Thomas Schoelzel

An estimated 16 billion single-use cups disposable coffee cups are used annually that are made with hard-to-recycle materials like Styrofoam, polyethylene or polypropylene that are sent straight to the landfill. I will only use reusable coffee cups/mugs saving 3-5 cups each day.

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.

I will research and plant a garden filled with native fruits, vegetables, and flowers to nurture local wildlife and ecosystems. I will find nearby nurseries that offer plants native to my area.

Food in the landfill is one of the main sources of greenhouse gasses. I will avoid sending up to .69 lbs (.31 kg) of food waste to the landfill per day by composting my food.

Up to 50% of the gardening water is lost due to wind, evaporation, and runoff caused by inefficient irrigation practices. I am pairing my upcycled rainwater harvesting system with automated irrigation to reduce my daily demand of processed utility water.

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 3 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.