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January 2026 Take Action
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Rewriting Tomorrow: Resolution and Actions for the Year Ahead
Here is a compiled list of suggestions published last year. Reach out to us and let us know if you have completed any of these or plan to work on them this year. We would like to showcase your efforts in the Spotlight section in the new year.
| Months | Take-Action articles |
| January | NIH Sustainability LMS Training. Due to unforeseen circumstances, this training is no longer available. |
| February | Planning for Green Labs 2025 . Although the 2025 NIH Green Labs Program was discontinued, the NIH Freezer Challenge is open from January 2026 – May 2026. The NIH Free Stuff is a platform providing the NIH community with the opportunity to share resources and reduce spending, among other cost savings. |
| March | Get Gardening! Perhaps one of best hobbies to inculcate throughout the year with several health and environmental benefits. |
| April | What To Do This Earth Day . Although Earth Day was not held due to unforeseen circumstances, the NIH is hopeful in celebrating it with staff and children in 2026. To learn about the range of activities held in the past and plan for participating in 2026, visit the NIH Green Zone Newsletter website and search for the term “Earth Day." |
| May | Bike to Work Day . NIH held the Bike to Workday on May 15 with 68 participants and total of 956.8 miles biked with an estimated 710 lbs. of emissions avoided. For more information, consider joining the NIH Bicycle Commuting Club ! |
| June | The Green Bingo Board has a |
| July | Alternatives to UPFs provides a few options that could be healthier than ultra processed food. |
| August | Operating Efficiently to reduce energy consumption relies heavily on the actions of the occupants, including but not limited to turning the lights off when not in use, turning off equipment/appliances or putting them in standby mode when appropriate, etc. |
| September | Participating in the Surplus Chemical Redistribution Program - stepwise instructions to participate in the program for donating or free requests. |
| December | The Gift of Food shares several opportunities to prevent food wastage. |
Featured Article
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| Rewriting Tomorrow: Resolution for the Year Ahead Thinking of having a new year resolution? No matter what goals were accomplished this past year, the new year brings new hopes, new wishes to be fulfilled, new adventures, new intentions and the list goes on. LEARN MORE |
Spotlight
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| The Spotlight is on You The Green Zone wants to recognize you for your environmental achievements! Reach out to us at green@mail.nih.gov any time you complete an action this year that reduces an environmental impact and it could appear in a future issue of the newsletter. LEARN MORE |
Fun Fact
Did you know?Looking at statistics, New Year's Resolutions are gruelingly difficult to achieve. An estimated 88% of people give up on their resolutions within the first two weeks!1Make sure to plan your goals and make them S.M.A.R.T.!(specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound)
Newsletter Feedback
If you found this article useful, please let us know! We appreciate hearing how we might improve our future articles, including topics you would like to read about. Please take a moment to complete this quick feedback form:
NIH Green Zone Newsletter Feedback Form
| The NIH Green Zone Newsletter is a publication intended to inform NIH staff about the Division of Environmental Protection and NIH Green Teams projects and initiatives. The text contained in this newsletter is not copyrighted and can be reprinted without permission. If you use portions of this newsletter in your own publication, we ask that you please credit the source. We welcome your comments and suggestions . Thank you. |
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Division of Environmental Protection | Office of Research Facilities | Office of Management National Institutes of Health | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services |