Sujan Singh

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 41 minutes learning about ways to ensure my pet’s behavior and care practices protect local wildlife and their ecosystems.

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

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 explore alternatives to using a car — such as walking, biking, carpooling, micro-mobility options, or public transit to reduce my carbon footprint. I will use alternative transit 30 mile(s) per day.

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.

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.

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.

I will plan to host 10 low-waste lunches or gatherings with family, friends, or colleagues over the next few months to reduce waste. The upcoming holidays are a great opportunity to show off a new low-waste dish!

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.

I will prevent water runoff and increase absorbency by mulching the base of plants and trees at my home or work.

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.

Fallen leaves, logs, and brush provide shelter and food for wildlife. I will leave natural features in my yard or community space to help strengthen biodiversity and soil resilience.

A clean community benefits everyone. Each day I am outside, I will pick up 18 pieces of litter daily to keep my community clean and share what I find in the event feed.

I will spend 30 minutes learning about nonprofits in my area that tackle sustainability and waste challenges that I could get involved with.

Leave No Trace means enjoying nature responsibly by minimizing our impact and leaving the environment as we found it, or better. I will spend 49 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 33 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 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 spend 29 minutes unsubscribing from unnecessary email lists and deleting old emails to reduce digital storage.

I will spend 33 minutes organizing and deleting unneeded files on my desktop and downloads folder.

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

I will spend 46 minutes learning about the energy and resource impacts of AI and automation tools and identify 1–2 ways to use them more intentionally.

Swapping and sharing resources reduces waste and builds community bonds. I will participate in 10 swaps or sharing activities, like borrowing items, attending or hosting a swap meet, or giving away items I no longer need to support a sharing economy with friends, family, colleagues or neighbors.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.