Glenda Harrison

I will create an "Eat First" area in my fridge to prioritize food that needs to be used right away for my household of 3. Doing so will prevent 0.34 pounds of food per household member from entering the landfill.

To better understand how I can waste less, I’ll track how much waste I produce in a day (or week), paying attention to packaging, food containers, food waste, and single-use items. I’ll reflect on what surprised me most and what I could do differently in the feed.

Being a responsible pet owner means keeping our pets safe from harm and minimizing the impact pets have on wildlife by keeping them indoors, never setting them 'free' into nature, and supervising pets when they are outside to prevent them from hunting or disturbing wild animals. I will spend 45 minutes learning about ways to ensure my pet’s behavior and care practices protect local wildlife and their ecosystems.

Unnecessary waste is spoooooky! For Halloween this year, I will create a low-waste costume for myself or someone else in my family (pet, child, spouse) and share a photo of the final result in the feed.

Learning or sharing repair skills can keep useful items in use and out of the landfill. I will teach or learn a skill to extend the life of a product — like electronic repair — and share what I did with my community, workplace, or group to encourage others to do the same.

Food businesses are major sources of single-use plastic. I will talk to a local café, food truck, or restaurant about allowing reusable containers, more sustainable materials, or cutting down on unnecessary plastic packaging.

The sprint may be ending, but your habits don't have to. Pick 1-2 actions from the past two weeks you want to keep doing, and share your plan in the feed to help it stick.

Groceries are one of the biggest sources of single-use packaging that generates waste. I will redesign one part of my grocery routine (e.g., bulk bins, loose produce, refill options) to replace 5 products with plastic and packaging waste.

I will spend 30 minutes learning about the Right to Repair movement and how repair policies influence electronic waste and device longevity.

I will turn off lights, electronics, and appliances when not in use to save energy.

I will refuse single-use items (e.g., napkins, utensils, condiment packets, lids) from restaurants and establishments when I don’t need them.

Giving can be an act of change and inspiration. I will give a thoughtful, waste-free or waste-reducing gift — like a reusable bag, bottle, or bar soap — to someone in my life and share why I chose it.

I will shorten my showers to 5 minutes to save water and reduce energy use - each time saving up to 20 gallons (75 L) of water!

A clean community benefits everyone. Each day I am outside, I will pick up 5 pieces of litter daily to keep my community clean and share what I find in the event feed.

Too much artificial light can confuse and harm animals, especially those active at night. I will reduce lighting at night or switch to wildlife-friendly fixtures to support healthy habitats.

Before you dive in, take 2 minutes to share your why: What's motivating you to waste less this sprint? Post it to the feed so you (and the rest of us!) have something to look back on when things get busy.

Rainwater collection reduces water waste and supports gardens. I will install a rain barrel or collect rainwater to use for outdoor tasks, such as watering plants or cleaning.

I will spend 45 minutes learning how data storage works, including where my files are stored (e.g., local device vs cloud) and how that impacts energy use.

Wish this challenge had a mobile experience? Your support can help make it happen, plus you earn points for every dollar donated. (5 points per dollar donated, up to 175). Ecochallenge.org is a 501c3 nonprofit. EIN: 93-1075047.

I will schedule a recurring reminder to declutter my digital files, emails, or cloud storage to make it a habit of reducing my digital footprint.

I will spend 45 minutes organizing and deleting unneeded files on my desktop and downloads folder.

Businesses take notice when we show support for their sustainable choices—and so do our friends and neighbors. I will write a positive review for and personally recommend a business that offers low-waste, biodegradable, or refillable options to help others discover it and demonstrate that sustainability is valued by customers.

I will pack waste-free or low-waste snacks (e.g., fruit, homemade snacks, bulk snacks in reusable containers) when I'm on-the-go, instead of buying individually packaged items.

I will repair at least one item that is broken, but is repairable. This might be items like garden tools, sewing machine, small appliances, wood furniture, electronics, clothing, and more.

I will spend 30 minutes learning about the energy and resource impacts of AI and automation tools and identify 1–2 ways to use them more intentionally.