Jenna Kastner

I will spend 30 minutes researching businesses owned by women, immigrants, and Black, Indigenous, and people of color that I can support when shopping.

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.

I will spend 30 minute(s) learning about biochar and how it can help sequester carbon.

I will calculate the greenhouse gas emissions associated with my household and consider how different lifestyle choices could reduce my negative impact on the environment.

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 support a community garden by volunteering, donating, or advocating for a new or existing one.

I will plant 2 tree(s) in my community, public parks, or backyard.

When they are available, I will purchase products made from bamboo instead of wood, plastic, or metal.

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

I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food.

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

I will reduce the amount of paper mail that I receive by 0.11lbs (0.05kg) a day or 3.3lbs (1.6kg) a month by opting into paperless billing, ending unwanted subscriptions and opting out of junk mail.

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 cut green house gas emissions related to my commute to John Abbott College on Earth day, April 22. I will only use muscle-powered transportation (walk, bike, skateboard) for my commute.

I will tend to a garden, or prepare for one, each day using sustainable gardening practices.

Rigaud Mountain is an expansive natural resource that we rely upon to run many of our Outdoor Education courses, here at JAC. It is under extreme pressure from development and mismanagement, and in desperate need of protection. Facing COVID and the Climate Crisis, the need to protect our few remaining local intact forests, is more stronger than ever. We need them, for our health and wellness, and they are disappearing. If you are able, please support this important cause and take a few moments to forward this letter to others who understand its importance. The petition and funding pages are accessible through the "Learn More" button.

I will encourage my office to hold meetings virtually whenever possible instead of requiring travel.

I will take a walk for 45 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.