Ecochallenge.org

Earth Day Ecochallenge

April 1 - April 30, 2020

Kaya Johnson

Asheville High School

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
1,146 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

22

miles

traveled by foot
UP TO

1.0

public official or leader

contacted
UP TO

153

minutes

spent learning
UP TO

30

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

430

minutes

not spent in front of a screen
UP TO

22

miles

not traveled by car
UP TO

490

minutes

spent outdoors
UP TO

35

conversations

with people
UP TO

1.0

advocacy action

completed
UP TO

2.0

pounds

food waste prevented
UP TO

102

gallons of water

have been saved

Kaya's actions

Food

Weekly Meal Planning

I will reduce food waste and save money by prepping for 3 meal(s) each day, only buying the ingredients I need.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Oceans

Learn about Our Oceans

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning about how our oceans support life on Earth by producing oxygen, regulating climate, and providing habitat, food, and jobs.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Forests

Explore My Area

I will explore at least one new hiking trail or nature walk in my area while following CDC guidelines for social distancing.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Climate

Use Muscle Power

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 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Food

Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates

I will spend at least 45 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Forests

Forest-Friendly Foods

I will replace or remove the palm oil, coffee, and cocoa products in my current diet that are known to contribute to deforestation.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Building Resilience

Research Benefits of Biodiversity

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching how biodiversity positively impacts our world and how the loss of biodiversity harms it.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Wildlife

Seek Alternative Gifts and Souvenirs

Bringing home unique souvenirs from trips you’ve enjoyed is meaningful, and giving people unique gifts from other places is fun. Seek souvenirs and gifts that support local communities and do not cause harm to the environment or wildlife.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Fresh Water

Eco-friendly Gardening

I will plant native species, landscape with water-efficient plants, and use eco-friendly fertilizers.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Building Resilience

Research Local Climate Issues

I will spend at least 15 minute(s) a day researching climate issues or climate solutions in my local area and share with others through my team feed, social media, or conversations with my peers.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Wildlife

Support Pollinators

At least 30% of crops and 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators, including monarch butterflies, to produce fruit. I will spend 35 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Advocate For More Food Options

Access to affordable, nutritious food is a food justice issue. I will advocate for local and/or organic food options in my state and/or community.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

People

Connect While Social Distancing

I will connect with at least 3 person/people a day through phone call or video chat to support mine and other’s mental and emotional health during this challenging time.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

Wildlife

Research a Wild Animal

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning about a wild animal I find interesting, including their life cycle, habitat, ecosystem functions, and interactions with humans (if any!).

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Action Track: Building Resilience

Spend Time Outside

I will replace 45 minute(s) each day typically spent inside (computer time, watching television, etc.) with quality time outside that follows CDC guidelines for preventing disease spread.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

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
Action Track: Building Resilience Spend Time Outside

Rachel Carson said that we need the beauty and mysteries of the natural world for our spiritual and emotional development. Does that ring true for you? What are the implications for a culture that spends most of its time indoors?

Kaya Johnson 4/25/2020 11:17 AM

Yes, I love spending time outside because it feels good. Whenever i'm doing homework on my computer I try and go outside because it makes me focus and be more happy. My family is the same way and we pretty much have more living room space outdoors than indoors because it makes you feel better and happier and connect more with the world!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Wildlife Research a Wild Animal

What interesting facts did you learn about the animal you researched? What are some of your favorite things about this animal?

Kaya Johnson 4/22/2020 6:45 AM

I researched the beluga whale and I learned that they are in the same family of animals that narwals are and they are the only member of their genus. They are white and live in subarctic temperatures which means that they need to swim under ice and that means they don't have a dorsal fin like most aquatic animals. What is unfortunate about them is that that are on the endangered species list but are held in captivity in aquariums!!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Fresh Water Eco-friendly Gardening

What are the most prominent water concerns in your area? Examples include drought, flooding, pollution, access, security, and privatization.

Kaya Johnson 4/18/2020 6:41 PM

In my area the concerns are safe water in the local streams and rivers because in the past we have had many pollutants in them and causing many diseases. Flooding can also happen here because there are so many hills and mountain valleys that can be prone to flooding and sometimes it can get really bad and flood a whole section of south Asheville. The worst concern is pollution because the French Broad river basin is incredibly important and provides water for many different reasons to many people and it has been so contaminated that no one can even wade in it.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Wildlife Seek Alternative Gifts and Souvenirs

How do your consumption choices affect the health of wildlife and other communities?

