P Harlow

While global and national actions get a lot of attention, it’s often at the local community level where individuals can have the greatest input and where change is most tangible. But every community is unique and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. I will spend 20 minutes finding out how my neighborhood, town or city is helping the environment and building local resilience.

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during Drawdown Ecochallenge, either because it went bad before I ate it, I put too much on my plate, or it was scraps from food preparation, and commit to reducing my food waste throughout the challenge.

I will complete a plastics audit to see where plastics show up in my life and determine how I can reduce the use of single-use plastics.

I will spend at least 15 minutes learning more about the energy generation potential of micro wind.

I will replace 4 incandescent lightbulbs with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

I will save up to 15 gallons (56 L) of water a day or 450 gallons (1,680 L) a month by installing a low-flow showerhead.

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.