Ashlynn Swenson

I will source 5 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 watch a video about methane digesters (also commonly known as anaerobic digesters).

I will enjoy 5 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

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

I will start a compost bin where I live.

I will spend at least 15 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 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.

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

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.