ALBERTO ERNESTO LAZARUS

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

Both systemic and personal sustainability are important! I will develop a plan with my medical professionals to achieve my best health and live my life to the fullest.

I will avoid wasting water while waiting for the shower or sink to heat up.

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

I will save up to 15 gal (56 L) of water a day or 450 gal (1,680 L) a month by installing a low-flow showerhead.

An estimated 71% of seabirds and 30% of turtles have been found with plastics in their stomachs. When they ingest plastic, marine life has a 50% mortality rate. By asking for no straw when placing a drink order, I will keep 1 plastic straw(s) of out of the ocean each day.

I will plant native species, landscape with water-efficient plants, and use eco-friendly fertilizers.

I will spend at least 5 minutes using the resources provided to learn about water justice and find out how I can get involved in local initiatives.

I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option.

A community can be brought to its knees without dependable power, often affecting the most vulnerable. I will write 2 letter(s) or email(s) per day to a public official or company to advocate for a more resilient power grid (e.g. microgrids, solar+storage).

I will spend 30 minutes learning more about renewable energy alternatives (i.e. solar, wind, biomass) in my region.

I will organize one of Ecochallenge.org's discussion courses, such as Powering a Bright Future, with classmate, friends, co-workers, or family.

Whether it's by donating or volunteering, I will research the benefits of low-income solar and find out how I can support low-income solar initiatives in my area.

I will replace manual thermostats with programmable ones.

I will use an energy meter to monitor my energy use and identify opportunities to save power.

I will naturally heat and cool my house, office, or dorm room by opening or closing my windows, curtains, and blinds, and by using fans.

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

I will switch to washing my clothes in cold water, saving up to 133 lbs of CO2 a month and 1,600 lbs of CO2 over the course of the next year.

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

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

I will power down my computer and monitor when not using it for more than 2 hours, saving up to (1.1) lbs of CO2 each day that I do this.

I will adjust my thermostat down 2 degrees from usual when I use the heat, and up 2 degrees when I use air conditioning.

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