Jem Lagao

I will spend 15 minutes understanding the ecological impact of pet ownership and discovering sustainable solutions to reduce it. I will share my learnings on my feed on how I can be part of the solution towards a more sustainable future for pet ownership.

I will assess the conditions of our indoor space, including light levels, temperature, and humidity. I will choose plant species that thrive in our specific environment to ensure their long-term health and vitality.

We need to support healthy seafood populations. I will spend 10 minutes learning about sustainable seafood choices, commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean, and share what I learned on the feed.

The waste we create daily can go unnoticed. I will track the waste I create in a day and post a photo log on the feed to see how much I create and where I can make different choices to reduce my waste going forward.

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.

I will spend 30 minutes learning more about the importance of freshwater + ocean conservation, and how I can reduce my water use. I will share what I learn with people in person, on social media, and on the feed.

Trees capture carbon and produce oxygen that is essential to life on earth. I will support this important piece of nature by organizing or joining a community group to plant 1 native trees in my community, public parks, office location, campus or backyard.

I will organize or participate in a trash pickup at a local river, beach, or natural body of water.

Each of us has a water footprint, directly linked to our daily activities as well as the water required in the production of things we use each day. Understanding our water use is important for a healthy planet. I will calculate my water footprint and look for a few ways I can reduce consumption or waste, then share what I learned on the feed.

A healthy world needs both our daily actions and support from larger systems. I will spend 30 minutes learning about how I can use my investments and savings to advance environmental sustainability.

Beauty and personal products can create a lot of waste. I will spend 30 minutes learning about the beauty and body products I use to see if they are refillable or recyclable. If not, I will reach out to the manufacturer to advocate for those options.

I will volunteer 1 hours in my community.

Carbon emissions can show up in many surprising ways in our life. I will calculate the carbon emissions associated with my household and consider how lifestyle changes could reduce the carbon footprint and impacts on the environment.

When we explore natural spaces around us, our connections with them change. I will spend 60 minutes exploring a new area around my neighborhood, office, or campus (e.g., park, water body, nearby trail, community garden, green space, etc.).

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.

To kick off Earth Month, I will attend a webinar by the Emerson Sustainability Team on April 1 to learn ways to help conserve natural biodiversity from WWF and Rural Rising experts/advocates.

When traveling, I will seek souvenirs that support local communities and do not cause harm to the environment or wildlife.

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.

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.

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.

I will carry all of my unrecyclable, non-compostable trash with me this month, to raise my awareness of how much I send to the landfill. I will post on the feed my reflections, conversations, and actions I will take moving forward.

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.

Plastic bags can be mistaken for food by many wild animals and can end up in habitats that harm wildlife. I will not accept any disposable bags when making purchases, including produce bags.

The more stuff we consume, the more greenhouse gasses we put into the atmosphere. I will adopt a "Needs Vs. Wants" approach this month and only buy things I need.

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.