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Household EcoTeams help individuals or families have a positive impact on the environment by teaching participants to reduce garbage and consumption of energy, water, and toxic products. Teams of 5 to 8 meet seven times, about every three weeks, and are guided by a Global Action Plan workbook and a coach. You can join an international network of neighborhood and workplace teams working to adopt earth-friendly and money-saving lifestyle practices! 1. A
Sustainable Future? It Starts Where We Live Americans -- as 5% of the world's population -- consume a third of the planet's resources and waste up to 75% due to inefficiency and lack of awareness. Households directly consume one third of these resources, and indirectly use much of the rest through the purchase of products and services. How we live is a big part of the problem. It can also be a big part of the solution, if we adopt more environmentally sustainable lifestyles. That means exercising more care, or stewardship, in our use of the Earth's finite resources (trees, water, energy, minerals, land) to ensure that there will be enough left for our children. Global Action Plan's Household EcoTeam Program helps individuals lower their environmental impact through adopting more resource efficient lifestyle practices. 2. The Household EcoTeam ProgramIf one or more of the following categories fit your situation, participating in the Green Decade Coalition/Newton Household Eco-Team Program will be fun and helpful.
The Household Eco-Team Program helps you translate your desire to do the right thing into an environmental action program that makes a difference! Five to eight households form an "EcoTeam" and meet 7 times over a 4 to 5 month period. You use a step-by-step workbook to create a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle. Choosing from a series of practical actions, the team supports one another to reduce waste, use less water and energy, buy "eco-wise" products and encourage others to get involved. More than increasing awareness, the EcoTeam Program enables people to change the way they live -- measurably. 3. How the Program Worksa. The first meeting, called the Team Building meeting, is scheduled. In this meeting the team prepares for the program, creates a sense of team, sets all remaining meeting dates and chooses topic leaders for each meeting. b. The EcoTeam then meets 6 more times, approximately every 3 weeks, to develop sustainable lifestyle practices in five areas:
The sixth action area, Empowerment, enables the team to help others take action for the planet. Most meetings last 2 hours and several hours are needed between meetings to take the actions. c. Before each meeting, EcoTeam members review the actions from the EcoTeam workbook and decide which ones they will take. Then they make a plan and list the days and time for completing the actions they have chosen. d. At each meeting, EcoTeam members review the actions taken over the prior 3 weeks and share their action plans for the next 3 weeks. The EcoTeam helps fine-tune each person?s plan and provides support and inspiration to carry it out. Depending upon the community, participants in the Household EcoTeam Program on average achieve the following yearly resource savings.
If you are interested in joining an EcoTeam, contact
the Green Decade's Eco-Team organizer, Dan Ruben, at 617-965-1995
or at info@greendecade.org.
He will answer your questions, tell you when the next team will
form, and find a coach for your team. If you find 5-8 interested
individuals or households on your own, by asking friends, neighbors,
colleagues or fellow worshippers, you can start a team whenever
you wish and we will help you. |