Kaya Johnson 4/14/2020 7:33 PM

All of our choices affect things around us and especially the environment. I try not to use single use plastics because they end up in waterways and harm the ecosystem or they end up in landfills and never decompose. I do not want my actions to harm other living species because that is not right. If one person decreases their waste hopefully more will follow and that will make a bigger change.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Oceans Learn about Our Oceans

What is one way in which oceans support your life on Earth? What is one way you can help take care of ocean health with your actions?

Kaya Johnson 4/13/2020 4:56 PM

The ocean is incredibly important for everything living thing on this Earth. The ocean provides the number one source of protein for the world, absorbs carbon dioxide, regulates the climate, and supports many living species. We need to take care of it and one way that we can do that is to create less carbon, stop driving as much, carpool, bike, support industries that don't produce carbon, but second hand things. We can also use way less plastic products because those interfere with the natural balance of the ocean and that causes it to not preform its job that benefits and keeps so many people alive.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Advocate For More Food Options

What efforts would help food insecure regions have access to local, seasonal foods?

Kaya Johnson 4/12/2020 7:51 PM

To not have all organic and local foods be expensive. If people came to together and collectively started advocating for more grocery stores to have local food the farmers would profit more and they would not have to charge as much for each thing. There could also be subsidies for local and seasonal foods so that people could afford them and the farmers and growers could profit and there would be incentive to grow more and sell more. That means it could be available and affordable.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Building Resilience Research Local Climate Issues

In what ways is your local community resilient to shock events like we’ve experienced recently? How could you help it become more resilient?

Kaya Johnson 4/10/2020 6:48 PM

The community has banned together to help in times of need like these. Restaurants have offered free meals to families and school children because they are not getting the breakfast and lunch they normally do. Our school district is sending meals out on school buses for families who need it and students. People are cleaning up their neighborhoods and eating cleaner and exercising. They are staying at home because it is not about yourself in these times, it's about others. This is helping me be more resilient because it is teaching me that not everything is social. I need space to myself and to listen to what I need and want instead of what other people were demanding of me. It is showing me the drastic gap between rich and poor even in my own community and brings out the awful things that the government it doing which are not fair or equal. This shock event will hopefully change societal issues which in turn will help our environment.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Action Track: Building Resilience Research Benefits of Biodiversity

How can you encourage biodiversity by your own actions?

Kaya Johnson 4/09/2020 6:05 PM

Biodiversity is the diversity and different types of organisms, cultures, and genetic makeup that make up the entire world. We need it to live when it comes to water, food, pests, animals and many other things. To encourage biodiversity I can advocate for less parking lots and concrete islands that separate species. I can be kind and teach about how each culture, race, religion, gender, sexuality, mental illness and ethnicity matter in this world and that we would not all be here and thriving if we did not respect each other and each others lives. To keep out world safe and healthy we need to make sure that every living organism is safe and healthy no matter what.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Forests Explore My Area

How can spending more time outdoors enhance your sense of place?

Kaya Johnson 4/08/2020 3:35 PM

I spend lots of time outdoors but in these times I have started to explore my own area up in the woods because my family owns lots of land and we made trails! Recently we actually had a wildfire because a neighbor was careless around his campfire and it spread to out land. We have been driving to parkway daily and going on hikes which is nice to see how the environment is thriving and doing so well in this time. But walking around our charred up land made me sad because with all the free time people are being careless about what they are doing outdoors like hunting, fishing and starting fires. The outdoors is so sacred and I'm so thankful to live here and feel safe and healthy by living here.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Food Weekly Meal Planning

An average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Does this surprise you? Where would you rather use this money?

Kaya Johnson 4/07/2020 7:17 PM

That is not very surprising to me because Americans do not use up everything they have and are known to be very greedy when it comes to food. After dinner if we have food scraps they go in the compost but by now my family knows the portions we eat and what we like to we don't throw away food and save leftovers. All the money that goes into wasted food could go towards so many different things if not towards people who don't have money to buy food. It is awful that so much food is being thrown out and I think that people should be educated on how much they spend on food, how much they will actually eat and how many people could be fed with that food that is wasted.

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