at every country and meet their specific needs. By informing families on how to be safe when bringing a baby into this world we will decrease the amount of maternal deaths and the immature deaths of babies.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Health and Education

What are some of the barriers that exist to women's equal participation and/or representation in your community?
Mikaela Stuck 4/07/2025 7:43 AM
Some barriers that exist in women’s way to be able to equally participate are differences in pay, health care, early childbirth, and many other laws and rights that stand in the way of women.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Where would you rather use this money?
Mikaela Stuck 4/07/2025 7:01 AM
Save up for a fun vacation or keep the money more when we need the money.

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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?
Mikaela Stuck 4/04/2025 8:07 AM
Our city can look at where they are putting in a park, and if it will end up misplacing people, give the people an affordable clean place to go. Try to make housing more affordable for the people who want to live here but can’t due to the struggles of pricing.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

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?
Mikaela Stuck 4/03/2025 7:30 AM
The higher your income the more access you have to different foods. People in richer countries have more access to meat because they can afford it. We have more diverse foods, and more places to buy them. The meat most of us consume has a high risk of carrying a disease due to the lack of sanitation in the factories where it is processed.

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