Shane Costa

I will visit a coastal or ocean site to experience the ecosystem and look for the presence of macroalgae/seaweed.

I will use seaweed in a new recipe.

I will connect with a local nonprofit working on issues affecting women, girls, trans people, and/or nonbinary people in my community, and find out how I can get involved or become a member.

I will replace manual thermostats with smart ones.

I will fix faucets or report leaky faucets to facilities that have been wasting up to 9 gallons (34 L) of water a day or 270 (1,020 L) gallons of water a month per faucet.

Through social media (LinkedIn or Instagram), I will share what I've learned about Food, Agriculture, & Land Use and tag Ecochallenge.org.

I will avoid buying and using 10 single-use plastics and instead replace them with durable options.

I will practice the "5 Rs" — refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle — to reduce my waste more than I can with just recycling alone.

I will explore the interactive map in the links below to find a supermarket that does not use HFC refrigerants near my home.

I will spend 5 minutes learning about carbon offsets, and why they are a necessary solution in combating a climate crisis.

Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will research and recycle all materials that are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my community, including electronics and metals.

I will advocate for alternatives to single-use packaging at local grocery stores, markets, at work, or on campus.

I will spend at least 5 minutes learning how to properly dispose of my refrigerator, freezer, and other refrigerants at the end of their useful lives.

I will research and tell 2 people each day about the benefits of alternative energy sources like wind turbines, solar energy, geothermal energy, and methane digesters.