In addition to the personal resolutions we make each year (and seldom keep?), our team wanted to create and share our sustainable commitments that will help us to alter wasteful behaviors.

Shelly: I just purchased high quality cloth-like sponges to use instead of traditional sponges, which of course wear out pretty quickly and get thrown away when worn out. They are more expensive but should last a long time.

Dave: to carry silverware with me when I am out and about so that if I stop to get food at a restaurant that provides plastic utensils, I will have my own silverware with me and avoid using / throwing away the plastic. I’m looking into a cloth carrier of some sort.

Sam: I resolve to ask for no straws at restaurants and bars. The plastic straw epidemic has been in the news the past few years and with good reason: the National Parks Service estimates Americans use 500 million plastic straws each day, much of which end up in our oceans and harm wildlife. I am currently in search of a portable/reusable straw that will fit on a keychain and does not have a rubbery taste. If anyone out there has any suggestions, please let me know.

My second resolution is to cut down on my water use by not running sinks at full blast. It’s a lifelong habit that I vow to break.

Neil: To grow 70% of the vegetables I will consume during the growing season with the compost we create.

Chanda (customer): I will bring reusable silverware to work so I can stop using disposables. I hope to inspire others to do the same.

Need more inspiration? Check out our everyday tips and let us know how you plan to live a more sustainable life in 2019 and beyond.