Jen Lebrecht

I will switch to washing my clothes in cold water, saving up to 1,600 lbs of CO2 over the course of the next year.

Hand washing dishes can use more energy and hot water than running a full dishwasher. To save water, I will scrape instead of rinsing dishes before loading them into the dishwasher, and only run it when it is full.

I will select a greener option when purchasing supplies, such as products that have environmental certifications, less packaging, or other environmental attributes, or come from local vendors.

I will eat a heart healthy diet by adding 1 cup(s) of fruits and vegetables each day to achieve at least 4 cups per day.

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 commit to dedicating 10 minutes to exploring my organization's quality improvement resources and examining how quality improvement methodologies can support sustainability projects.

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 spend 5 minutes learning about greenwashing and how to avoid it.

I will avoid printing 2 pieces of paper by "going digital" and printing double-sided whenever possible.

I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option.

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