Lindsay Heruska

I will write down three things every day that I am grateful for, or send one email every day thanking or praising someone.

I will replace 30 minute(s) each day typically spent inside (computer time, watching television, etc.) with quality time outside.

I will keep 4 disposable plastic bottle(s) from entering the waste stream by using a reusable water bottle.

I will limit my social media use to once each day reducing my daily use by 30 minute(s)

Plastic bags and small plastic pieces like straws are most likely to get swept into our waterways. I will keep 1 plastic straw(s) out of the landfill and ocean each day by refusing straws or using my own glass/metal straw.

I worked for (and still do volunteer/advocate for) a Non-profit organization called Take Heart from 2013-2015. It is an organization that helps widows and aged-out orphans in Kenya, Africa. One of the biggest ways that we help these ladies is centered around sustainability. We give the widows a micro-loan to begin a business- most of them sell used clothes or make products from recycled material. We then bring the products that they make back to the states to sell. The money raised from selling the product, goes back into the organization by purchasing a cow, goat or tomato plants for these women so they can begin new business avenues by selling milk and tomatoes. Being involved with this organization and teaching these women to be self-sufficient has in-tern taught me to practice sustainability in my own life more frequently. I will wash dishes by hand for a month at a time to help with saving water. I will by used instead of new, donate used clothes to keep from them being trashed. I am working on trying to grow my own vegetables so I can become self sustained in that sense too. One great thing about Fair trade is the connection to the idea of sustainability.