Itr's estimated over a billion water bottles are thrown away each year. Even if they were recycled, that still uses energy and resources from the earth. I will use a reusable bottle and stop purchasing bottled water, saving 1 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.
COMPLETED 29
DAILY ACTIONS
Land + Forests
Choose Eco-Friendly Wood and Paper
Trees provide food and habitat for local wildlife species, shade our streets and homes, and help keep our air and water clean by capturing pollutants. Buying products that help protect forests makes a difference. I will only purchase wood, furniture, and paper products from ecologically certified sources such as Forest Stewardship Council.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Biodiversity + Wildlife
Seek Alternative Gifts and Souvenirs
When traveling, I will seek souvenirs that support local communities and do not cause harm to the environment or wildlife.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Biodiversity + Wildlife
Save the Bees
Bees are vital to ecosystems. To help save the bees, I will learn which local flowers provide nectar and plant them in my backyard or in a pot on my balcony.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Freshwater + Oceans
Low Water Gardening
Grass lawns are water-intensive and on average require about 30 percent of a household’s water consumption. Native plants are water-efficient and help maintain the balance and diversity of local ecosystems. I will plant native species with water-efficient plants to conserve water and improve the habitat, then post a photo on the feed to share.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Freshwater + Oceans
Cooking Oil Disposal
Pouring cooking oil down the drain can cause damage to waterways and ecosystems. I will learn how to properly dispose of cooking oil to help support healthy ecosystems.
COMPLETED 17
DAILY ACTIONS
Freshwater + Oceans
Go Plastic-Free
Millions of tons of plastic is produced each year worldwide. Each day, I will conduct a plastics audit of what I buy and use throughout the challenge (kitchen, bathroom, personal care products, etc.), to see how single-use plastic shows up in my life. I will find plastic-free alternatives to these products and advocate for alternatives to single-use packaging at local grocery stores, product manufacturers, at work, or on campus.
COMPLETED 30
DAILY ACTIONS
Action Track: Community
Borrow Before I Buy
Why buy something I will only use once or a few times if someone nearby has it for me to borrow, and why not share something I have that someone may only need a few times a year? To reduce my consumption and waste, I will create or support the sharing economy with friends, family, colleagues or neighbors.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Action Track: Community
JOIN OR CREATE A GREEN TEAM AT EMERSON
I will continue to contribute to Emerson's environmental sustainability goals beyond April by learning more about the Global Green Teams Network, joining a team near me, or maybe even creating a new team.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Action Track: Community
SIGN UP TO RECEIVE NEWS ON SUSTAINABILITY AT EMERSON
I will sign up to the Sustainability Aficionados distribution list to receive global news on sustainability at Emerson, including world news and Greening OF, BY, and WITH news.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Action Track: Community
TAKE PICTURES AND SHARE ON LINKEDIN
I will take at least one photograph that is connected with this year's theme of Nature Conservation & Biodiversity (for example an urban park, bee hives, birds and other animals...) and I will post it on LinkedIn with the hashtags #EarthMonthEcochallenge #EarthMonthAtEmerson.
UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Action Track: Community
ATTEND THE ECOCHALLENGE CONSERVATION WEBINAR
On Wed 24th April, I will attend the Earth Month Ecochallenge Webinar on Conservation to learn about what individuals, companies and other organizations can do to promote biodiversity and nature protection.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Land + Forests
Zero Waste Day
The impacts of our waste are far reaching. I will create zero waste for an entire day and share my reflections and learnings on the feed.
COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION
Participant Feed
Reflection, encouragement, and relationship building are all important aspects of getting a new habit to stick.
Share thoughts, encourage others, and reinforce positive new habits on the Feed.
To get started, share “your why.” Why did you join the challenge and choose the actions you did?
Not just bees, but butterflies too play a vital role in our ecosystem by pollinating. I buy caterpillars every year to mark an anniversary close to my heart, I look after the caterpillars as they develop into beautiful butterflies, then I release them into my garden and the local area.
I recently chose a very eco friendly gift for my Dad's birthday. I made a bird feeder and bug house for his garden from a wine box I had received and wood and twigs from my own garden.
I was quite proud of myself this weekend when I realized that without thinking about it I had done something sustainable. Whilst renovating my bedroom I had removed an old wardrobe that was too small and looking old and instead of getting rid of all the wood, I reused it to make some shelves in the room. Not only saving trees but saving money too.
I love forests, I like to walk through them with the soft bouncy earth beneath my feet and listen to the wind in the trees, to look up to the canopy of green, it gives me an enormous sense of calm and peace.
I am quite lucky where I live to have lovely tasting, cold, fresh water from the tap. Its sometimes difficult when we have a burst in the village I live in and the water goes off for a few hours, a few weeks ago it went off for a few days and we had to have tankers delivering our water but we managed. In our house we reverted back to how it was when I was young when we washed in the sink instead of showers every day and were careful not to use too much water. In 2024 I wonder how many people realise how lucky they are to have drinking water and literally 'water on tap' whenever and wherever they wish. When we have floods, droughts, leaks etc. we often criticise the water companies and the floods defenses, but, do we consider how lucky we are to have our precious water. Do we consider the impact we are all having on global warming and the impact we are having on our water table. We need to look after the water supply we have and be grateful.
Fat bergs https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/12/total-monster-concrete-fatberg-blocks-london-sewage-system Oh my goodness, this is grim! The congealed mass of fat, wet wipes and nappies in the link is one of the biggest ever found and would have risked raw sewage flooding on to the streets in Whitechapel, east London, had it not been discovered during a routine inspection. This could easily be avoided by fat, oil and grease not being washed down sinks and wipes not being flushed down the loo.”. Do your bit, dispose of your household waste correctly.
Thank you for sharing the link, my younger two children are wondering what the next teenage mutant ninja turtle film and characters would look like if it was based in sewer system. The worry is not just the blockage but the damage done to the other pipes and systems on the way which could cause a different environmental issue somewhere else in the system.
I love bees, I not only love them for their fluffy loveliness and yummy honey, but the fact that without them we wouldn't have the pollination required to grow fruits and vegetables. So in order to attract more bees to my garden I currently have a mixture of flowers that I planted that bees love starting to grow, these include Cornflowers, after all, they are not only stunning flowers, but they also provide a reliable source of nectar for bees. The flower's high nectar content is particularly attractive to wild bees.
We purchased some 'bee bombs', a few have been dotted around our front and back garden. Oh and our 2 younger have put some in nanny and granddads garden too. No idea what flowers they are as we purchased them from our local Essex wildlife park shop. Apparently nest years flowers will be better than the ones that grow this year.
How did you participate in the sharing economy? (Consider posting a photo!) What are the benefits of a sharing economy? How could a sharing economy change the dynamics you have with friends, family and/or neighbors?
when completing DIY and gardening tasks at home, it makes sense to borrow from others rather than buying tools but we must make sure they in good condition and safe to use
nick Dias-Leao 4/30/2024 12:47 PMWhat a wonderful way to remember, interested to know where you can buy caterpillars from?
Rob Harrison 4/30/2024 7:15 AMMy little girl would love this, She is currently designing butterfly house that we are going to build together for her fairy garden.
Cameron Maddox 4/30/2024 6:11 AMThat's so cool!
Maria Couvoussis 4/11/2024 8:06 AMI love cornflowers too and have sown some directly in the ground. Hopefully they all grow. Yours too!!
