Chetan Swarup

I will spend at least 7 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

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

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

Instead of traveling by plane, I will find an alternative way to accomplish the goals of an upcoming trip (i.e. telepresence, vacation locally).

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 source 2 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 write or call 1 elected official(s) telling them not to support fossil fuel subsidies and instead support wind energy generation.

I will research and tell 2 people each day about the benefits of alternative energy sources like wind turbines, solar energy, geothermal energy, and methane digesters.

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

I will cook 5 meal(s) with zero-waste each day

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 bike 18 mile(s) each day and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

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

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 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.

I will plan ahead to only use paper products made from post-consumer recycled paper for my home or office.

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

After researching the incentives at the federal, state, utility, and local levels, I will contact a local installer/distributor for a solar panel installation consultation on my house.

I will contact a local installer/distributor to see if a solar water heater makes sense for my house.

I will replace 10 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching other Drawdown Electricity Solutions.

I will commute by carpool 10 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.

I will find out who in my city makes decisions that impact neighborhood walkability and express my support for better walking infrastructure.

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

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 spend at least 30 minutes researching and weighing my options to see if a hybrid or electric vehicle makes sense for my lifestyle.

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

If I buy a plane ticket, I will purchase a carbon offset.

I will use public transit 10 mile(s) per day and avoid sending up to (___) lbs of CO2 into Earth's atmosphere.