ONE SUSTAINABLE THING
~ our unique pledge campaign ~

Sustainable living is for everyone.
It simply means making thoughtful choices
about how you live your life and putting your actions in a larger context.

We invite you to join our campaign to have 1,000 North Country households
pledge to do One Sustainable Thing this year!

How it works:
Send us an email noting OST in the Subject line and telling us what you have decided to do,
along with your name, town, email and phone .  We'll send you a pledge certificate
that you can post on your refrigerator or other prominent place to remind you about your
Pledge to do this One Sustainable Thing!
Perhaps there is something you've already been thinking you "should do"
and you can run with that...or maybe you need a little help deciding. 
Below please find some ideas for you to start from!

 —    reduce your electric bill by 20 percent
 —    caulk and weatherstrip your windows and doors
 —    put an energy-efficient wrap around your hot water heater (or switch to tankless "on-demand"!)
 —    plug your appliances and computers into power strips and turn them off when not in use
 —    dry your clothes on the line instead of in the dryer
 —    get a low-flow and "off-on" style showerhead to save water
 —    install a programmable thermostat and set your heat back when sleeping or not at home
 —    start a garden or share in someone else's
 —    start canning some of that produce from your garden
 —    save and share seeds
 —    collect rainwater to use on your garden -- or in your home
 —    use a compost pail to recycle food scraps and build a compost pile in your backyard
 —    stop buying water in plastic bottles
 —    use washable diapers and feminine products
 —    switch to LED lights in as many places as possible
 —    use your car less; walk, bike and combine trips
 —    carpool to work or anywhere
 —    downsize to a more fuel efficient vehicle
 —    make your own holiday gifts, from the heart
 —    turn off the lights in rooms and areas not being used
 —    remove unnecessary outdoor lighting - turn it off when not needed
 —    buy local foods, in season, and reap the health benefits
 —    shop at your local farmer’s market, ask where your food comes from
 —    buy less stuff, have a buy nothing day each week
 —    use only organic fertilizers on lawn and garden; or, remove lawn - plant ground cover
 —    switch to wood or grass pellet heat
 —    turn off your TV for an hour or more a day
 —    fix things rather than buying them new, even if it's not "worth it"!
 —    install a solar electric or hot water system (buy "used!  It's cheaper!)
 —    cook more from scratch, eat less processed food
 —    read the labels on purchased food, don't buy it if you can't spell it

For every pledge we receive, a green leaf is added to our Sustainability Tree!
We started with a bare tree in the Spring of 2010
and plan to  have 1,000 pledges this year!

Send your Pledge along with your name, phone number, town, and email address to: 

SustLivingProject@gmail.com
Please note OST in the Subject line.

Interested in going all the way with this idea? 
Here's an article from some folks who live WELL on less than $5,000 per year!
They include 75 Tips on ways to live lightly on the cheap!
There are some folks right here locally (including some of the SLP organizers!)
who live similarly low-income, high-prosperity lifestyles! 
It CAN be done, and the St. Lawrence River Valley is a wonderful place to do it!