Nikole Blomquist

I will reduce food waste and save money by planning a weekly menu, only buying the ingredients I need.

If at all possible, I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases.

I will enjoy 1 meatless meal(s) and/or 1 vegan meal(s) each day this week.

I will keep 2 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle.

I will spend 5 minutes finding out where landfills and/or toxic waste sites are situated in my region and which communities are most impacted by these sites.

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.

I will collect all of my unrecyclable, non-compostable trash to raise my awareness of how much I send to the landfill.

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

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

I will offer to help 1 person(s) who are in need each day.

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 spend 5 minutes researching which materials are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community and recycle only those items.

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.

I will learn about sustainable fashion and begin trying to practice it in my own life.

Plastic bags and small plastic pieces like straws are most likely to get swept into our waterways. I will keep 4 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill and ocean each day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.

I will avoid sending 2 disposable cup(s) to the landfill each day by using a reusable mug.

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 try a new method of food preparation, such as canning, pickling, or baking bread.

I will visit my nearest farm to find out who produces my food, and will learn about the quality of life of those around the world who produce my food in order to make better choices when I shop.

I will make an appointment for my annual physical.

I will practice actively listening to a friend, family member, co-worker, acquaintance, or someone who I may disagree with in at least 5 conversations.

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

I will spend 10 minutes researching environmental justice and environmental racism concerns in my region, who is affected by them, and local initiatives to address these concerns.

Send a sister a kind note to make them AND you feel good. Reach out to someone you haven't talked to, someone new, someone you're close to a kind message!