Ecochallenge.org

Drawdown Ecochallenge

Cooper Nelson

Asheville High School Spring 2021

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
331 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

1,746

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

20

lightbulbs

replaced

Cooper's actions

Electricity

Learn More about Micro Wind

Micro Wind Turbines

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of micro wind.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food, Agriculture, and Land Use

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

Tropical Forest Restoration

I will spend at least 33 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Learn about Temperate Forests

Temperate Forest Restoration

I will spend at least 38 minutes learning more about the environmental services provided by and the environmental issues affecting temperate forests.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

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

Health and Education

Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

Health and Education

I will spend at least 81 minutes learning more about the barriers to women's equal participation and representation around the world.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Health and Education

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

Health and Education

I will spend at least 42 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Research the Climate Impact of Refrigerants

Refrigerant Management

I will spend 1429 minute(s) learning about the climate impact of refrigerants and what climate-friendly refrigerants are by using the links below.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Research Peatlands

Peatland Protection and Rewetting

I will spend 3 minutes researching the environmental benefits of peatlands and what is being done around the world to conserve and restore them.

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Support Companies Leading in Green Energy

Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaics, Distributed Solar Photovoltaics

I will use my spending power to reward companies leading in creating or purchasing green energy and incentivize others to invest more in green energy.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Calculate the carbon footprint of my household

I will calculate the carbon emissions associated with my household and consider how different lifestyle choices could reduce our carbon footprint and our impact on the environment.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity

Choose LED Bulbs

LED Lighting

I will replace 20 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

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 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity

Learn More about Biomass

Biomass Power

I will spend at least 15 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 15 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

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
Land Sinks 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?

Cooper Nelson 12/08/2020 11:52 AM

I can help protect peatlands by not using the products that are made from that land. I can protest the destruction of peatlands and advocate for their safety.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Calculate the carbon footprint of my household

After you determined your carbon footprint, did you see what different choices you can make in order to reduce it?

Cooper Nelson 12/08/2020 11:46 AM

I learned that I could eat less meat, go shopping less, buy local, and get energy star appliances to cut down on my carbon footprint.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry Research the Climate Impact of Refrigerants

What did you learn about the climate impact of refrigerants? How do supermarkets contribute to this impact?

Cooper Nelson 12/08/2020 10:50 AM

I learned that refrigerants have a large warming effect on the environment and multiple refrigerants have been banned because of this. Supermarkets have a lot of refrigerators, so of course, they would have a lot of refrigerants that would affect the climate.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health and Education 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?

Cooper Nelson 12/07/2020 11:10 AM

I learned that people struggle with different forms of family planning all around the world. Some people can only have one child, and some people are forced to have children because there is no sex ed or contraceptives available.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Health and Education Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

What are some of the barriers that exist to women's equal participation and/or representation in your community?

Cooper Nelson 12/04/2020 10:19 AM

I think there's a stigma around women being in the more "manly" workforces, like auto mechanics and woodworking. The wage gap is, of course, a problem. For every dollar a man makes, a woman makes 70 cents. There's also just plain old sexism, where women aren't hired for the fact that they're a woman.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity 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?

Cooper Nelson 12/04/2020 8:37 AM

I think it would be important to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy. It seems that biogas is a very nice form of energy, but we can still use other kinds of renewable energy like wind and solar.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks Learn about Temperate Forests

As you learn more about the scope and seriousness of the environmental challenges we face, what impact does that have on your thinking and actions? What are the parts that feel overwhelming? What parts help you feel hopeful?

Cooper Nelson 12/02/2020 11:21 AM

I’m starting to think more about my impact on the environment, but I’m also thinking about the bigger human-made impacts that I have nothing to do with. It angers me that people would destroy forests for their own profit, making countless animals homeless. It doesn’t feel like I can do anything about the bigger impacts of these forests, like hotter temperatures and worse diseases and insects. It helps to know that there are people that can do something about this. There are places that advocate specifically for the protection of these areas and it brings me hope.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks Forest-Friendly Foods 1

How is your diet currently impacting deforestation? What can you do to decrease your negative impact and increase your positive impact?

Cooper Nelson 11/27/2020 2:58 PM

I eat a lot of meat and animal products, and I recently discovered how much palm oil is in most of the food I eat, I would have to say that I contribute quite a lot to deforestation. I can try to eat more soy products and stop eating so much Mcdonalds to reduce my negative impact and increase my positive impact.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Food, Agriculture, and Land Use Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?

Cooper Nelson 11/25/2020 9:34 AM

I learned not to throw away items when the best by date passes because that doesn't mean it's rotten, it's just not as good as it could have been

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Learn More about Biomass

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!

Cooper Nelson 11/24/2020 9:16 AM

I had heard of biomass energy in 4th or 5th grade, but not in detail. I was surprised that we haven't even started using biomass energy to its full potential. We could use it to pave the way for even cleaner energy, but no one wants to do that when we can sell oil.

Read More