Michelle Bilodeau-Lanne

Cheap, single-use items and disposable packaging end up blowing around as litter more often in poor and BIPOC-majority neighborhoods. I will avoid buying and using 3 single-use plastics and instead replace them with durable options.

I will cook 1 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

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

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.

I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during Earth Month Ecochallenge, either because it went bad before I ate it, I put too much on my plate, or it was scraps from food preparation.

SUNY ADK CAMPUS TREE PLANTING - DATE TBD In coordination with the Adventure Sports program, Clint McCarthy and friends have made it a regular occurrence to remove honeysuckle and plant trees and shrubs, that help foster a healthy ecosystem on SUNY ADK property. Join this year's planting and connect with fellow faculty, staff, and students.

Sometimes protecting nature requires feeling connected to nature. I will invest 60 minutes in exploring and appreciating a natural area in my region, whether a forest, wetland, coastal area, or somewhere else.

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.

I will Practice the "5 Rs" — refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle — to reduce my waste more than I can with just recycling alone.

I will take a walk for 20 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

I will start a compost bin where I live.

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

I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency by mulching the base of trees and plants in my yard.

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

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of geothermal energy and consider investing in this technology.

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.

I will contact 3 elected officials to voice my opinion on the importance of restoring farmland in my region, including both public and private land.

I will contact 3 congress people or representatives to advocate for public policy that protects forests and the enforcement of existing anti-logging laws, as well as the rights of local people to protect and restore the land in their communities.

I will advocate for alternatives to single-use packaging at local grocery stores, markets, at work, or on campus.

I will source 30 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.