Elsa Friedmann

I will write 1 letter(s) or email(s) per day to a public official or representative to advocate for policies that protect wetlands.

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

I will create a plan to and advocate for solar installation at my business, apartment building, or campus.

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

I will spend at least 1 minutes researching and advocating for a comprehensive high speed rail network in my country/region.

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

Goal: Write at least one elected representative advocating for action to increase healthcare equality for women, people of color, queer people, and gender-nonconforming people. I chose this goal because it seemed to fit alongside the other goals in this category, and I wanted to make sure it existed as an option. Healthcare equity is a crucial issue and major ongoing crisis, and is often brushed aside as either nonexistent or too big a problem to be solved.

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

I will learn about sustainable fashion and begin trying to practice it in my own life.

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

I will take a walk for 40 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

I will eat all of my meals without distractions, e.g., phone, computer, TV, or newspaper.

Sometimes protecting nature requires feeling connected to nature. I will invest 30 minutes in exploring and appreciating a natural area in my region, whether a forest, wetland, coastal area, or somewhere else.

I will donate 1 Femme Kit(s) to help people who menstruate overcome health and sanitation barriers to being able to attend school.

I will host a virtual film screening and discussion about women's and gender equality issues.