Friends for Change: Project Green

MONTHLY ACTION: BIRD FEED

Put up a bird feeder in your yard, on a balcony or, with permission, in a community green space. You can make sure it is always stocked with birdseed, suet, and/or fruit.

434,433
of you have pledged to use less water
125,302
of you have pledged to protect natural spaces
191,534
of you have pledged to reduce waste
883,028
of you have pledged to conserve energy
883,028
of you have pledged to conserve energy

		JUST SAY NO: Think about how many receipts you get in a year. Where do most of them go? In the trash or recycling bin, most likely! Save paper by telling the cashier, "No receipt, please." You'll be surprised how much that adds up in a year!
		MIND YOUR PLASTICS: Encourage your parents to buy products in containers that are recyclable. Remember to look for plastics #1 & 2.
		BOTTLED UP: Use a stainless steel water bottle and avoid buying bottled water when possible.
		IT'S A WRAP: Wrap your gifts with newspaper or other re-used materials, and get your friends and family to do the same. When you receive gifts in new wrapping paper, keep it for future use.
		RECHARGE: Change the batteries on your toys and games to nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) rechargeable ones, and dispose of all batteries properly.
		KEEP IT IN THE LOOP: Make sure your house has a recycling bin and post your community's recycling rules on a sign next to it.
		WASTE NOT: Start a compost pile or worm box in your backyard, neighborhood or school.
		SMART MAIL: Reclaim your mailbox - reduce waste by stopping junk mail at home. Get taken off the main junk mail lists by contacting the addresses and phone numbers on these sites: www.stopjunkmail.org/sample/kit.pdf and www.41pounds.org.
		WASTE-FREE LUNCH: Commit to bringing a waste-free lunch to school for an entire week. Keep every lunch trash can empty and save tons of trash - literally!
		IT'S IN THE BAG: Use reusable shopping bass whether you're at the mall or at the grocery store, and tell store clerks you don't need a bag if it's not necessary.
		PUT A PLUG IN IT: When washing dishes, turn off the water while you scrub.
		NOTE THIS: Buy 100 percent recycled paper notebooks. Believe it or not, it takes a huge amount of water to make new paper from trees!
		WATER SAVER: While waiting for the water to heat up when you wash your hands or face, save the cold water in a container and use it to water your plants or for cleaning.
		TAPPED OUT: Turn off the water while brushing your teeth.
		STOP THE DRIP: Fix a leaky faucet in your home or school.
		SUPERVISE THE SPRINKLER: Make sure the sprinkler is turned off during the hottest part of the day, when most of the water is wasted through evaporation.
		FLUSH NOT: Flush the toilet less often by not using it as a wastebasket.
		POWER SHOWER: Take charge of reducing your shower time - and the shower times of your entire family - by two minutes per shower.
		FLIP IT: Turn off the lights whenever you leave a room.
		ENERGY SAVER: Organize a carpool, ride your bike or skateboard, walk, or take the school bus or public transportation to school.
		GET PLUGGED IN AND UNPLUG: Remove your cell phone and electronic game chargers from the wall, and plug them into a power strip. Then turn off the power strip whenever those electronics are not in use.
		LIGHT SWITCH: Replace at least one standard light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) in your household. If your entire house is already lit by CFLs, change a bulb at a friend's or relative's house.
		+/- 2 DEGREES: Turn up your thermostats two degrees in the heat and down two degrees in the cold. Your body will adjust to the small change in temperature pretty fast.
		SEND A SIGNAL: Post signs near room exits to remind people to turn off the lights.
		CLIMB TO THE TOP: Climb the stairs instead of using the elevator! Get fit and save electricity.
		SPREAD IT AROUND: Tell 10 friends to unplug their cell phones and game chargers from the wall when they're not using them. About 40 percent of all electricity used to power home electronics is used when the products are turned off.
		LAUNDRO-TASTIC: Once a week, take charge of the laundry. Wash everything on a cold wash (hot or warm washes are rarely necessary) and hang everything to dry instead of using a dryer whenever possible.
		LINT WATCHER: Monitor your dryer's lint filter. The cleaner your lint filter, the less your dryer needs to work -- ultimately saving energy!
		DON'T BE IDLE: Ask your parents to turn off their car engine when they're waiting for you -- or any time they're sitting in the car waiting.
		BOOK SMART: For those books that you probably won't read again, host a book swap where you trade books with friends -- or head to the library.
		THE BIG CLEAN: Sign up with your friends to join supervised beach, river, lake or forest clean-ups in your area. Then "adopt an acre" in your neighborhood and pledge to keep it clean.
		CLEAN GREEN: Research ways to make natural household cleaners with your parents.
		PASS IT ON: With your parents' permission, donate old electronic items that you don't use anymore - keep them out of the landfill!
		MAKE YOURSELF HEARD: Write an e-mail supporting the habitat, park, or local open space you care about most, and send it to your school paper, local newspapers, or TV stations.
		LETTER LOBBY: Write a letter to your local congressional representative supporting initiatives to protect your favorite endangered species.
		HOME SWEET HOME: Build a backyard habitat at home, in your neighborhood, or at school.
		BIRD FEED: Put up a bird feeder in your yard, on a balcony or, with permission, in a community green space. Keep it stocked with birdseed, suet, or fruit.
		TREE POWER: Plant 1,000,000 trees for National Arbor Day 2010 (April 30).

434,433

125,302

191,534

883,028

883,028