What will you commit to?
Energy
- Wash your laundry in cold water for shorter amounts of time
- Air dry your laundry
- Replace incandescent & fluorescent light bulbs with LEDs
- Switch to energy efficient appliances
- Turn off the lights when not in use and use as much natural light as you can
- Use power strips for electronics to power off completely when not in use
- Use the battery saver function on your phone & computer
- Use a programmable thermostat that lowers or raises the temperature when you’re not home
- Bundle up before you turn up the heat
Transportation
- Pledge that your next vehicle will be a hybrid or electric vehicle
- Check your car’s tire pressure
- Calculate your carbon footprint
- Walk or bike instead of driving
- Carpool
- Use mass transit
- Telecommute
Waste
- Reuse whenever you can
- Buy in store to cut down on packaging instead of online
- Dispose of expired medicine properly, don’t flush down toliet: http://www.bemedwise.org/medication-safety/drug-storage-and-disposal
- Wrap your gifts in a reusable bags instead of wrapping paper
- Invest in a reusable water bottle
- Bring your reusable mugs to Hennepin Coffee Fellowship
- Recycle all paper products
- Instead of purchasing a new book, check out your local library
- Try composting at home
- Pick up the trash in your neighborhood
- Bring a reusable container for leftovers to a restaurant
- Donate and thrift clothing, furniture, household items
- Invest in better quality clothing that will last longer from environmentally conscious brands
Advocacy and Education
- Learn your local recycling rules
- Explore local environmental initiatives
- Watch a documentary on Environmental Justice
- Read a book about Creation Care
- Donate to an environmental organization
- Get out and vote!
- Spend more time outdoors
- Endorse climate science
- Talk about the climate crisis with friends and relatives
- Contact your local, state, and federal representatives
- Support elected officials who have committed to enact climate action policies
- #OptOutdoors this Black Friday
- Make your New Year’s resolutions Green
- Join the Hennepin Green Team!
Water
- Do your dishes only when the dishwasher is full
- Take shorter showers
- Wait until the laundry basket is full to wash
- Calculate your water footprint: https://www.watercalculator.org/
- Collect rainwater for watering gardens & indoor plants
- Turn the faucet off while brushing your teeth
- Repair leaky faucets
- Use a low flow shower head
- Install a low flush toilet
- Stop buying bottled water
Food
- Start a community garden
- Eat those leftovers
- Purchase the “ugly” food at your grocery store
- Eat less meat and more produce
- Grow your own vegetables
- Buy ingredients from local farmers
- Purchase “Fair-Trade” items
- Try cooking one-pot meals
- Bring reusable bags to the grocery
Misc
- Use green cleaning products
- Buy a plant for your house
- Subscribe to a solar garden
- Gift experiences instead of things