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Welcome to Drawdown EcoChallenge!

Watch the short video below to learn the basics.
You'll be an Drawdown EcoChallenge expert in no time!

EcoChallenge.org
Drawdown EcoChallenge
April 3 - April 24, 2019
Isaac Slevin's avatar

Isaac Slevin

ETHS Bagasses

"the whales is my homies"

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 1,211 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    65
    miles
    traveled by bike
  • UP TO
    1.0
    documentary
    watched
  • UP TO
    320
    minutes
    spent learning
  • UP TO
    9.0
    hours
    volunteered
  • UP TO
    4.0
    conversations
    with people
  • UP TO
    12
    meatless or vegan meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    54
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    3.0
    public officials or leaders
    contacted

Isaac's actions

Materials

Recycle Everything I Can

#55 Household Recycling

I will recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community.

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Buildings and Cities

Go by Bike

#59 Bike Infrastructure

I will commute by bike 5 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to 4.12 lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

COMPLETED 13
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Use Muscle Power

#49 Cars

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips, and I will only use muscle-powered transportation for all other trips.

COMPLETED 9
DAILY ACTIONS

Land Use

Restore Wetlands

#52 Coastal Wetlands

I will volunteer 9 hours with a wetland restoration project in my region.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Reduce Animal Products

#4 Plant-Rich Diet

I will enjoy 2 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

#3 Reduced Food Waste

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Communicate With My Elected Officials

#2 Wind Turbines (Onshore)

I will write or call 1 elected official(s) telling them not to support fossil fuel subsidies and instead support wind energy generation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Watch a Video about Methane Digesters

#30 Methane Digesters (large), #64 Methane Digesters (small)

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Transport

Explore Other Transport Solutions

All Transport Solutions

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching other Drawdown Transport Solutions.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Go Paperless

#70 Recycled Paper

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by 0.11lbs (0.05kg) a day or 41lbs (18.6kg) a year by opting into paperless billing, ending unwanted subscriptions and opting out of junk mail.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Express My Support

#59 Bike Infrastructure

I will find out who in my city makes decisions that impact bike routes and express my support for better biking infrastructure.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Materials

Share Bioplastic Disposal Tips

#47 Bioplastic

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching how to properly dispose of bioplastics in my city and share this information with 4 friends, family and/or colleagues.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Learn about the Need for Family Planning

#7 Family Planning

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

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Use

Research Peatlands

#13 Peatlands

I will spend 45 minutes researching the environmental benefits of peatlands and what is being done around the world to conserve and restore them.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Transport

Research and Advocate for High-Speed Rail

#66 High-Speed Rail

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching and advocating for a comprehensive high speed rail network in my country/region.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Buildings and Cities

Research Retrofitting Incentives

#80 Retrofitting

I will spend at least 30 minutes finding out if my city, region, or state offers incentives for retrofitting existing buildings.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Electricity Generation

Learn More about Micro Wind

#76 Micro Wind

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

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Women and Girls

Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

#6 Educating Girls, #7 Family Planning, #62 Women Smallholders

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

Land Use

Advocate for Forest Protection

#38 Forest Protection

I will contact 1 congress people or representatives to advocate for public policy that protects forests and the enforcement of existing anti-logging laws.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Learn More about Silvopasture

#9 Silvopasture

I will spend at least 30 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

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
    Women and Girls
    What did you learn about the need for family planning? Share some of the learning with your friends!
    Isaac Slevin's avatar
    Isaac Slevin 4/24/2019 7:47 PM
    I learned that family planning is important for a myriad of issues. This includes reducing resource strain by decreasing population growth, slowing the spread of diseases like HIV, empowering women by not weighing them down with a baby, and many others.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Women and Girls
    What are some of the barriers that exist to women's equal participation and/or representation in your community?
    Isaac Slevin's avatar
    Isaac Slevin 4/24/2019 7:46 PM
    At ETHS, girls still lag behind boys in STEM classes in both participation and learning benchmarks
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Electricity Generation
    Micro turbines can be placed on large structures to take advantage of stronger, steadier breezes. The Eiffel Tower now sports vertical axis turbines that produce electricity for use on site. Where could micro turbines potentially be installed in your city?
    Isaac Slevin's avatar
    Isaac Slevin 4/23/2019 6:37 PM
    On the tops of apartment buildings in downtown Evanston, on top of ETHS and other Evanston schools, and in parking lots everywhere (like the Walgreens at Chicago and Keeney). Pretty much anywhere.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food
    Had you heard of the term "silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?
    Isaac Slevin's avatar
    Isaac Slevin 4/23/2019 6:27 PM
    It was mentioned once or twice in class through our textbook or videos, but I didn't know what it was. I think that that the biggest advantage to silvopastures is that they they make the soil healthy. This is very important for producing sustainable food at high yields for generations to come.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Land Use
    Higher standards of living are very often dependent on moving our environmental costs elsewhere. What are some specific ways in which the environmental impacts of your own lifestyle might be shifted elsewhere?
    Isaac Slevin's avatar
    Isaac Slevin 4/22/2019 5:32 PM
    No matter where we live, we still buy more food than we eat, more clothes than we need, more packaging than we use, etc.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Transport
    What are the factors that influence your choice of transportation? These can include things like money, time, and convenience, as well as perceptions of danger or safety. What would need to change for you to regularly choose more climate-friendly options?
    Isaac Slevin's avatar
    Isaac Slevin 4/22/2019 4:26 PM
    Largely ability. I've biked as many places as possible since 8th grade because I couldn't (and still can't) drive. I've only gotten hit once, and every other time I've crashed it's been entirely my fault.
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Buildings and Cities
    How can you share what you have learned in your research with others?
    Isaac Slevin's avatar
    Isaac Slevin 4/22/2019 4:20 PM
    I can tell my parents about ways they can save money while benefiting the community at the same time
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Land Use
    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?
    Isaac Slevin's avatar
    Isaac Slevin 4/21/2019 7:25 PM
    We can cut foods out of our diet that contain crops that were planted in former peatlands. This includes everything from Doritos to some kitchen supplies
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Materials
    What do you want to prioritize over material 'stuff' in your own life?
    Isaac Slevin's avatar
    Isaac Slevin 4/19/2019 5:01 PM
    I want to prioritize the people I'm with more than the things I have when I'm with those people. Not only is this lowkey inspirational, but it's also good for the environment :)
    Read More
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food
    How does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?
    Isaac Slevin's avatar
    Isaac Slevin 4/19/2019 4:59 PM
    I now know which dates are important to pay attention to once the date is passed. For example, I'd feel safe eating eggs that are 10 days past their sell-by date, but not 10 days past their use-by date. Before, I'd just throw them out.
    Read More