Emily Nies

I will avoid wasting water while waiting for the shower or sink to heat up.

I will spend 90 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 advocate for local and/or organic food options at work or on campus.

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

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

An estimated 71% of seabirds and 30% of turtles have been found with plastics in their stomachs. When they ingest plastic, marine life has a 50% mortality rate. By asking for no straw when placing a drink order, I will keep 2 plastic straw(s) of out of the ocean each day.

I will get my Core Four Biometrics tests (blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and BMI).

I will de-clutter, clean, and donate or recycle unneeded items in my home or dorm room.

I will adopt a "Needs Vs. Wants" approach and only buy things I need.

I will sign up for a car-sharing service or organize car sharing with my neighbors or classmates to cut down on the number of vehicles on the road.

I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips.

Access to public transportation is a social justice issue! I will learn about the need for public transportation in my community and tell 3 friends or classmates each day about the issue.

I will improve a bus stop in my neighborhood by posting the stop schedule, adding seating or shelter, adding art or flowers, picking up litter, or some other small improvement.

Instead of traveling by plane, I will find an alternative way to accomplish the goals of an upcoming trip (i.e. telepresence, vacation locally).

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

I will enjoy 1 meal(s) each day free of processed foods.

I will replace 60 minute(s) each day typically spent inside (computer time, watching television, etc.) with quality time outside.

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

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.

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 spend 150 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 naturally heat and cool my house, office, or dorm room by opening or closing my windows, curtains, and blinds, and by using fans.

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.