Abby Vopal

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

I will enjoy 3 meatless meal(s) and/or vegan meal(s) each day this week.

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I will recycle 3 items at work and/or at home each day, making sure I review recycling program guidelines and only place accepted items that are clean, empty, and dry in the recycling bin.

I will keep 5 forks, spoons, and/or knives from entering the landfill by using reusable utensils when eating at work.

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 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 refuse 1 of single-use paper or plastic bags each day by bringing my own reusable bags or carrying purchased goods another way.

I will avoid printing 10 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.

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

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