Joan Lacktis

I will tend to a garden, or prepare for one, each day using sustainable gardening practices.

I will spend 60 minute(s) learning about biochar and how it can help sequester carbon.

I will enjoy 1 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during Drawdown Ecochallenge, either because it went bad before I ate it, I put too much on my plate, or it was scraps from food preparation.

The deadline for this UUMFE- and UUSJ-sponsored letter writing campaign has been extended to May 10th. Our faith calls us to promote bold action in response to the worsening climate crisis and the glaring racial and socioeconomic inequities revealed by the pandemic. There is growing recognition that changes in our food systems can contribute to progress in fighting climate change. These changes, if done right, can also rectify injustices in our current agricultural systems. As UUs, we insist that the transition to more climate-friendly agriculture also responds to pressing social problems like land loss, racism, unemployment, and hunger. We are urging Senators to support legislation that would make progress on both climate change and social ills, such as the Justice for Black Farmers Act (recently introduced as S. 300) and the Climate Stewardship Act (just re-introduced as S.1072). Take 5 minutes and send your letter now!

Sometimes protecting nature requires feeling connected to nature. I will invest 60 minutes in exploring and appreciating a natural area in my region, whether a forest, wetland, coastal area, or somewhere else.

I will make a donation to a nonprofit that installs microgeneration in low income countries.

I will visit Tradewater’s website to learn more about carbon offsets, and why they are a necessary solution in combating a climate crisis.

Planet Money recently interviewed the co-founders of Tradewater to learn about the dangerous impact that old refrigerants have on our environment. I will listen to the podcast to learn more about this necessary solution in fighting a climate crisis.

After viewing the films, Kiss the Ground and 2040, I wondered if I could apply regenerative agriculture to my small backyard garden. I found a couple books to peruse but found I couldn't get myself to sit down and read them. Hence, this daily action. If you have a garden, lawn, or pots on the porch, maybe you would be interested in this action as well. DAILY ACTION: read a chapter from a book on regenerative gardening and/or tend your garden using these practices. Some links to books are provided, if you find others, your action is to post that in our team feed.

Watch the film 2040, a documentary that follows filmmaker, Damon Gameau as he travels the world seeking new approaches and innovations to combat the climate crisis. Concerned with his own daughter’s future, the film is a positive take at what the world could be like if we embrace more regenerative solutions to address the planet’s most pressing environmental issue.

Join Tom Piette and the Mission Earth crew to learn about a few new technological solutions to the climate crisis. This Earth Day Forum will occur in the SFUU zoom room at 11 am on Sunday, Apr. 25th after church services. It will be recorded - so if you are not available on the 25th, you can still watch it later.

View the new film, Kiss the Ground, and learn about how regenerating the world’s soils has the potential to rapidly stabilize Earth’s climate, restore lost ecosystems, and create abundant food supplies.