Use this page to find actions that your household has completed or plans to complete. Browse the categories on the left to find actions for the Power Saver, Green Leader, or Renewable Star Challenge.
Once you have signed in, you can click Add to My Challenge to add an action to your To Do List, Already Completed to mark an action as complete, or Not Applicable if the action does not apply to you.
Once signed in, you can rate each of the actions you have completed.
The highest rated action appear under the Most Popular Actions category.
ACTIONS
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Green leaves denote the number of Green Points earned by completing the action and its relative environmental benefit.
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Hammers denote the relative amount of effort needed to implement the action. Hammers denote the relative amount of effort needed to implement the action.
A key denotes a renter-friendly action.Dollar signs denote the relative cost of implementing the action. Free < $100 $100-$500 $501-$2000 > $2000 Donate and purchase used items, participate in swapping, and/or borrow itemsApproximately 12 million tons of textile wastes, including used clothing, shoes, blankets, and more, are generated each year in the United States. You can reduce the contribution of used, but perfectly usable, items to landfills by donating and purchasing used items, swapping, and borrowing whenever possible.
Visit a local thrift or consignment shop to find used items like books, clothes, furniture, and toys that are inexpensive compared to new purchases. Find local thrift store locations at Frederick.com. Or check out online and printed resources such as newspaper classifieds for specific items.
Donate or purchase overstocked, discontinued, and used building supplies, appliances, cabinets, windows, doors, tools, electrical items, furniture, and water fixtures at Frederick Habitat for Humanity ReStore.
Consider swapping goods with friends and neighbors or online at swap.com, barterquest.com, or thredup.com.
Learn more about the impacts of buying new “stuff” by watching the video “Story of Stuff.”
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Green leaves denote the number of Green Points earned by completing the action and its relative environmental benefit.
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Hammers denote the relative amount of effort needed to implement the action. Hammers denote the relative amount of effort needed to implement the action.
A key denotes a renter-friendly action.Dollar signs denote the relative cost of implementing the action. Free < $100 $100-$500 $501-$2000 > $2000 Compost at least 50% of your kitchen and yard wasteComposting is a beneficial way to use kitchen and yard waste that would otherwise contribute to a landfill. Instead, your nitrogen-rich kitchen scraps and grass trimmings mixed with sources of carbon, such as dead leaves and paper bags, can be turned into rich soil in a compost pile. Finished compost can then be used to enrich your garden soil. Learn more from our Tips for Green Leaders Composting Fact Sheet or check out this howdini video or an EPA GreenScapes video on composting.
Attend a composting workshop with the Frederick County Department of Solid Waste. The Department also sells compost bins for $25 available for pick-up from 9031 Reichs Ford Road.
Learn more about compost bin types, including home-made bins and purchasable bins.
Interested in composting, but don’t have a lot of outdoor space? Vermiculture, or vermicomposting, is a method of composting that uses worms to break down organic waste. Kept in a small bin indoors, the worms produce castings, a rich fertilizer for house and garden plants. Bins can be home-made or purchased. To learn more, check out this Worm Composting 101 video or How to Make a Worm Bin video.
You can also leave newly cut grass on the yard after mowing as a type of composting. Known as “grasscycling,” this practice allows nutrients to be absorbed back into the soil so that your yard can stay healthy.
May 01 Susan Kraus
I maintain 2 compost containers. Previously I used to stop composting by end of fall. This past year, I continued all the way through the winter & that accumulated a lot! All turned out into the gardens.
Apr 23 Stephanie Van
I have a small compost container on my kitchen counter that is emptied out to my compost bin in the backyard every other night.
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Green leaves denote the number of Green Points earned by completing the action and its relative environmental benefit.
1
Hammers denote the relative amount of effort needed to implement the action.
A key denotes a renter-friendly action.Dollar signs denote the relative cost of implementing the action. Free < $100 $100-$500 $501-$2000 > $2000 Do not "top off" gas tanksMake sure not to “top off” your tank because it can result in paying for gasoline that is fed back into the station's tanks when your tank is full. It also leads to more air pollution due to evaporation of excess gas.
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Green leaves denote the number of Green Points earned by completing the action and its relative environmental benefit.
1
Hammers denote the relative amount of effort needed to implement the action. Hammers denote the relative amount of effort needed to implement the action.
A key denotes a renter-friendly action.Dollar signs denote the relative cost of implementing the action. Free < $100 $100-$500 $501-$2000 > $2000 Calculate and track your vehicle's gas mileageTracking your average miles per gallon (mpg) can alert you to possible problems, such as low tire pressure or dirty filters. It can also motivate you to adopt efficient driving practices. If your vehicle does not automatically calculate your mpg, you can do so by writing down the mileage and gallons of gas purchased each time you refuel. Calculate the miles driven between each refueling and then calculate your mpg using this formula:
______ Miles per gallon = ________ Miles driven ÷ ______ Gallons of gas used
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Green leaves denote the number of Green Points earned by completing the action and its relative environmental benefit.
1
Hammers denote the relative amount of effort needed to implement the action.
A key denotes a renter-friendly action.Dollar signs denote the relative cost of implementing the action. Free < $100 $100-$500 $501-$2000 > $2000 Use fuel efficient driving practicesThe way that you drive can make a big difference in the amount of fuel that you consume and emissions you create. Use at least three of the following efficient driving practices to save fuel:
- Choose routes that have fewer lights and stop signs. Driving on highways is more fuel efficient.
- Avoid aggressive driving. The constant braking and accelerating can increase your fuel consumption by as much as 40%.
- Drive steadily and follow posted speed limits. Driving at 55 rather than 65 mph can reduce your fuel consumption by 10-15%.
- In a manual vehicle, get into top gear quickly without accelerating harder than necessary. In an automatic, ease off of the accelerator once you gain momentum.
- Reduce your use of air conditioning. Instead try flow-through ventilation or open your windows when driving at low speeds. Driving with windows open at high speeds can actually decrease your fuel efficiency due to increased wind resistance.
- Run errands in the least amount of trips possible. Keep a list of errands that need to be done and do them during your daily commute or during a single trip.
- Use cruise control on flat sections of road but not in hilly areas.
- Remove excess weight, bike racks, and trailers from your vehicle when possible.
- Try to avoid high-traffic times of the day when planning trips.
Click for more tips on fuel-efficient driving practices.
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May 01 Susan Kraus
Twice a year, our office has a clothing, handbag, jewelry, book swap. The items that remain are donated to local organizations such as Select Seconds (that helps fund FMH initiatives)
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