Drawdown Ecochallenge 2023

Kailyn Bebee 4/16/2026 12:35 PM

TIL about biochar!

Biochar is a powerful type of soil that sequesters carbon from the atmosphere.

It has the following properties that make it superior to other kinds of soil:

Enhanced nutrient retention for plants (tripled crop biomass/weight)
Reduced CO2 emissions from soil (and is actually carbon-negative!)
Enhanced soil pH and structure
Improved water-holding capacity
Increased fertilizer efficiency w/ its porous structure

Apparently it's helpful for composting, but I'm not sure yet how I could get started with that at home.

Watched this 5min video: https://youtu.be/ehRBw7ffPv0

I remember volunteering for Zero Waste McMinnville, and one of the members, a local farmer, was obsessed with biochar. Maybe I should get back in touch with him 🧑‍🌾

Kailyn Bebee 4/03/2026 5:48 PM

Today, I learned about the effects of bottom-trawling on the oceanfloor and its inhabitants.

I was reminded of a book I read back in college, On Such a Full Sea, in a dystopian future where the main character has a job in controlled aquaculture after the old economy collapsed. I'm wondering about transitioning livelihoods of fishers who currently trawl, and what that looks like? Easy to say "trawling is bad" for the ocean — bit more difficult to picture what change looks like for the people who are involved in trawling today.

Also thinking about how I might check to make sure the seafood I'm buying is "good" — will save that research for another day!

Kailyn Bebee 4/16/2026 10:12 AM

Seasonality is definitely part of sustainable eating!

I didn't know trawling was an old tradition where you're from. Thanks for sharing.

One of the videos I watched was about how it's big in the Philippines, too: https://youtu.be/ZqgjtJ9XJMI

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Bruno Hass 4/10/2026 12:45 PM

I didn't know trawling was so bad for the ocean. It's an old tradition where I live. Come to think of it, nowadays there is a regulated season during which people can trawl around here. That must be one of the ways to consume seafood sustainably — making sure you're consuming the right species for the season.

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Industry

What are some attributes of an offset that you should consider before purchasing them?

Sami Aakhus 4/03/2026 7:17 AM

What carbon credits are: Carbon credits are tradable instruments — typically virtual certificates — that represent a claim to avoided greenhouse gas emissions or enhanced removal of GHGs from the atmosphere. Each credit generally equals one metric tonne of CO₂ avoided or removed, and can be generated through projects like renewable energy development, methane capture, or avoided deforestation. Buyers can "retire" a credit to count it toward their climate mitigation goals. offsetguide

What it is: An expert resource developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and the Greenhouse Gas Management Institute (GHGMI), drawing on over 15 years of research to help users understand and navigate carbon credits and offsets. offsetguide

The urgency behind it: Global emissions need to be cut in half by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050 to limit the worst effects of climate change — making tools like carbon credits increasingly important for governments, businesses, and individuals. offsetguide

Key message: Carbon credits are one tool among many for climate action, and the guide exists to cut through widespread misinformation — helping users distinguish credible from non-credible credits and make confident, informed decisions

Kailyn Bebee 4/16/2026 12:37 PM

I feel like I have heard mostly negative things about carbon credits! I'll have to learn more to see where it's helpful :)

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Kailyn Bebee 4/02/2026 8:27 AM

Watched a video about the difference between food sell by, best by, and use by dates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5XssdVk0hQ

Why is this important?

Consumers widely misread all date labels as hard expiration dates → unnecessary disposal
FDA attributes ~20% of household food waste to label confusion
Global food waste = ~⅓ of all food produced
28% of world’s agricultural land used annually to grow food that gets wasted
Food waste is the single largest component of municipal landfills in the US

Until these dates get a more science-based approach: Treat “best by” and “sell by” as quality guides, not safety deadlines 📝 use senses & discard obvious spoilage

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?

Sami Aakhus 4/02/2026 6:34 AM

In 2024, contraceptives supplied by UNFPA are estimated to have:
-Prevented 18 million unintended pregnancies
-Averted 7.5 million unsafe abortions
-Prevented 39,000 maternal deaths

Guided by its Family Planning Strategy 2022–2030, UNFPA is focusing on eight interlinked priority areas to accelerate progress on rights and choices and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals:

Investing in adolescents and youth to expand access and participation.
Strengthening supply chains so contraceptives reliably reach those who need them.
Securing sustainable financing to reduce reliance on external aid and ensure resilience.
Improving quality of care through person-centred, respectful services.
Expanding contraceptive choice with a broad, rights-based method mix.
Strengthening accountability to ensure governments and health systems uphold commitments.
Integrating family planning into primary healthcare for universal access.
Harnessing innovation and technology to reach underserved populations and improve efficiency.

Kailyn Bebee 4/01/2026 9:16 AM

Watched a few videos to learn about the Drawdown Project (https://drawdown.org/climate-solutions-101).

Standout points for me:

Agriculture covers 35–40% of all land 🧑‍🌾
Scientists predict we'll have our first ice-free Arctic months in the next decade 🥵
Composting is a good way for individuals to help out (while policy moves at a larger scale) 🌱
Blue-collar workers will be on the front lines improving our infrastructure (will explode the economy) 💪

Kristen Long 3/31/2026 10:03 AM

Looking forward to gardening this year and planning meals

Kailyn Bebee 4/01/2026 9:55 AM

What do you garden? :)

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