Jen Windhorst

Sometimes protecting nature requires feeling connected to nature. I will invest 60 minutes in exploring and appreciating a natural area in my region, whether a forest, wetland, coastal area, or somewhere else.

I will plant 3 trees in my community, public parks, or backyard.

I will support a community garden by volunteering, donating, or advocating for a new or existing one.

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

I will start a compost or worm bin where I live.

I will spend at least 30 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 source 25 percent of my food from local producers each day. This could include signing up for a local CSA, buying from a farmer's market, visiting a food co-op, foraging with a local group, or growing my own ingredients.

I will set up or join a recycling program at my workplace or school.

I will learn about sustainable fashion and begin practicing it in my own life.

I will avoid buying and using 5 single-use plastics and instead replace them with durable options.

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

I will spend 60 minutes learning about carbon offsets, and why they are a necessary solution in combating a climate crisis.

Using Drawdown's Job Function Action Guide, I will learn about climate actions I can take at work.

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.