When Jessica Correa was a child, she would refuse to eat lunch until everyone got up from the table and turned off lights that didn’t need to be on.
“Even at a young age I was environmentally conscious,” said Correa.
Correa, now 27, founded Random Acts of Green in Dec. 2015. It’s an organization that raises environmental awareness through social media and offers sustainability consulting services to companies.
“You don’t necessarily have to do everything, but we want people to know that they have to do something,” Correa said.
Correa started the initiative because she wanted to simplify sustainability and bring it into everyday life, specifically through social media, she said in an interview with the Peterborough Examiner.
The organization is touring Canada to teach people what they can do to help with climate change. They made their second stop at St. Thomas University on Sep. 10.
Random Acts of Green uses the concept of having fun while doing things to combat climate change.
When Pokémon Go first launched, they challenged people to pick up litter while playing the game.
During Canada’s 150-year anniversary, the organization gave away 150 maple trees to people living in Peterborough, Ont. On their website, the organization asked people who received the trees to document the planting process on social media.
Random Acts of Green also organizes a challenge called HallowGreen to make people reduce their greenhouse emissions. They share spooky puns every day for the month of October on their website, such as:
“Let your food waste rest in piece — compost it!”
They also encourage people to share what they do in their lives to fight climate change. These acts can range from training dogs to pick up plastic, to carpooling, to bringing your own plate to Ribfest.
Random Acts of Green also has a self-titled app where users can record their “green acts.” There are six categories on the app, including transportation, waste, water, food, energy and others, such as planting a honey bee hive or planting trees.
Users who record acts receive points that can be redeemed for discounts for products and restaurants like Boston Pizza.
Correa encouraged everyone to download the app and start recording their random acts.
“Any act is a big act, and one person can make a difference,” she said.
