Pledge Ideas

My goal this semester is to live more sustainably. In order to reach that goal, I pledge to:

• Gardens/ Horticulture
  • Create or improve a school garden
  • Grow native plants for students to plant
  • Eat food from a/the garden at least X times per week
  • Try at least one new food from the garden
• Green-building, Building Greening
  • Use blinds in a way that conserves power consumption
  • Transition to a more energy efficient system of lights as less efficient models burn out
  • Plant a tree to shade the south side of my house/class/school
  • Install/ask parents to install low-flow shower heads
• Green Spaces/ Conservation
  • Adopt a…road, river, park!
  • Volunteer for a local conservation group or environmental restoration project
• Energy
  • Raise money to purchase renewable AND sustainable power!
  • Turn off lights whenever I leave the room
  • Turn off monitor/computer accessories/ when I leave the room for a long period and at the end of every day
• Food and Health
  • Buy local one more time per week – at farmers market, restaurant, etc.
  • Give up fast food, or limit to once per month
  • Not use disposable water bottles and ban them from the classroom, offer washable mason jars near a water fountain for students who forget to bring a bottle that day.
  • Eat one more serving of fresh fruits and vegetables each day
• Water
  • Only run dishwasher and washing machine when full, use recommended settings (cool or cold water for front end loaders is preferred for most detergents now)
  • Wash dishes using a dish tub and only run the water when rinsing
  • Limit or stop use of lawn chemicals, especially in places it can run or leach into ground water or storm drains with precipitation events
  • Turn off faucet when brushing teeth, shaving, lathering hands, etc.
• Transportation
  • Carpool once/one more time per week
  • Drive only when necessary and use human-powered forms of transportation whenever possible
  • Use alternative transportation one more time per week
• Waste Stream
  • Research and learn about WHAT is recyclable where you live
    • Recycle as much as you can
    • Educate your family and friends on how and what to recycle
  • Use both sides of paper, and keep a bin at the printer for scrap and reprints
  • Start a compost pile or worm bin
    • Encourage school-wide participation and at-home participation
  • Consider the products you use every day – are they available in bulk or is there a way to use less packaging?
    • Re-consider body wash vs. bar soap