Barb Munn

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the need for family planning globally.

I will spend an hour exploring the efficacy of carbon offsets - their pros and cons.

I will replace or remove the palm oil, coffee, and cocoa products in my current diet that are known to contribute to deforestation.

I will calculate the carbon emissions associated with my household and consider how different lifestyle choices could reduce our carbon footprint and our impact on the environment.

I will spend at least 84 minutes learning about the need for more regenerative agriculture.

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.

I will visit seafoodwatch.org or download the app and commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean.

Population Connection is an organization that works to empower girls and women to make reproductive choices. They address unmet needs for family planning around the world. According to their website: "Until everyone, everywhere, has access to affordable and appropriate contraceptives, comprehensive reproductive health care, and equal opportunity in education and employment, global environmental crises, food and water shortages, and entrenched poverty will continue unabated. We must dedicate every available resource to advocating in Washington, DC, for dramatic increases in family planning aid and to educating tomorrow’s leaders about the troubling realities of rapid population growth." I usually give a one time donation at the end of the year, but my action on learning about the need for family planning during this challenge called me to donate mid year as well.

I will take a walk for 30 minutes each day and take note of the infrastructure that makes walking more or less enjoyable, accessible, and possible.

I will spend at least 20 minutes learning about green gentrification and how it relates to city planning for climate action.

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

I will spend at least 20 minutes researching other Drawdown Electricity Solutions.

I will watch a video about methane digesters (also commonly known as anaerobic digesters).

I have a compost, but have not been adding egg shells, because they take so long to break down and we are wary about salmonella. I will research composting egg shells and then begin doing it!

Greenhouse gases found in old refrigerants are up to 10,900 times more potent than carbon dioxide. I will help eliminate these gases through the purchase of offset credits to ensure we all have a planet we can thrive on.

Sometimes protecting nature requires feeling connected to nature. I will invest 180 minutes in exploring and appreciating a natural area in my region, whether a forest, wetland, coastal area, or somewhere else.

I will spend 45 minute(s) learning about biochar and how it can help sequester carbon.

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning more about the environmental services provided by and the environmental issues affecting temperate forests.

I will spend at least 30 minutes researching the impact of my diet to see how it contributes to deforestation.

I will contact 3 congress people or representatives to advocate for public policy that protects forests and the enforcement of existing anti-logging laws, as well as the rights of local people to protect and restore the land in their communities.

I will spend 30 minutes researching the environmental benefits of peatlands and what is being done around the world to conserve and restore them.

I will spend at least 30 minutes watching videos and/or reading about the environmental benefits of silvopasture.

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.

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.

I will enjoy 2 meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.

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!

I will learn about sustainable fashion and begin trying to practice it in my own life.

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning about the legacy of redlining and how city planning and environmental justice issues are interconnected.

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

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.