Gabriel Mancillas

Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will spend 28 minutes researching which materials are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community and recycle only those items.

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

I will spend at least 16 minute(s) touring (virtually or in person) a local dump/transfer station, material recovery facility, and/or landfill to learn about our local waste and waste recovery streams.

I will advocate for local and/or organic food options at work or on campus.

I will avoid sending up to .69 lbs (.31 kg) of food waste to the landfill each day by composting my food or learning how to.

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

I will meet 2 new neighbor(s) each day.

Racial inequity is both a sustainability and justice problem. I will support businesses owned by people of color in my community whenever I shop.

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

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 take a walk outside for 34 minutes each day.

I will spend 21 minutes each day maintaining a record of all my purchases and learning about my spending habits.

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.

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 sign up for a local CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture).

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

I will replace 4 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.