Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge 2025

Sophie VanDenBeldt

Asheville High School/SILSA

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
521 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

3.0

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

1.0

carbon footprint

calculated
UP TO

47

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

8.0

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

413

minutes

spent learning

Sophie's actions

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Reduce Animal Products

Plant-Rich Diets

I will enjoy 3 meatless or vegan meals each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Health and Education

Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

Family Planning and Education

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Explore Other Transportation Solutions

All Transportation Solutions

I will spend at least 15 minutes researching other Drawdown Transportation Solutions.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Composting

Composting, Reduced Food Waste

I will start a compost or worm bin where I live.

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 2
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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 10 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

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 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings

Plan to Insulate

Insulation

I will spend 15 minutes finding out how to make my home more energy efficient through better insulation and weatherization.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Learn About & Practice Sustainable Fashion

Multiple Industry Solutions

I will learn about sustainable fashion and begin practicing it in my own life.

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

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.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn About Aquaculture

Improved Aquaculture

Each day, I will spend at least 54 minutes learning about sustainable aquaculture.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Electricity

Learn More about Micro Wind

Micro Wind Turbines

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of micro wind.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Learn More about Wave and Tidal Energy

Ocean Power

I will spend at least 15 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 15 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 68 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 44 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 44 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 34 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 44 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
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?
Sophie VanDenBeldt 4/30/2025 3:45 PM
I learned we need family planning not only to respect woman bt also to protect the environment. We need tomake sure that the parents are ready to support the child, and they both want it. We also are becoming overpopulated because people keep having children all around the world. We need to think about the effects off bringing more people into the world and how that harms the environment because of more demands. In some places that are poorer woman end up having children even if they are not ready or dont want to. In places like that all they need is to be provided with the right protection resources. In places like America were we have everything we need to be responsible this dosent always happen. We need to stop having children when we are not ready.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity

What did you learn about wave and tidal energy? How do they compare to other energy sources?
Sophie VanDenBeldt 4/30/2025 11:08 AM
I learned that tidal energy is the oldest source of energy. Tidal energy is less predictable but more reliable.

Read More
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?
Sophie VanDenBeldt 4/29/2025 11:17 AM
On top of buildings in the city or around UNCA.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

What was the most interesting thing to learn about sustainable aquaculture practices?
Sophie VanDenBeldt 4/29/2025 10:54 AM
I think learning about how bad the current aquacultural farming is for the environment.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

What coastal site did you visit and what did you learn while there?
Sophie VanDenBeldt 4/29/2025 8:10 AM
I visited the North Carolina Coastal Federation's website and learned that living shorelines filter pollutants from stormwater runoff, which is the most significant water quality pollutant in North Carolina.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

How can you express your personality, creativity, and values in ways that don't require fast fashion or buying more clothes and accessories?
Sophie VanDenBeldt 4/29/2025 7:56 AM
You can express your personality and creativity in a way without spending money on fast fashion by creating your own clothes, either from scratch or from other items of clothing. You can also go to thrift stores to get clothes that are new to you but haven't been created with unfair labor.

Read More
- Ella Eslamian 4/29/2025 10:06 AM
  Hi Sophie! I love your ideas! Making your own clothes or upcycling is such a great and creative way to express yourself without buying into fast fashion. Thrift stores are also such a great option. Not only do you get unique and vintage pieces, but you also feel good about giving things a second chance. I’ve also been trying to mix and match what I already own in new ways to create new looks. It makes me feel very resourceful and it also saves me money!
  
  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?
Sophie VanDenBeldt 4/28/2025 6:37 PM
Another benefit I have noticed about portion control is that I have more leftovers, so I can have another meal the next day.

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?
Sophie VanDenBeldt 4/27/2025 7:42 PM
On my walks, I have noticed its easier to walk on the concrete then the woods but I prefer to walk in the woods because its prettier. I have enjoyed seeing the sunset, and the city from far away. I think fewer tall buildings blocking the view of the mountains would be nice.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Buildings

What are some of the benefits of making your home more energy efficient?
Sophie VanDenBeldt 4/27/2025 7:37 PM
Some benefits of making your home more energy efficient are that you can use natural resources to heat and cool your home, or to provide energy. This may lead to lower energy bills as well as it being better for the environment.

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!
Sophie VanDenBeldt 4/23/2025 11:09 AM
I had heard of biomass technology before, but I didn't know what it meant. I learned that it was a sustainable way to produce electricity. I was surprised manure was used.

Read More