Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge 2025

Patrick Young

Asheville High School/SILSA

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
443 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

50

minutes

being mindful
UP TO

336

minutes

spent learning

Patrick's actions

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn More about Regenerative Agriculture

Conservation Agriculture, Regenerative Annual Cropping

I will spend at least 17 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Learn More about Biomass

Biomass Power

I will spend at least 7 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 30 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

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 1
DAILY ACTION

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 1
DAILY ACTION

Land Sinks

Forest-Friendly Foods 2

Tropical Forest Restoration

I will replace or remove the palm oil, coffee, and cocoa products in my current diet that are known to contribute to deforestation.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Industry

Research the Climate Impact of Refrigerants

Refrigerant Management

I will spend 90 minutes learning about the climate impact of refrigerants and what climate-friendly refrigerants are by using the links below.

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

Land Sinks

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

Tropical Forest Restoration

I will spend at least 45 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transportation

Explore Other Transportation Solutions

All Transportation Solutions

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching other Drawdown Transportation Solutions.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 17 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 22 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

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

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

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
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Mindful eating is healthier for us than eating with distractions. How does your eating experience differ when practicing mindfulness?
Patrick Young 4/28/2025 6:26 AM
When eating mindfully, I can focus more on the meal itself, enjoying every aspect of it.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks

How difficult or easy was it to change your diet?
Patrick Young 4/28/2025 6:09 AM
It was pretty difficult, given that I drink coffee every day. Now I've had to switch to tea to satisfy my caffeine addiction.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

What are some more "Rs" you could add to your daily practice to reduce your waste?
Patrick Young 4/24/2025 6:45 PM
Regift, you can regift things you don't want because someone's trash is another person's treasure. Repair: You can repair something instead of throwing it away, which is more cost-efficient and limits waste.

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!
Patrick Young 4/24/2025 5:46 AM
I have heard about this before. I learned that biomass technology is clean and efficient in producing energy for all. It is surprising that many people don’t utilize this type of energy, and it is also surprising that biomass isn’t advocated for more.

Read More
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?
Patrick Young 4/23/2025 6:14 AM
I can invest in geothermal energy with my time and money. This investment isn't an investment to make money but to help our world be a better place.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Clean air, clean water and healthy food are just three reasons to care about regenerative agriculture. What are some other reasons? How could/does regenerative agriculture positively impact you and your community?
Patrick Young 4/22/2025 7:22 PM
A reason regenerative agriculture is beneficial is due to the healthy environment it promotes, as well as nutrient-rich soil to help keep producing more plants. This form of farming is beneficial to the community in many ways, such as promoting environmental wellness and promoting healthy living for many organisms.

Read More
- Prabhakaran Arjunan 4/22/2025 8:39 PM
  
  TEAM CAPTAIN
  
  4-DAY STREAK
  Good point on Soil health.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry

How close is the nearest climate-friendly supermarket to your home? How could you encourage local supermarket to reduce or phase out their use of HFC refrigerants?
Patrick Young 4/20/2025 6:45 PM
The closest climate-friendly supermarket to my home is Earth Fare, which is 5 miles away.

I could encourage supermarkets to reduce HFC use by enticing a newfound group of customers who will shop there.

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?
Patrick Young 4/20/2025 6:26 PM
I learned that family planning can help the family itself. Still, it can also help limit resources by limiting population in those who aren't prepared financially, healthy, or mentally. With family planning, everyone has different circumstances. such as in underdeveloped countries, family planning needs to be more accessible, and in more developed countries, more support and more awareness are needed. With the young people, generally, more education is needed about this topic.

Read 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?
Patrick Young 4/02/2025 6:03 AM
I hadn't heard of silvopasture. The most significant benefit of silvopasture is the animal's wellbeing increases. I think this is the most significant benefit because animal well-being is the most important job of a farmer.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?
Patrick Young 3/28/2025 6:43 AM
Knowing these labels and their meaning can help stop us from wasting perfectly good and edible food.

Read More