Mary Beth McCabe

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 save up to 12 gallons (45 L) of water a day by flushing only when necessary.

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

I will plant an herb garden in my home, workplace, or dorm room.

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

I will keep 3 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle.

I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 3 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.

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

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

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

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.

I will save up to 20 gallons (75 L) of water each day by taking 5-minute showers.

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 tend to a garden, or prepare for one, each day using sustainable gardening practices.

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