Emily Pichelmann

We may find more meaning and joy in life when our actions are aligned with our personal values. I will determine what my top 3-5 core values are so that I can better align my actions with them.

I will explore at least one new hiking trail or nature walk in my area.

I will make sure I’m registered to vote. While I’m at it, I’ll sign up to help others register too!

I will spend 60 minutes learning about the experiences of trans, femme, and/or nonbinary people.

I will host a watch party to screen a documentary about an issue that matters to me.

I will volunteer 1 hour(s) in my community during the challenge.

I will spend 15 minutes learning more about renewable energy alternatives (i.e. solar, wind, biomass) in my region.

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 spend at least 15 minutes assessing the vehicles used by my company or college and advocate for a purchasing policy focused on fuel-efficient vehicles.

I will spend 15 minutes doing an activity where I'm both moving my body and enjoying myself.

I will spend 15 minutes practicing Loving-Kindness Meditation to nurture love and compassion for myself and others.

Effectively working for sustainability requires self care! I will commit to getting 30 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 spend 15 minutes researching environmental justice and environmental racism concerns in my region, who is affected by them, and local initiatives to address these concerns.

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

At least 30% of crops and 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators to produce fruit. I will spend 15 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard or local community garden.

I will watch 1 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 learn about sustainable fashion and begin trying to practice it in my own life.

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

Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will spend 15 minutes researching which materials are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community and recycle only those items.

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.

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

Plastic bags and small plastic pieces like straws are most likely to get swept into our waterways. I will keep 3 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill and ocean each day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.

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