Ilse Monarrez

I will practice actively listening to a friend, family member, co-worker, acquaintance, or someone who I may disagree with in at least 1 conversations.

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 take a walk outside for 45 minutes each day.

I will save up to .21 lbs (.09 kg) of paper per day by switching from one-sided printing to two-sided when I have to print documents.

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

I will watch 2 documentary(ies) about food sovereignty: the right of local peoples to control their own food systems including markets, ecological resources, food cultures and production methods.

I will keep 5 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle.

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

I will visit a nearby farm to pick my own fruits and veggies.

Effectively working for sustainability requires self care! I will commit to getting 120 more minute(s) of sleep each night to achieve at least 7 hours per night.

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

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

Plastic bags and small plastic pieces like straws are most likely to get swept into our waterways. I will keep 1 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill and ocean each day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.

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

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

I will spend at least 60 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 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 avoid sending 2 disposable cup(s) to the landfill each day by using a reusable mug.