Welcome All Stewards of North Dakota!

The North Dakota Stewards Initiative is a voluntary initiative of the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality that encourages North Dakotans to make small changes to help us all benefit from a cleaner, more sustainable environment. Since 2019, participants of NDDEQ's ND Steward contests have had a positive impact on our environment!

Environmentally conscious activities:

Reduce Vehicle Emissions By:

• Carpooling
• Walking
• Biking

Save Energy By:

• Turning the thermostat down or reducing the temperature of your hot water heater
• Adjusting the thermostat of your HVAC system to use less energy; warmer in summer or cooler in winter
• Turning the lights off when you leave a room

Save Water By:

• Taking shorter showers
• Turning the faucet off while brushing your teeth or washing your face

Reduce Waste By:

• Using reusable items
• Grocery bags
• Travel mugs and water bottles
• Using plates, bowls or utensils (not paper or plastic disposables)
• Recycle items instead of throwing them in the trash
• Compost yard and food waste

Did you know?

Pollution and waste are expensive! Here are a few facts that can save you money and help protect North Dakota’s environment:

• A gasoline-powered, medium-sized pickup truck will use nearly 1 gallon of fuel every hour while idling. Simply turning your vehicle off, rather than idling, is an easy way to save money and reduce emissions.


• Each minute spent in the shower uses 2 to 5 gallons of water. One simple way to save money on your heating and water bills is to cut down on time spent in the shower and/or change your shower head to a low-flow model.


• Walking or biking 3 to 5 miles to and from work each day, instead of driving a vehicle that averages 15 mpg, could save $5 to $8 each week. A daily 10-mile round trip commute could burn an average of 600 calories while helping maintain your health.


• If you live too far away from work to walk or ride your bike, carpooling is another great way to save money and reduce emissions. Just think, every time you carpool with just one other person you are cutting the cost of your commute and total emissions in half.


• An easy way to improve water quality and save money is by not bagging your lawn clippings while mowing your lawn. Leaving your grass clippings on your lawn can generate up to 25% of your lawn’s fertilizer needs.


• By purchasing used instead of new items you are not only saving money but helping reduce waste by extending the life span of an item.


• Planning for meals can save money and reduce waste! Purchasing only the needed amount of food helps to reduce the amount that will be wasted.


• Using reusable items is a great way to save money and reduce waste! Here are some easy options:


• Reusable Grocery Bags -- instead of paper or plastic bags when going to the grocery store. This will typically save you 5 cents for each bag! This may not seem like a lot of money, but it can add up.


• Reusable Travel Mug -- instead of getting a paper cup when headed to your favorite coffee shop. You may even get a discount on your coffee purchase. Plus, these mugs keep your beverage warmer/colder longer than a disposable cup would.


• Permanent Dish-ware -- instead of using disposable plates or bowls for meals. The cost of disposable plates or bowls adds up!

Use the log forms to help track activities that reduce waste and save energy. The logs are for a full month. Start a new one each month and see if your savings change over time.

Daily Eco Log (pdf)

Daily Eco Log (xlsx)

Looking to do more? We created a worksheet for educators or families to use as a guide to reduce food waste.

FoodWaste.pdf

FoodWaste.docx

We have also created a worksheet for high school students. The worksheet focuses on the overall environmental costs that occur throughout the life cycle of a pair of jeans.

Jeans.pdf

Jeans.docx

Are you a resident of North Dakota? You can become an official North Dakota Steward by participating in a brief survey and you'll receive a North Dakota Steward certificate! To participate visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/26WNZ7C

For more information about the ND Stewards Initiative, please contact Angela Seligman at 701-328-5291 or aseligman@nd.gov.