Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge

Frida Velez

Chikara

"I will help save the earth by reducing my carbon emissions, saving our waters/oceans, and defending human rights."

Points Total

0 Today
125 This Week
1,742 Total

Participant Impact

up to

89

minutes

spent learning
up to

39

meatless or vegan meals

consumed

Frida's Actions

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Voting Rights

After you listen to the StoryCorp episode about voting rights, reflect on what it means to vote. Check in with the adults in your life-are they planning on voting? Why or why not?

Completed
One-Time Action

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Reduce Animal Products

Plant-Rich Diets

I will enjoy 1 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 39
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Native Land and Practices Acknowledgement

Native Land Acknowledgement means to learn about, talk about, and show respect for the Native inhabitants of an area of land. We do this for many reasons: to correct history, protect and preserve the culture and identity of native peoples, acknowledge the role of European colonization in the loss of native lives and lands. For this activity, read about the Lenape. The tribe indigenous to Brooklyn, Queens , and Manhattan. Who are they, what was NYC like before colonization? How can we honor the Lenape today? (links below)

Completed
One-Time Action

Health and Education

Sir David Attenborough: The Voice of Planet Earth Speaks on Climate Change

After you watch the video with your advisory, answer the reflection question below. For additional points, respond to a teammate's post!

Completed
One-Time Action

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Climate Change and Wildfires: How is climate change affecting you? Our hometown? And what can we do now?

First, the article about the CA wildfires and climate change. Climate Change In Your Hometown The featured article discusses the connection between climate change and California wildfires. Another Times article, from 2018, lets you track how the number of days when temperatures hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) or higher changes in your hometown over your lifetime. As you look at the graph created based on your hometown and the year you were born, what do you notice? (If you want, try entering the birth year of your parents or grandparents as well.) Then, scroll to see the climate predictions for your hometown when you are 80 years old. Continue to scroll to learn more about these predictions, and then see how your hometown compares to other parts of the country and the world using the interactive globe.

Completed
One-Time Action

Health and Education

Become a certified Climate Ambassador!

The Climate Museum in NYC is working with local teens to form a Climate Volunteer Coalition! The first step is to educate yourself on the main talking points around climate change. Next, share your knowledge! To help you do this, the Climate Museum has produced a pocket-sized "Climate Ambassador" card. Read the instructions, print the card, cut/fold, and start talking to the people! If you don't have a printer--make your own! https://climatemuseum.org/ambassador **With parent permission** You can also sign up on the Climate Museum website for more info. You can even post a reflection that the Museum will publish on their website for all to see!

Uncompleted
One-Time Action

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Sustainable BUGS

The goal of this action to create a more sustainable school experience for our students and staff :)

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 39
DAILY ACTIONS

Transportation

Use Muscle Power

Multiple Transportation Solutions

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips, and I will only use muscle-powered transportation for all other trips.

COMPLETED 43
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

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

Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community

Learn about the Legacy of Redlining

Multiple Solutions

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning about the legacy of redlining and how city planning and environmental justice issues are interconnected.

Completed
One-Time Action

Electricity

Learn More about Biomass

Biomass Power

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

Completed
One-Time Action

Electricity

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

Geothermal Power

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

Completed
One-Time Action

Electricity

Choose Renewable Energy or Purchase Renewable Energy Credits

Onshore Wind Turbines, Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaics

I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option. If my utility does not offer one, I will purchase Renewable Energy Credits to match my usage.

Completed
One-Time Action

Coastal, Ocean, and Engineered Sinks

For the love of nature

Post a photo of something from nature that you love and want to protect.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Action Track: Social Justice

Songwriting

I used my creativity and self expression to write a song about the current times. OR I researched and shared a song about the current times.

Uncompleted
One-Time Action

Feed

Reflection Question
Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community Voting Rights

What does it mean to be able to vote? Should the voting age be lowered to 16?

Frida Velez 10/21/2020 5:45 AM

What it means to be able to vote is to have a say in who leads, represents, and defends the place you live. Everyone has different interests and needs, which is why there are multiple candidates that run for every office. If a group of people with a certain interest or need aren't able to vote, or simply not wanting to vote, then their interests and needs will not be represented in the election, and someone might be elected who doesn't emphasize what they want.
The voting age should be lowered to 16, because even thought they're kids, they're still really smart and can mostly make good decisions. 16-year-olds and older still matter in the election, too, and lowering the voting age will help with the representation of younger people and kids more.

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Reflection Question
Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community Native Land and Practices Acknowledgement

Write a native land acknowledgement. I stand on ___________ land. The _________________ took care of the land by _______________. I promise to preserve the story and culture of the Lenape by ___________.

Frida Velez 10/14/2020 5:50 AM

I stand on Lenape land. The Lenape took care of the land by preserving its most vulnerable natural areas. I promise to preserve the story and culture of the Lenape by learning about these important sites and telling what I've learned to others.

