Claire Paul

Not sure where to start? Across this sprint, the actions most participants are focusing on fall into three areas: minutes spent learning, pounds of CO2 saved, and plastic items reduced. Browse all five categories, but if you're feeling overwhelmed, look for 🔷 actions tied to these three impacts as your starting point.

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.

Positive reinforcement goes a long way in fostering sustainable change. I will celebrate someone’s effort to reduce waste — whether big or small — by acknowledging their success in the feed or on social media and encouraging them to keep going.

I will choose a secondhand (e.g., thrifted, resold) or refurbished item the next time I shop, instead of buying a new one, to keep valuable resources in use longer.

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.

Leave No Trace means enjoying nature responsibly by minimizing our impact and leaving the environment as we found it, or better. I will spend 10 minutes learning about the seven core principles to minimize my impact while enjoying the outdoors.

Bees and other pollinators are vital to ecosystems and agriculture. I will spend 10 minutes learning how to support local pollinators and take at least one action—such as planting native flowers or avoiding pesticides—to help sustain resilient ecosystems and harvests.

I will spend 60 minutes learning how data storage works, including where my files are stored (e.g., local device vs cloud) and how that impacts energy use.

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 10 minutes learning about the Right to Repair movement and how repair policies influence electronic waste and device longevity.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I will spend 30 minutes unsubscribing from unnecessary email lists and deleting old emails to reduce digital storage.

I will spend 60 minutes organizing and deleting unneeded files on my desktop and downloads folder.

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.

Donating gently used goods not only prevents waste but also strengthens social safety nets. I will donate items at least 7 times through a local shop or drop box in the next two weeks instead of throwing them away.

A clean community benefits everyone. Each day I am outside, I will pick up 1 pieces of litter daily to keep my community clean and share what I find in the event feed.

I will spend 10 minutes learning about nonprofits in my area that tackle sustainability and waste challenges that I could get involved with.

I will reduce food waste and save money by planning a weekly menu, only buying the ingredients I need.

I will learn how to repurpose my leftovers into new meals and share my meal makeover ideas in the feed.

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 1 products with plastic and packaging waste.

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

I will create an "Eat First" area in my fridge to prioritize food that needs to be used right away for my household of 2. Doing so will prevent 0.34 pounds of food per household member from entering the landfill.

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 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.

Having reusables ready and integrated into my daily routine can help to avoid single-use plastic while out and about. I will put together a kit with items like a mug, water bottle, utensils, or tote bag to take with me when I leave the house.