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
-
Green leaves denote the number of Green Points earned by completing the action and its relative environmental benefit.
3
Hammers denote the relative amount of effort needed to implement the action.Dollar signs denote the relative cost of implementing the action. Free < $100 $100-$500 $501-$2000 > $2000 Refrain from watering your lawn30% of the water consumed on the East Coast goes toward watering lawns. The easiest way to cut your household’s water use is to stop watering your lawn. Watering your lawn also makes your grass grow faster, and the higher your grass grows, the more often you need to mow your lawn. Learn more about the environmental impacts of traditional lawns.
-
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 a carwash instead of washing your car at homeWashing your car at home rather than taking it to a car wash can actually be much more harmful to the environment. Washing a car at home tends to use 80 to 140 gallons of water, as compared to a commercial car wash which uses about 45 gallons. Many car washes even have water recycling systems which significantly reduce their water usage. If you do wash your car at home, minimize harmful effects by using phosphate-free soap and washing your car on the grass rather than the driveway. Phosphate is a nutrient that can run directly into drainage inlets connecting to the Chesapeake Bay, resulting in algal blooms and low dissolved oxygen. Washing your car in the grass helps to minimize run-off of gasoline, oil, and exhaust fumes from your car.
To learn more, check out this article on eco-friendly car washing.
Oct 09 Mehron Kugler
I only need to use 1 bucket of water to wash my car. I use a biodegradable soap. I think promoting a carwash is good but I can do better in terms of water use and green soaps.
You must be registered and logged in to leave comments
-
Green leaves denote the number of Green Points earned by completing the action and its relative environmental benefit.
5
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 Pick up litter in your neighborhoodNot only is litter unpleasant to the eye, it also degrades water quality and endangers wildlife. Recycle the materials you pick up when possible, and ask your family, friends, and neighbors not to litter.
You must be registered and logged in to leave comments
-
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.Dollar signs denote the relative cost of implementing the action. Free < $100 $100-$500 $501-$2000 > $2000 Manage mosquitoes using natural methodsThere are several preventative measures that you can take to manage mosquitoes and prevent the spread of West Nile Virus. Make sure that there is no standing water in your yard. Turn buckets, kiddie pools, garbage cans, flower pots, old tires, and other containers upside down so that rain water does not collect. Keep garbage and recycling bins covered to prevent the collection of stagnant water and scrub the insides if you suspect mosquito eggs were laid. If you have a bird feeder, inspect it often for larvae. Learn more about backyard mosquito management.
Bats and certain bird species such as the Baltimore Oriole, bluebirds, chickadees, “gnatcatchers”, catbirds, cardinals, and other songbirds feed predominantly on flying insects. Bats are especially good at eating mosquitoes because they are nocturnal, and mosquitoes are most active in the evening hours. Build a bird house or a bat house to encourage nesting of these helpful creatures.
You must be registered and logged in to leave comments
-
Green leaves denote the number of Green Points earned by completing the action and its relative environmental benefit.
5
Hammers denote the relative amount of effort needed to implement the action.Dollar signs denote the relative cost of implementing the action. Free < $100 $100-$500 $501-$2000 > $2000 Refrain from using fertilizers on your lawn and gardensThe overuse of lawn fertilizers is a large contributor to nutrient pollution in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Excess nutrient loading, or eutrophication, can cause algae blooms, leading to low dissolved oxygen and high water turbidity, or cloudy water. Excessive use of fertilizers can also damage beneficial soil life that helps plants grow. Learn more about proper fertilizer use and lawn maintenance from our Tips for Green Leaders Lawn Maintenance Fact Sheet, the EPA GreenScapes program, or the University of Maryland Extension.
You must be registered and logged in to leave comments
You must be registered and logged in to leave comments