Anna Shannon

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.

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

I will connect with a local nonprofit working on issues affecting women, girls, and/or trans and nonbinary people in my community, and find out how I can get involved or become a member.

I will spend 60 minutes researching businesses owned by women, immigrants, and Black, Indigenous, and people of color that I can support when shopping.

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

Sometimes protecting nature requires feeling connected to nature. I will invest 160 minutes in exploring and appreciating a natural area in my region, whether a forest, wetland, coastal area, or somewhere else.

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the environmental services provided by and the environmental issues affecting temperate forests.

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

I will only purchase wood and paper products from ecologically certified sources like Forest Stewardship Council.

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

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 set up a recycling center at my workplace or school.

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

I will advocate for alternatives to single-use packaging at local grocery stores, markets, at work, or on 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 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 60 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

I will commute by carpool 20 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

I will assess the vehicles used by my company or college and advocate for a purchasing policy focused on electric and fuel-efficient vehicles

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

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

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 research and tell 3 people each day about the benefits of alternative energy sources like wind turbines, solar energy, geothermal energy, and methane digesters.

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.

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

I will source 20 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 enjoy 3 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.