By Bryanna Lewis, Oregon State University ’25
Want to try some new ways to green your life and the planet? The Earth Month Ecochallenge provides lots of ideas for environmental and social engagement for the entire month of April. Select actions that resonate with your values and commit to them for 30 days in order to foster and reinforce positive habits while generating real-world impact. Choose your actions from categories such as Fresh Water & Oceans, Land & Forests, Climate & Air, Wildlife & Biodiversity, and Community.
“This year’s theme, Conserving Every Ecosystem, Caring for Every Creature, highlights the intersection of conservation and behavior change. By focusing on daily actions and continuous learning, we aim to create a sustainable and just world, not just for humans but for all species and ecosystems we rely on,” according to Ecochallenge.org. You can choose to sign up for the Ecochallenge, but we chosen not to promote that because there is currently not an opt out available to avoid cookies, tracking and advertising (they’ve told us it’s in the works).
Choose from Many Easily-Implemented Actions in Five Categories
Freshwater & Oceans
Dishwashing – Hand washing dishes can use more energy and hot water than a dishwasher. To save water, I will use a dishwasher and scrape, rather than rinse, dishes before loading them into the dishwasher.
Land & Forests
Compost – Food in the landfill is one of the main sources of greenhouse gasses. I will avoid sending up to .69 lbs of food waste to the landfill per day by composting my food.
Climate & Air
Use Muscle Power – I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips, and I will only use muscle-powered transportation for other trips.
Wildlife & Biodiversity
Save 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 while avoiding pesticides that harm bees.
Community Action
Borrow – 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.
We hope these help you have a great Earth Month and find more at Earthmonth.ecochallenge.org