Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge 2025

Arlowe Whittington

Asheville High School/SILSA

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
521 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

14

meatless or vegan meals

consumed
UP TO

48

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

48

miles

traveled by bus
UP TO

7.9

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

6.0

conversations

with people
UP TO

275

minutes

spent learning

Arlowe's actions

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 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 16 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

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 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Sinks

Learn More about Silvopasture

Silvopasture

I will spend at least 17 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Spread the Word about Energy Alternatives

All Electricity Solutions

I will research and tell 2 people each day about the benefits of alternative energy sources like wind turbines, solar energy, geothermal energy, and methane digesters.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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

Transportation

Use Public Transit

Public Transit

I will use public transit 12 miles per day and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

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

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 1
DAILY 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

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 38 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 did you learn about the climate impact of refrigerants? How do supermarkets contribute to this impact?
Arlowe Whittington 4/10/2025 10:43 AM
Refrigerants make holes in the ozone layer, and supermarkets have a heavy reliance on HFCs and other refrigerants.

Read More
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?
Arlowe Whittington 4/09/2025 10:03 AM
This money could go to many things like a car or personal purchases. This money could also go to helping others or the environment- anything but the trash; it could even be more food as long as it's eaten.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

What are some attributes of an offset that you should consider before purchasing them?
Arlowe Whittington 4/09/2025 9:24 AM
As a company, you should consider if you can reasonably afford the cost of a carbon offset. Companies should also consider if a carbon offset is the best direction for improving the environment in case they can do more or there are better options.

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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?
Arlowe Whittington 4/08/2025 9:50 AM
Barriers that exist for women's representation and participation globally can include things like sexism in power, unequal rights, sexism in a large population of people, and low education/misleading people promoting this unfair representation. Sexism in power is a very big issue in representation because it means women have a hard time getting to the decision process. Sexism in a large population of people is also very harmful because it is discouraging and silences lots of women's voices. Unequal rights also just plainly put women at a disadvantage to men.
The reason these barriers exist is that sexism has existed forever, and when men get into power, it is extremely hard to remove sexism on large and small scales. Toxic beliefs and negative beliefs against women are promoted amongst many men to the point that it's almost impossible to fight against. Even considering these issues, we still must address sexism and promote more healthy and positive thinking and actions to achieve equality. Pushing and voting for women in power is a huge step to achieving equal representation and participation.

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?
Arlowe Whittington 4/08/2025 9:41 AM
I learned exactly what family planning is and why it is so vital to decreasing population growth. I also learned about how family planning can help people's personal lives. Overall, I learned the importance of family planning. In poor vs rich areas, less education and fewer resources/money are available to make proper decisions. Also, the culture you're born into based on where you live can change what your personal needs are.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transportation

How has your access to various kinds of transportation throughout your life influenced your current attitudes about transportation and your transportation behavior?
Arlowe Whittington 4/07/2025 8:48 AM
I have used the school bus since the 6th grade and think public transportation is very useful but not quality of life at all.

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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?
Arlowe Whittington 4/03/2025 9:41 AM
Even if you live away from a peatland, you can start stopping degrading activities such as agricultural conversion and drainage, aswell as restoring the waterlogged conditions. This allows peats to form and is the main reason peatlands are drained.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity

What inspiration and wisdom can you gather from your family, faith, or community traditions that would help you in both communicating about and addressing our most pressing energy issues?
Arlowe Whittington 4/02/2025 9:12 AM
I come from a great family that inspires me every day. My aunt is a scientist, my grandparents always have wise advice, and my family as a whole always push through hardship. Through this inspiration and wisdom, I can talk about energy issues with a good mindset about the future and a determined mindset to do what I can.

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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?
Arlowe Whittington 4/02/2025 9:00 AM
In richer countries, more meat is consumed than in poor countries because there is more availability and more money to buy the meat. Eating more meat can be unhealthy for us because you miss out on the nutrients that you can't get in meat. Buying meat can increase pollution from farms, and it can disproportionately affect those with less money.

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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?
Arlowe Whittington 4/01/2025 9:53 AM
No, I have not. After learning more about silvopasture, the biggest benefit to me from silvopasture is the financial benefit of utilizing the land.

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