Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge

Mia Huebner

Asheville High School Spring 2021

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
741 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1,020

minutes

spent exercising
UP TO

280

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

142

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

275

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

21

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

280

miles

traveled by carpool
UP TO

5.0

conversations

with people
UP TO

3.0

trees

planted
UP TO

2.0

lightbulbs

replaced

Mia's actions

Buildings and Cities

Go for a Daily Walk

Walkable Cities

I will take a walk for 60 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

COMPLETED 17
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 75 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

Silvopasture

I will spend at least 15 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

Tropical Forest Restoration

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Support Nutrient Management

Nutrient Management

I will research and support local farmers who have made the decision to not use synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

Bioplastics

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching how to properly dispose of bioplastics in my city and share this information with 5 friends, family and/or colleagues.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Learn about Temperate Forests

Temperate Forest Restoration

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the environmental services provided by and the environmental issues affecting temperate forests.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Properly Dispose of Refrigerants

Refrigerant Management

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Choose LED Bulbs

LED Lighting

I will replace 2 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Upgrade My Windows

Insulation

I will upgrade the windows or weatherstripping in my home or office to reduce air leaks and save on energy costs.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

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

Materials

Practice the 5 R's

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 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Stay on the Ground

Telepresence, High-Speed Rail

Instead of traveling by plane, I will find an alternative way to accomplish the goals of an upcoming trip (i.e. telepresence, vacation locally).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Reduce Single-Use Disposables

Bioplastics

I will avoid buying and using 3 single-use plastics and instead replace them with durable options.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Try Carpooling

Carpooling

I will commute by carpool 40 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Materials

Recycle Everything I Can

Recycling

Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will research and recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community, making sure to not contaminate recyclables with non-recyclables.

COMPLETED 7
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity Generation

Watch a Video about Methane Digesters

Methane Digesters

I will watch a video about methane digesters (also commonly known as anaerobic digesters).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

Health and Education

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Plant Trees

Temperate Forest Restoration

I will plant 3 tree(s) in my community, public parks, or backyard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Composting

Composting, Reduced Food Waste

I will start a compost bin where I live.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Learn More about Micro Wind

Micro Wind Turbines

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of micro wind.

UNCOMPLETED
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 Composting

Producing food that goes uneaten squanders many resources—seeds, water, energy, land, fertilizer, hours of labor, financial capital. Which of these kinds of waste most motivates you to change your behavior regarding food waste? Why?

Mia Huebner 5/18/2020 9:31 PM

Putting land to waste and using it to build more factories that are just going to produce more emissions that are ruining our atmosphere inspires me the most. This inspires me the most because this is one of the biggest every day issues. We cut down so much of our Forrests every day that it is absolutely unnecessary and it is so hard to replenish all that we have ruined at the end of the day. This is very motivating and we have to do something about it.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use Plant Trees

How is planting trees good for your mental, physical, and spiritual health?

Mia Huebner 5/18/2020 9:25 PM

Planting trees is good for my mental healthy because it is refreshing. It makes you feel productive and like you did something right. It is good for my physical health because you get to watch is grow bigger and adapt to your surroundings and the weather. It is helpful all around. It helps the earth, the air, the animals around, the neighbors, the soil and you and me!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Women and Girls Learn about the Need for Family Planning

What did you learn about the need for family planning? How do the needs of different people in different places compare to each other?

Mia Huebner 5/18/2020 9:17 PM

I learned that the need for family planning is very high but it harder than you think to access and get. People who live in poorer parts of areas or rural areas, family planning is really hard to find and get access to. The needs of people are effected because if you don't live near a lot of people or a big city, family planning is going to take longer to find, which is really hard if you are a mother who needs it urgently.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Generation Watch a Video about Methane Digesters

What does your vision of a sustainable community look like? What would need to be changed in order for such vision to become reality?

Mia Huebner 5/18/2020 9:10 PM

My vision of a sustainable community looks like everyone having solar panels on their house, at least one, everyone uses shower heads, toilets, faucets and laundry machines that are good for the environment and use less water and colder water. Everyone has a green-roof on top of their house no matter where they live and everyone has a water filter so we are all healthy. A lot would need to change for this vision to become a reality. People would have to start caring more first of all but also people need to be willing to trust that there would be a good outcome.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Reduce Single-Use Disposables

What single-use items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, vegetable bags, plastic bags) do you regularly use? What could be substituted instead?

Mia Huebner 5/18/2020 9:17 AM

I don't use plastic bags anymore because we got reusable ones that you can wash and rinse out. I have substituted plastic straws and plastic water bottles with metal straws and metal water bottles that both can be washed out.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Practice the 5 R's

What are some more "R's" you could add to your daily practice to reduce your waste?

Mia Huebner 5/18/2020 9:15 AM

Reducing water usage, reducing the amount of water used in the dishwasher and laundry machine. Reducing the amount of time I leave the faucet on while washing dishes and washing my hands.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Materials Recycle Everything I Can

How could you incorporate other "R's" -- reduce, reuse, refuse, repair, repurpose, etc. -- into your lifestyle? How does considering implementing these "R's" make you feel?

Mia Huebner 5/18/2020 9:13 AM

I can incorporate other R's into my lifestyle by seeing if my friends are about to throw something away that should be recycled, I can remind them. I can also look and check to see if the bottom of the containers are recyclable before assuming that they belong in the trash.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Stay on the Ground

What was your process like for restructuring your trip? How can you avoid more air travel in the future?

Mia Huebner 5/18/2020 9:05 AM

My process for restructuring my trip was actually super easy! Instead of flying, we drove. It was a 10 hour drive and a 1 hour flight, but it was fun and we saved lots of money and still had a great vacation! I can avoid more air travel in the future if I recognize that we can get there by car, we are going to drive. It's longer but better in a way.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Transport Try Carpooling

List some of the places you frequent often (work, grocery store, natural areas). Could you choose one or two days a week to schedule driving with a friend, neighbor or co-worker to these places?

Mia Huebner 5/18/2020 9:04 AM

When I used to have volleyball practice, I would carpool with friends to get there so we wouldn't all be driving separately. It saved gas and was letting out less CO2. I can also carpool to the grocery store and parks to go workout with friends as well. If we can all fit, why wouldn't you carpool?!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Use Research Peatlands

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?

Mia Huebner 5/18/2020 8:47 AM

Some actions I can take is not buying lots of food that contain palm oil so we don't eat as much of it. It would help the planet and our health and maybe people would start to realize that we do not need to always put palm oil in everything we eat. I can stop buying oil and use other alternatives because that is what palm oil is most disguised as.

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