Deepak Venkatachalam

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 1 single-use plastics and instead replace them with durable options.

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 give 20 microloan(s) to women who need help starting a business.

I will spend at least 30 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

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

I will spend at least 60 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

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

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

I will spend 30 minute(s) learning about the climate impact of refrigerants and what climate-friendly refrigerants are by using the links below.

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 30 minutes researching other Drawdown Transportation Solutions.

I will donate to Native American Rights Fund, which protects tribal natural resources and environmental rights and promotes Native American Human Rights.

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

I will spend at least 60 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

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

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