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Reflection Question
Health and Education Sir David Attenborough: The Voice of Planet Earth Speaks on Climate Change

What question would you ask Sir David Attenborough? Post a picture of your favorite outdoor spot in NY

Frida Velez 10/07/2020 5:57 AM

A question I would ask Sir David Attenborough would be, "How do humans fit into the earth's ecosystem?"

https://images.app.goo.gl/HRrc7HSBAw1zKm7G8
Brooklyn Bridge Park

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- Jay Sontag 10/08/2020 6:38 AM
  
  What a great question! I'm sure your science teachers have the answer :)
  
  Read More
Reflection Question
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Climate Change and Wildfires: How is climate change affecting you? Our hometown? And what can we do now?

Reflect on the graph and map using these questions: What do you notice about your graph and the map? What do you wonder about the data? How does the climate in your hometown compare to that in other parts of the country and the world? What is your reaction to this information? Does it make you upset and worried? Does it make you want to create change? Or do you not feel particularly concerned about these changes? Select another action campaign that will bring awareness to climate change!

Frida Velez 9/30/2020 6:13 AM

The graph only shows me how many hot days of the year are in New York over time, but the map shows the whole world. It really puts me in perspective, and whatever I'm experiencing, someone somewhere else in the world could be experiencing much worse. The climate in New York isn't actually that bad compared to a lot of places in the world, and while we only get around 11 hot days per year, there are places in the world that get months of hot days per year. But this information makes me really worried, because according to the graph, New York will have an average of 29 hot days per year when I'm 80, and that's a lot based on the period of time. Also, humidity makes it worse. And since New York isn't a very hot place in the world, there are probably going to be places that have hot days for most of the year, which is really sad, and also unhealthy for both the planet and our people.

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Reflection Question
Electricity Choose Renewable Energy or Purchase Renewable Energy Credits

Your utility company is able to tell you your average energy usage. Ask them how your energy usage compares to others in your ZIP code, region, and/or state. What other steps can you take each day to reduce your electricity usage?

Frida Velez 9/23/2020 6:06 AM

Some steps I can take each day to reduce my electricity usage are using energy-efficient lightbulbs and other appliances, unplugging electronics when I'm not using them, cleaning my HVAC filters when they're dirty (it takes more energy when there's blockage on the filters), and using my curtains to block the sun instead of turning on an air conditioner.

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Reflection Question
Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community Sustainable BUGS

What is one action you want to see happen this year to help sustain the BUGS community? It can be something that sustains the people in our community or the environment. *remember: to "sustain" means to keep going. In this case how to we keep going this year in a healthy and happy way?

Frida Velez 9/23/2020 5:02 AM

One action I want to see happen this year to help sustain the BUGS community is to make sure that if/when we get back to the actual school building, we can make sure that no one will do anything to the raised beds in the garden. It's really destructive, and slows/stops the growth of the plants we need for oxygen, to hold in CO2, and for our Spring Market. It happened last year, and we had to get a whole team of students during lunch to come outside and fix the cold frames in the freezing cold. A way to keep us going this year in a healthy and happy way is to be kind to each other and help each out (even over Google Meet), because we're all going through this tough time together, and you never know if someone is going through another thing as well.

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Reflection Question
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Reduce Animal Products

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?

Frida Velez 9/18/2020 5:17 AM

People in richer countries eat more meat than people in other places because they have more access to this type of food, especially since there are so many farms (and factory farms) in these higher-income countries, but especially the U.S.. Eating more meat affects our bodies, our planet, and other people because the production of meat emits a lot of greenhouse gases and other pollution, the planet's population will be 10 billion by 2050 (and we need to start using plant-based diets if we want to feed all of those people), and plant-based meat is physically healthier for most people.

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Reflection Question
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Smaller Portions

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?

Frida Velez 9/17/2020 5:21 AM

Other benefits that come from eating/serving smaller portions are that it saves money, it makes sure that those who need more food are getting it instead to the extra food coming to us and us just wasting it, it helps small, local farmers, and it keeps you and your household healthier, because whenever you serve a lot of food on one plate, people try to finish it all, even if they're not that hungry.

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Reflection Question
Action Track: Justice for the Whole Community 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?

Frida Velez 9/10/2020 5:43 AM

When developers make an area of a residential place "more green," the prices of the homes there get higher, which pushes out people with lower income and POC. This is called green gentrification. In order to stop environmental justice from getting in the way of social justice, local and state governments have to make laws guarding against green gentrification. One of the ways they can do this is require that a certain amount of cheaper, more affordable homes are constructed in these new, green areas. Also, they could make it so that everyone already living in the area is allowed to stay even if they can't pay for the new "amenities," and that the already existing affordable homes don't convert to market price right when the newly more "greened" neighborhood gets more desirable and expensive.

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Reflection Question
Transportation Use Muscle Power

How do your transportation choices affect your engagement in your community? Does your experience or enjoyment differ while walking, riding transit, biking or driving?

Frida Velez 9/09/2020 5:37 AM

My transportation choices affect my engagement in my community because if I'm in a car or other non-muscle-powered vehicle, I don't feel as aware of my community, and I'll be contributing even more CO2 to the atmosphere. Using muscle-powered transportation saves the earth, makes me more aware of my community, and is also healthier and can drastically reduce my risk of heart disease. I also enjoy walking and riding my bike more than riding a car, bus, or train, because I feel more connected to whatever is going on in my community more, and I feel more "down to earth."

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