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Nathania Teshome's avatar

Nathania Teshome

Asheville High School/SILSA

"I want to help make a difference in the world and change in for the better."

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 426 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    3.0
    zero-waste meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    147
    minutes
    being mindful
  • UP TO
    42
    minutes
    spent exercising
  • UP TO
    451
    minutes
    spent learning

Nathania's actions

Electricity

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

Geothermal Power

I will spend at least 25 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 Biomass

Biomass Power

I will spend at least 50 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

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

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn About Aquaculture

Improved Aquaculture

Each day, I will spend at least 30 minutes learning about sustainable aquaculture.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Transportation

Go for a Daily Walk

Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 20 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Industry

Research Cement Alternatives

Alternative Cement

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching cement alternatives that reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

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

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

Learn About Cattle Farming

Improved Cattle Feed; Improved Manure Management

I will spend 60 minutes researching cattle feed and manure management, or visiting a dairy farm to learn about their farming practices.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Research the Climate Impact of Refrigerants

Refrigerant Management

I will spend 60 minutes learning about the climate impact of refrigerants and what climate-friendly refrigerants are by using the links below.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

Tropical Forest Restoration

I will spend at least 60 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Support Local Food Systems

Plant-Rich Diets

I will source 60 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 0
DAILY ACTIONS

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 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Zero-Waste Cooking

Reduced Food Waste

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

COMPLETED 3
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

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

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
    Concrete is a good example of a material that most of us encounter every day, but its carbon footprint may not be obvious. What other everyday materials might have a large carbon footprint? How can you find out more?

    Nathania Teshome's avatar
    Nathania Teshome 4/30/2025 3:27 PM
    One everyday material we use that might have a large carbon footprint is steel. We use it in a lot of things, like our cars, fridges, ovens, silverware, bikes, scissors, and so much more. It is manufactured on a big scale as it is a multi-billion-dollar industry, and most likely does cause harm when it is being manufactured, whether it be from the heat used to shape it or the chemicals released when manufacturing. To find out more about whether it negatively impacts the Earth, you can try to do more research on the things that you are interested in finding out more about, and maybe even try to take action for the cause.
  • 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?

    Nathania Teshome's avatar
    Nathania Teshome 4/30/2025 3:02 PM
    There have been several instances where unplanned or unwanted pregnancies have been showing up a lot, and so having access to contraceptives or other ways of handling family planning is a good way to prevent these instances from occurring. To start at a younger age, having more and better education options will help make girls more knowledgeable about their options and whether or not having a lot of children is something that they would like. It will allow them to have a better stance and sight on whatever situation they are in and make a rational-based decision about having a family. Having a lot of children can not only affect the family, but also the earth, as having a lot of kids and a big population growth means that there will have to be more food produced, more energy used, and more resources needed. In places that have more access or are better-resourced than others, the women living there are much better off and rational about how many children they have, while in poorer places, they don’t have access to these types of things and sometimes don’t even have a choice or say in the matter. The reason for this is that the ones in the richer and better-sourced locations differ from the ones who live in the poorer areas, because the poorer areas are the ones who possibly need more locations that sell contraceptives, need more ways to know more about the choices they have, need more ways they can get educated, need more ways they can have access to certain products like female hygiene products, and so much more. Unlike the people who live in richer countries, the ones who live in poorer countries don’t have the opportunity and choices that they have due to their situations.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Electricity
    What did you learn about wave and tidal energy? How do they compare to other energy sources?

    Nathania Teshome's avatar
    Nathania Teshome 4/30/2025 10:59 AM
    I learned that it is a good solution to replace coal, oil, and natural gas as a way to get electricity, but the places with good potential to be able to incorporate it into people's daily lives haven’t installed any yet. Using tides as a way to generate energy has been around for thousands of years and is now used in a more modernized way to produce electricity, but it does have its drawbacks and hasn’t yet been able to reach its potential. To make it boom like solar and wind energy, we have to put more time and effort into research and investments for this new technology.
  • 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?

    Nathania Teshome's avatar
    Nathania Teshome 4/29/2025 12:03 PM
    On my daily walks, I've been noticing how the leaves on the trees have begun to change color into iridescent greens and pinks, and how eye-catching they are. I have begun to notice how there are more bugs like wasps and bees coming out of hiding, ready to sting anybody who aggravates them. On these walks, I enjoy the connection that I feel with my surroundings and how it makes me happy to see the foliage thriving. For infrastructure changes that could make my walks more enjoyable, it would be if there were a garden nearby, whether it is one for food or flowers. I would also really enjoy a couple more parks in the areas I live in because that would be a feature to have and would allow me to have more fun on my walks.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Electricity
    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?

    Nathania Teshome's avatar
    Nathania Teshome 4/29/2025 11:56 AM
    Some places that microwind turbines could be installed on are the Grove Arcade, the Buncombe County Courthouse, and Asheville City Hall. These buildings are pretty tall and will probably allow a lot of kinetic energy coming from the wind to help generate electricity through those turbines.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food, Agriculture, and Land Use
    What was the most interesting thing to learn about sustainable aquaculture practices?

    Nathania Teshome's avatar
    Nathania Teshome 4/29/2025 11:49 AM
    The most interesting thing that I learned about sustainable aquaculture practices is how much work and effort goes into feeding, cleaning, growing, and more goes into the job. It must be really hard and challenging to have to do this type of regulating on a daily schedule.
  • 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!

    Nathania Teshome's avatar
    Nathania Teshome 4/24/2025 11:17 AM
    I have never heard of biomass technology before this, which is surprising, as it is such a good replacement for the power-generating things that we have today. It truly is super cool, as it would help the environment so much if this were how we got our power. What surprised me is also how efficient it is, especially as it uses things like waste to get its energy.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Electricity
    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?

    Nathania Teshome's avatar
    Nathania Teshome 4/23/2025 10:39 AM
    I can try to convince my parents to be more interested in using this alternative to using heaters and ac when we get a house of our own, so then we save money and help better the earth one step at a time. I could also recommend to others to use this solution so then the word could spread.
  • 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?

    Nathania Teshome's avatar
    Nathania Teshome 4/02/2025 11:00 AM
    When eating broccoli, potatoes, celery, and more, I can incorporate the entire thing into my meals by finding recipes that tell me to use certain parts of it and the parts that most people would throw out. I will try to use every part, even the stalks of certain vegetables, the skins of certain veggies, and so much 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?

    Nathania Teshome's avatar
    Nathania Teshome 4/02/2025 10:48 AM
    I have never heard of the term "silvopasture" before, but after learning about it, it is clear that there are a lot of positives to doing it. I think that the biggest advantage of silvopasture is the fact that if you do it, it improves the land's health. Having better land quality is very good for both the farmers and the earth, as better quality means better food and resources, which is something that we need and should strive for.