JESSICA ZIMMERMAN

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 upgrade the windows or weatherstripping in my home or office to reduce air leaks and save on energy costs.

I will replace 2 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

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

I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency by mulching the base of trees and plants in my yard.

I will replace manual thermostats with smart ones.

I will complete an online energy audit of my home, office, or dorm room and identify my next steps for saving energy.

Sometimes protecting nature requires feeling connected to nature. I will invest 2 minutes in exploring and appreciating a natural area in my region, whether a forest, wetland, coastal area, or somewhere else.

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 find out how to make my home more energy efficient through better insulation and weatherization.

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

I will fix faucets or report leaky faucets to facilities. Fixing leaky faucets can save up to 9 gallons (34 L) of water a day or 270 (1,020 L) gallons of water a month per faucet.

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

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

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.

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

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 take a walk for 15 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.