Challenge Yourself (and Others) to Live More Sustainably!
Challenge Yourself (and Others) to Live More Sustainably!
Are you wondering how you can still have an impact from home this Earth Month? Well, from April 20th-April 26th the Green Initiative Fund and the ASUCD Environmental Policy and Planning Commission are asking all of you to participate in the Earth Week Challenge! Choose your challenge from the list we’ve provided, or make your own! But don’t stop there, challenge your friends and family members. For the week leading up to 20th, pick your challenge and hop on Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat to announce your challenge while also challenging and inspiring others to do the same!
#AggiesStayGreen
Share your challenges and challenge others on social media! Tag your friends in your post, and use the hashtags: #Aggiesstaygreen #EarthDay, #EarthMonth #EarthWeekChallenge, and #UCDavis.
Follow us on Instagram @ucdavis.sustainability, @tgifatucdavis and @ASUCD.EPPC and tag us in your Earth Week posts!
Template
Here’s our template for posting your challenge and challenging others, but it's yours to customize!
- “Hi, I’m (Name), and for the Earth Week Challenge I’m going to (Challenge)”
- “I’m challenging you, (Name of Friend/s), to pick your own Earth Week Challenge!”
- “I’m challenging you, (Name of Friend/s), to (Challenge) for Earth Week!”
Challenges
Food and Waste | Water Use | Energy Reduction | Education | Or Create Your Own Challenge!
Food and Waste
- Go Vegan or Plant-Based
- Use Your Organics as Fertilizer
- Make Your Household Zero Waste
- https://www.marthastewart.com/1520747/8-ways-zero-waste-home
- Zero waste means sending nothing to the landfill — just reuse, recycle or compost.
- Sort your waste properly
- Stick to the Reusables
- Only using reusable cups, mugs, or water bottles
- https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/06/reduce-plastic-use-families-kids-environment-culture/
- https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2018/09/looking-anew-at-plastics-and-climate-change/
- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/06/plastic-planet-waste-pollution-trash-crisis/
- https://myplasticfreelife.com/plasticfreeguide/
- http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/7/e1700782
- When Grocery Shopping, Choose Renewable Packaging
- Look for Fair Trade and other Sustainability Certifications
- Right-Size Your Groceries and Meals
- https://www.nrdc.org/resources/wasted-how-america-losing-40-percent-its-food-farm-fork-landfill
- Buy in bulk to reduce packaging waste
- Don’t buy what you can’t eat
Water
- Reduce Showers to 5 Minutes or Less
- Only Run Full Loads of Laundry and Dishes
- Wash Your Laundry in Cold Water
- Plant Drought-Resistant Species
Energy Consumption
- Reduce Household Power Consumption
- https://www.saveonenergy.com/learning-center/energy-saving-tips/how-does-saving-energy-help-the-environment/
- Turn off your lights in empty common areas
- Turn off/lower the brightness of your monitor
- Close all the windows and doors if the AC is on
- Plug everything you use into a power strip, and when you are done turn the power strip off
- Line-dry your clothes
- Reduce vampire loads
- Only Walk, Bike or Skate for a Week
Education
- Binge on Climate Change and Sustainability Films
- Chasing Coral
- Before the Flood
- An Inconvenient Truth
- Snowpiercer
- Learn About UC's Zero Waste Goal
- Calculate Your Energy Use
- Calculate Your Carbon Footprint
- Learn About Environmental Justice
- Read Our Campus’ Climate Action Plan
Or Create Your Own Challenge!
There are so many ways to be sustainable, and we need to embrace all of them to ensure a better future. We encourage you to create your own challenge that best suits your goals! If you need more inspiration, visit