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Take Action
A Review of Take Action Articles from 2023
Last year was an eventful one for sustainable actions. From gardening to biking, the year was filled with opportunities for readers to act more in our planet’s interest. As we begin 2024, let's review the actions taken last year. We hope this will inspire you to Take Action and see results in 2024.
Below is a table summarizing the core action items for each month of 2023. Were you able to complete them all?
Month
| Core Action Item
| Completed? |
January
| Create a New Years’ Resolution based on sustainable goals
(suggestions: alternative transportation, green product use, recycling soft plastics, proper waste disposal, sharing practices with others)
| |
February
| Submit to the HHS Earth Day Kids’ Poster Contest
(available for children kindergarten through 12th grade) | |
March
| Participate in Earth Hour
(suggestions: plant a tree, clean a local outdoor area, use sustainable ingredients, use emission-free transportation, turn off lights, organize community gathering, self-educate on recycling)
| |
April
| Participate in the 2023 NIH Earth Day Scavenger Hunt
(focused on locating campus features, plants and animals)
| |
May
| Register for Bike to Work Day
(available for cyclists of every skill level)
| |
June
| Plant seedlings received at Seedling Giveaway
(focused on both the Northern Red Oak and the Norway Spruce)
| |
July
| Try gardening
(suggestions: tomatoes and cucumbers, butterfly milkweed and native wildflowers, radishes and turnips)
| |
August
| Take proper steps to protect yourself from air pollution
(suggestions: stay indoors, check your local AQI, avoid high-intensity activity, use respirators, avoid indoor air pollution)
| |
| Visit the 2023 NIH Green Labs Fair
(included information on various green product vendors and NIH sustainable initiatives)
| |
| Prevent vampire power by properly managing electronics
(suggestions: unplug surge protectors, turn off unused machines, maintain devices, use energy-efficient appliances, participate in Green Labs Program)
| |
| Practice recycling, as well as material reduction and reuse
(suggestions: recycle electronics, soft plastics and batteries, take the Recycling Pledge, donate unwanted materials, keep inventory, make recycling crafts, avoid using plastics)
| |
Standing at the top of the year and looking forward, we're excited for many more opportunities to Take Action throughout 2024 and increase our sustainability. We hope that you participate in the GREEN Bingo Board as a way to keep track of the actions you've taken throughout the year and inspire you to go a step further. This should be an especially useful resource if you haven’t checked all of last year’s items as completed. Thank you for reading and have a great New Year!
Are you able to Take Action this month? We want to see! Send us a picture of you carrying out one of these ideas, and we might feature it in a future article.
Featured Article
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New Years GREEN Bingo
Welcome to 2024! The beginning of a new year means new challenges, adventures, and achievements. Why not also commit yourself to new environmental sustainability goals as well? We have a fun game, the GREEN Bingo Board, that could keep you motivated throughout the year.
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Spotlight
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NIH Freezer Challenge with Jaroslav Sebek
Jaroslav Sebek is the Branch Chief of the Sustainability Branch within the Division of Environmental Protection. For the past five years, he has been leading the charge to market and organize the NIH Freezer Challenge, compiling the data and results to submit to the International Freezer Challenge.
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NEMS Training
Did you know? Bingo originated from the Italian lottery, II Gioco del Lotto d'Italia. Complete a tile on the GREEN Bingo Board today by taking the NEMS Training! The NEMS Training consists of a short (20 minute) NIH environmental awareness training video.
The NIH Green Zone Newsletter is a publication intended to inform NIH staff about the Division of Environmental Protection and NIH Green Teams projects and initiatives. The text contained in this newsletter is not copyrighted and can be reprinted without permission. If you use portions of this newsletter in your own publication, we ask that you please credit the source. We welcome your comments and suggestions. Thank you.
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Division of Environmental Protection | Office of Research Facilities | Office of Management
National Institutes of Health | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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