Earth Month Ecochallenge: Drawdown

April 1 - April 30, 2021

Cashion Porter-Shirley

Asheville High School Spring 2021!

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
513 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

documentary

watched
UP TO

7.5

locally sourced meals

consumed
UP TO

302

minutes

spent learning

Cashion's actions

Buildings

Learn about 'Green Gentrification'

Multiple Solutions

I will spend at least 68 minutes learning about green gentrification and how it relates to city planning for climate action.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Climate Resilience

Support Local Food Systems

Plant-Rich Diets

I will source 50 percent of my food from local producers each day. This could include signing up for a local CSA, buying from a farmer's market, visiting a food co-op, foraging with a local group, or growing my own ingredients.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Electricity

Learn More About Geothermal Energy

Geothermal Power

I will spend at least 35 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

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

Electricity

Learn More about Biomass

Biomass Power

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of biomass.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Research Peatlands

Peatland Protection and Rewetting

I will spend 25 minutes researching the environmental benefits of peatlands and what is being done around the world to conserve and restore them.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Industry

Bioplastics

Bioplastics are a promising solution to plastic waste and climate change… but they aren’t necessarily sustainable. Find out why!

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Learn about Temperate Forests

Temperate Forest Restoration

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the environmental services provided by and the environmental issues affecting temperate forests.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Forest-Friendly Foods 1

Tropical Forest Restoration

I will spend at least 35 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Land Sinks

Learn More about Silvopasture

Silvopasture

I will spend at least 20 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

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

Health and Education

Research Barriers to Participation and Representation

Health and Education

I will spend at least 46 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 59 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

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
Buildings Learn about 'Green Gentrification'

Cities and towns need to plan for climate change. How can your city or town make its climate action plans equitable and socially just?

Cashion Porter-Shirley 5/02/2021 7:08 PM

Our city can continue to make greenways, parks, clean up dumps, etc, but this has to be done without removing the low income residents of the area. While upper class people do love their parks and greenways, let the lower class have their own, so they too can enjoy fresh air and exercise. Since where we live is in the mountains, those who have cars don’t have to drive far to be in the wilderness which means there is no need to live in a perfectly green location too. Also, while reducing landfills and things like that, make sure there is a plan for people who work in those places because without it they don’t have a job.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Electricity Learn More About Geothermal Energy

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?

Cashion Porter-Shirley 4/29/2021 9:21 AM

I believe that the best investment is diving straight into it. Though it is expensive to implement, the overall saving in both money and the environment is worth it, and if it is advertised like the military, people will be willing to put money into it.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Climate Resilience Support Local Food Systems

Dependable fresh food, supporting local farmers and building resilient communities are just a few benefits of local food systems. Which of these (or other) advantages inspire you the most?

Cashion Porter-Shirley 4/28/2021 9:15 AM

Having fresh food that I know is organically grown is important for my health, and I also get to help out local farmers by doing so which I believe is key in today's world.

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?

Cashion Porter-Shirley 4/28/2021 9:10 AM

My vision of a sustainable community is one where no one is relying on non-renewable energy, infrastructures are built with materials that have no impact on the environment (or can be replaced like wood), and people are buying from local shops and farms. In order to get there, everyone needs to be on board with the vision, and a vast amount of research needs to be done to learn what exactly to do.

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!

Cashion Porter-Shirley 4/27/2021 9:11 AM

I had heard of biomass technology before this because my dad did work with Blue Ridge Biofuels several years ago, but I did not know much about it. I learned that biomass technology can help carry us to 100% clean energy but cannot be our source once there. This surprised me a bit, but upon reflecting about it a bit, I remember a conversation with a friend of my dad saying that Blue Ridge Biofuels was running out of places to get them stuff for free with demand increasing. I am still surprised by it though because, nationally, it seems like we would have enough excess, organic materials to have biomass technology be a permanent source of clean energy, but apparently not.

Read More
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?

Cashion Porter-Shirley 4/26/2021 9:12 AM

We can share with others the importance of peatlands and why we need them. This way, more people will want to protect them, and more support is always better!

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Industry Bioplastics

What concerns you the most about how we are affecting the planet? Consider both local and global actions.

Cashion Porter-Shirley 4/22/2021 8:39 AM

I’m concerned about the place we have put ourselves in. We have essentially backed ourselves into a corner with all these materials we use in our daily lives, plastics being the big one. While many companies, such as Patagonia, are working to use more organic materials and recycle more, there’s still a lot of products that use materials that are negatively affecting the planet, and we can’t stop using them because it’s what we are used to using.

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?

Cashion Porter-Shirley 4/20/2021 9:05 AM

This is certainly not the first time I’ve heard these things, but every time I see what is going on, it gives me a burst of energy to do something about it whether it’s spreading awareness or directly fighting the issue. I get overwhelmed by knowing that as the world continues to warm, temperate forests will shrink more and more exponentially with passing time, and it won’t stop as long as people don’t believe in what’s happening. Knowing that temperate forests can be restored makes me feel hopeful.

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?

Cashion Porter-Shirley 4/19/2021 9:21 AM

I eat a lot of animal products and cereal along with other processed foods (I didn’t see them on the list but I assume there’s palm oil or something else that has a negative impact), and I also use Colgate toothpaste and mouthwash. I can reduce my negative impact by eating more fruits and vegetables whenever I want a snack rather than cereal and other processed foods. All our meat and most animal products we consume comes from local farms, so I am not as concerned about that as I am the palm oil issue, but I will still add more plants into my diet as a precaution.

Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Land Sinks Learn More about Silvopasture

Had you heard of the term "silvopasture" before now? After learning more about it, what do you think is the biggest advantage of silvopasture?

Cashion Porter-Shirley 4/16/2021 5:39 PM

Prior to now, I had never heard the term "silvopasture." I believe the biggest advantage is there is more bang for you buck. What I mean by this is that farmers are able to have many different sources of income (milk, meat, eggs, fruit, etc) coming from the same area rather than having one section of land for cows, another section for chickens, and then a place for fruits. Most farmers don't even have the ability to have multiple sources of income because of land, but silvopasture allows that to happen.

Read More