Joanne Taylor deKay

I will Practice the "5 Rs" — refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle — to reduce my waste more than I can with just recycling alone.

I will save up to 20 gallons (75 L) of water each day by taking 5-minute showers.

Lighting makes up approximately 10% of hospitals' energy use on average. I will save energy by turning off unnecessary lights when not in use and when I am the last one to leave a space.

I will avoid printing 4 pieces of paper by "going digital" and printing double-sided whenever possible.

I will take one action to support local wildlife, such as adding a food or water source, creating shelter/habitat, preventing light pollution, eliminating bird strikes, or another action.

I will spend 30 minutes learning about some of the ways my organization makes its laboratories more sustainable and ways we can improve.

I will adjust my thermostat down 2 degrees from usual when I use the heat, and up 2 degrees when I use air conditioning.

I will write down three things every day that I am grateful for every day.

I will prevent water from being wasted by reporting one or more leaky faucets, toilets, or other water leaks to my organization's facilities team for repair.

Support GoMaine by completing the Maine Commuter survey. The data helps inform commuting needs in our state. Follow the link to take the survey and be entered into a raffle for $50 gift certificate!

Your voice matters! Help us improve the One Healthcare Ecochallenge by taking our survey, available starting April 23rd.

Check out Espresa's Platform-- did you know you can get reimbursed for at home composting? Composting reduces GHG emissions by as much as 70% vs landfilling organic waste.

I pledge to take one action that improves the sustainability of my organization in 2025. It can be an action from this challenge or another action that improves resource stewardship.