family achievement Ideas

As a family you can make an even greater impact! Work together towards becoming our Environmental Warriors of the Month. You are also welcome to create your own activities that have lasting environmental impacts. Each achievement you complete with a family-level impact will earn you 500 points. Use the submission link at the bottom of this page to upload documentation of your completed activity.

Achievements

Citizens' Greener Evanston

Point Value: 100-1000

Citizens' Greener Evanston's Calendar of events.

Buy or Make a Reusable Tote Bag

Point Value: 500

Plastic and paper bags can both have negative impacts on the environment. Specifically, paper bags use a surplus of trees and are over-used at supermarkets. Plastic bags, on the other hand, can kill as many as 1,000,000 sea creatures each month. Making the switch to a reusable tote bag when you do your shopping can significantly lessen these negative effects!

Reuse Glass Containers or Make Glass Decor

Point Value: 500

Reuse empty glass bottles as containers for additional food, school supplies, or even accessories. You could even turn them into pretty decorations in your home as a nice accent. A modern glass bottle will take at least 4000 years or more to decompose, so reusing them will significantly help lessen existing amounts of waste.

Neighborhood/Street Clean-up

Point Value: 500

Don't wait until garbage and plastic finds it way to the drains and eventually the ocean. Grab some bags/bins and go out picking up garbage you see and make sure to sort it into different recyclable categories. If each person picked up 10 pieces of litter, there would be 3 billion fewer pieces damaging our environment.

**Note: if you do conduct a street clean-up, be sure to wear a mask and gloves/avoid touching the waste directly

Build an Indoor Garden

Point Value: 500

Indoor Gardens are a beautiful way to brighten your home, reduce your waste, and prevent you from buying-in-bulk.

Click here to check out an article sharing some apartment indoor garden ideas!

Thrift Shopping

Point Value: 500

The fashion industry contributes 10% of global greenhouse gas, and nearly 20% of global wastewater is produced by the fashion industry. So next time you want to buy a piece of clothing, consider going to a thrift store instead!

For example check out your local Goodwill or Salvation Army

Shop at Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse

Point Value: 500

Fix up your home with unique finds, while keeping materials out of the landfill! The Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse is a nonprofit building material reuse warehouse where you can affordably purchase items like kitchen and bath cabinets, lighting fixtures, appliances, doors, windows, flooring, tiles, trim, hardware, and more!

Click here to learn more about the Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse.

Play Recycle Roundup!

Point Value: 500

Looking for a new game for family game night? Play National Geographic's Recycle Roundup! This is the perfect opportunity to teach your kids about recycling and can be a fun activity for the whole family.

Click here to play the game.

Create a Compost Bin

Point Value: 500

Most people just throw away leftovers and peels in the garbage, but most of that can be used for compost! All you need is a container of any size or one can be purchased online. The bins can be placed both inside and outside your home, so you always have an opportunity to compost. Composting reduces organic waste in landfill and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

Create Old Furniture Garden Planters

Point Value: 500

Are you considering throwing away some old furniture such as a dresser or bedframe? Think again! Instead of sending these pieces to a landfill, consider making them into a place to hold your plants, especially as the weather gets warmer.

Register for a Community Garden

Point Value: 500

Even if you don't have room for an indoor or outdoor garden, you might enjoy joining a community garden instead! Community gardens help by reducing food transportation costs and water runoff while improving the air and soil quality.

Click here for more information on community gardens in Evanston.

Make Seed Paper

Point Value: 500

We are all guilty of wasting paper, even in the digital age. It takes 17 watts of energy to produce a single piece of paper. Help to conserve this energy by making plantable seed paper for notes, invitations, or even home-made postcards!

Need some help getting started? Click here for steps on how to make your own seed paper.