Yash Agarwal

I will use the resources below to find where I can forage for my own food locally.

I will keep lights, electronics, and appliances turned off when not using them.

If buying a plane ticket, I will also buy a carbon offset.

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

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

I will replace manual thermostats with programmable ones.

Cheap, single-use items and disposable packaging end up blowing around as litter more often in poor and POC-majority neighborhoods. I will find out how I can limit single-use items and do my best to limit the waste I generate.

Effectively working for sustainability requires self care! I will commit to getting 5 more minute(s) of sleep each night to achieve at least 7 hours per night.

At least 30% of crops and 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators to produce fruit. I will spend 10 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard or local community garden.

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning about water and air quality issues in my area, how they are impacting human and environmental health, and how I can help.

I will find out where to recycle the recyclable items that I can't put in recycling dumpsters or my curbside bin.

I will take a 60-minute walk outside each day.

I will sign up for a car-sharing service or organize car sharing with my neighbors or classmates to cut down on the number of vehicles on the road.

I will spend 30 minutes researching environmental justice and environmental racism concerns in my region, who is affected by them, and local initiatives to address these concerns.

Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will spend 30 minutes researching which materials are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community and recycle only those items.

I will call or write 30 public officials per day to advocate for more green spaces around my town, particularly in neighborhoods that currently lack equitable access to green spaces.

I will spend 30 minute(s) per day outside, practicing gratitude (prayer, meditation, journaling, etc.) for Earth and my natural surroundings.

What can lack of access to nutritious food affect a community? How can having access to nutritious food help a community become more resilient?

I will get my Core Four Biometrics tests (blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and BMI).

I will write down three things every day that I am grateful for, or send one email every day thanking or praising someone.

Exercise is a great stress blaster! I will exercise for 20 minute(s) each day.

I will avoid buying toxic plastics - including polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyvinyl - and instead replace them with durable non-plastic options.

I will start a recycling program at my workplace, dorm, or elsewhere on campus.

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 advocate for alternatives to single-use packaging at local grocery stores, markets, at work, or on campus to reduce pollution in the environment and in local communities.