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Allie Suydam's avatar

Allie Suydam

Asheville High School Spring 2024!

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,074 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    45
    locally sourced meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    1.0
    mile
    traveled by bike
  • UP TO
    4.0
    lightbulbs
    replaced
  • UP TO
    1.1
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    1.0
    carbon footprint
    calculated
  • UP TO
    94
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    561
    minutes
    spent learning

Allie's actions

Electricity

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

Geothermal Power

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

Research Bottom-Trawling Seafloor Impacts

Seafloor Protection

Each day, I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about how bottom-trawling impacts on the seafloor.

COMPLETED 37
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Sinks

Buy Bamboo

Bamboo Production

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Research Peatlands

Peatland Protection and Rewetting

I will spend 25 minutes researching the environmental benefits of peatlands and what is being done around the world to conserve and restore them.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Support Local Food Systems

Plant-Rich Diets

I will source 15 percent of my food from local producers each day. This could include signing up for a local CSA, buying from a farmer's market, visiting a food co-op, foraging with a local group, or growing my own ingredients.

COMPLETED 31
DAILY ACTIONS

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 materials 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

Industry

Research the Climate Impact of Refrigerants

Refrigerant Management

I will spend 20 minutes learning about the climate impact of refrigerants and what climate-friendly refrigerants are by using the links below.

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

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

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 11
DAILY ACTIONS

Industry

Find a Local Climate-Friendly Supermarket

Refrigerant Management

I will explore the interactive map in the links below to find a supermarket that does not use HFC refrigerants near my home.

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

Choose Recycled Paper

Recycled Paper

I will plan ahead to use paper products only made from post-consumer recycled paper for my home or office.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Plan to Insulate

Insulation

I will spend 20 minutes finding out how to make my home more energy efficient through better insulation and weatherization.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Upgrade My Windows

Insulation

I will upgrade the windows or weatherstripping in my home or office to reduce air leaks and save on energy costs.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings

Research Heat Pumps

High-Efficiency Heat Pumps

I will spend at least 25 minutes researching heat pumps to see if installing one makes sense for my home/building.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Go for a Daily Walk

Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 10 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 8
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings

Learn about 'Green Gentrification'

Multiple Solutions

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning about green gentrification and how it relates to city planning for climate action.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Go by Bike

Bicycle Infrastructure

I will commute by bike 1 miles each day and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 8
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

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

Electricity

Choose LED Bulbs

LED Lighting

I will replace 4 incandescent lightbulbs with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

Ocean Power

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Learn More about Biomass

Biomass Power

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

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
    Transportation Go by Bike
    How does using human-powered transportation make you feel compared to using other methods of transportation?

    Allie Suydam's avatar
    Allie Suydam 5/24/2024 9:37 AM
    It makes me feel very tired most of the time. I don't commute but I do bike to places I go sometimes.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Transportation Go for a Daily Walk
    What have you noticed on your daily walks? What have you enjoyed? What infrastructure changes could make your walks more enjoyable or possible?

    Allie Suydam's avatar
    Allie Suydam 5/24/2024 9:36 AM
    My favorite thing on daily walks is looking at birds. This activity allows me to birdwatch a lot.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Buildings Learn about 'Green Gentrification'
    Cities and towns need to plan for climate change. How can your city or town make its climate action plans equitable and socially just?

    Allie Suydam's avatar
    Allie Suydam 5/24/2024 9:20 AM
    By getting funding, protesting unclean energy, and volunteering locally.
  • 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?

    Allie Suydam's avatar
    Allie Suydam 5/22/2024 6:35 AM
    The barriers to women could be no education, no food, no money, no freedom, poverty, and patriarchy. Not having education and food and money and having poverty, all lead to disease and having money. All of these are due to male supremacy and the patriarchy.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Buildings Plan to Insulate
    What are some of the benefits of making your home more energy efficient?

    Allie Suydam's avatar
    Allie Suydam 5/22/2024 6:17 AM
    Investing in your home's heating efficiency will cost more money at first, but will pay itself off by lowering your bills because your HVAC systems aren't working as hard. Sealing up cracks in your home also prevents sneaky bugs and future infestations, which also potentially saves you money in the long run.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Buildings Research Heat Pumps
    Why is taking action on climate change important to you? Why do you care?

    Allie Suydam's avatar
    Allie Suydam 5/21/2024 7:25 PM
    Taking action on this planet is important to me because any work we can do as a global population will strongly affect generations to come. I believe this planet is so beautiful and should be preserved and treasured. But it starts with us, getting an education, and a sustainable job, not being an ecoterrorist as a coal miner where you didn't have to be from the start, that's why I care.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Buildings Upgrade My Windows
    How does improving your home's (or office's) energy efficiency help you better live out your values?

    Allie Suydam's avatar
    Allie Suydam 5/21/2024 7:21 PM
    By investing in window sealing materials, the long-term effects will pay off to cost less eventually.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Industry Choose Recycled Paper
    Good job on choosing recycled paper! How can you take your action a step further?

    Allie Suydam's avatar
    Allie Suydam 5/21/2024 7:18 PM
    Instead, a much harder but more efficient project is to become paper-free. This is extremely difficult for a student to do though, so maybe for later in life.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Industry Practice the 5 Rs
    What are some more "Rs" you could add to your daily practice to reduce your waste?

    Allie Suydam's avatar
    Allie Suydam 5/21/2024 7:16 PM
    I can repurpose more to produce less waste and to recycle at my own house!
  • 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?

    Allie Suydam's avatar
    Allie Suydam 5/16/2024 8:19 PM
    Family planning can prevent large problems in the long run. Contraception is the best form of family planning and reduces uncontrolled population growth, overcrowding, waste, and pollution. Family planning not only reduces the large number of teenage pregnancies but also reduces poverty.

    Since everybody is different and lives in a different location everybody's needs are different! People in low-income countries will probably need more care, education, funding, and resources. However, people in high-income countries will need the SAME amount of education, and the SAME care, but will need less help getting resources and funding.