Shanen Royal

I will plant 1 tree(s) in my community, public parks, or backyard. Check out resources for which tree species are best to plant in your area.

I will spend at least 10 minutes learning about water and air quality issues in my area, how they are impacting human and environmental health, and how I can help.

I will purchase produce and/or meat from a local farmers market or food co-op to make 2 locally-sourced meals.

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 promote equity and support my community by purchasing items at 3 diverse- and/or locally-owned businesses.

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

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

I will save up to 4 gallons (15 L) of water each day by turning it off while brushing my teeth.

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

I will adopt a "Needs Vs. Wants" approach and only buy things I need.

I will spend 30 minutes learning about how indoor air quality impacts health and commit to taking one action to improve indoor air quality in my living space.

I will avoid sending food waste to the landfill by composting my food scraps.

I will repair an item, such as clothing or an appliance, for myself, a friend, family member, or neighbor.

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

I will replace 3 incandescent lightbulb(s) with Energy Star-certified LED bulbs, saving up to $14 per fixture per year.

I will spend at least 30 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.

I will keep 2 forks, spoons, and/or knives from entering the landfill by using reusable utensils when eating at work.

I commit to dedicating 5 minutes to exploring my organization's quality improvement resources and examining how quality improvement methodologies can support sustainability projects.

I will spend 10 minutes learning about greenwashing and how to avoid it.

Contamination prevents what is recyclable from being recycled. I will spend 5 minutes learning about which items are recyclable both at my workplace and at home since they may be different, and recycle only those items.

I will turn my computer monitor(s) off at my work station when not in use to save energy (I will follow my organization's IT instructions for keeping on, turning off, or restarting computers).

I will spend 10 minute(s) per day practicing Mindfulness and/or Meditation.