Alec VanHorn

Learn about local recycling and composting efforts! White River Conference Room - Bring your own lunch

I will respect and protect biotic communities by practicing the seven principles of Leave No Trace whenever I am outside.

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.

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.

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 8 disposable plastic bottle(s) a day.

I will record a video to share why I am taking action this Earth Month, a sustainable swap I've made, and/or a local conservation effort in my area.

I will spend 5 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.

At times it may not feel like it's up to us to keep our community clean and healthy, but we all have a role to play. Each day I am outside, I will pick up any litter I see.

April 15th Monday – April 26th Friday Donation bins in Cafeteria Patio This popular event is back and this time for 2 weeks! Donate your old electronics.

April 22nd Monday – April 26th Friday Support the café meatless specials for the week to support meals with smaller environmental footprints!

"We really are making the World more Sustainable – A Greening By Emerson Update" Hear directly from Seth Harris, Director of Sustainability – Outside Sales, about how Emerson supports and enables our customers’ decarbonization and environmental sustainability efforts. Many awards-winning projects will be presented and discussed.

April 8th Monday – April 12th Friday Donation bins in Cafeteria Drop off your gently used and cleaned athletic shoes to benefit One World Running which will redistribute them to people in need! Your pair of sneakers generates 30 pounds of CO2 emissions, keeping a 100-watt light bulb on for a week. Prolonging its life means reducing its environmental impact and help people elsewhere. What seems worn out to you might be of use to another person.

We’re all in this together: Building wildfire-ready watersheds How do we prepare our communities, rivers, and forests for wildfire? How do we prepare them for a warmer and drier climate? What does resilience look like? What can you do to help? Join us for this talk to hear a story of hope, resilience, and collaboration and to discuss the answers to these complex questions.

There are many organizations doing a lot to create a better more sustainable future. They deserve our recognition. Post here or in your social media to promote these efforts, to give them the well-deserved "Likes" and to influence your community to contribute and follow suit.

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

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 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.

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.

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.