Employees Share March Updates on New Year’s Resolutions
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With pitchfork in hand, Rebecca Williams is ready to turn her compost pile
Spring is in the air and for two CCA employees, ‘tis the season for getting greener and leaner.
Rebecca Williams, accounting clerk at North Fork Correctional Facility, continues working to reduce her carbon footprint while Patrick Jablonski, CCA senior director, Quality Assurance Research and Analysis, is pursuing outdoor activity as a way to drop more pounds.
Compost and Cloth Bags
For Williams, composting just became a little more convenient.
“I put an empty plastic coffee can with a lid on the kitchen counter,” Williams says. “That’s where I put all my vegetable trimmings, fruit peels, coffee grounds, tea bags, egg shells and more. You can use anything that’s plant-based, but no meat or fat - you can even put paper in it.”
Once the can is full, Williams dumps the scraps into her compost bin, which is an old horse tank with holes in it. After adding grass clippings, dirt, cow manure - and sometimes water if the mixture becomes too dry - Williams has a rich blend of decomposed materials for her garden soil.
“The finished product looks and feels like potting soil, and has a clean smell,” she says.
In addition, Williams has stocked up on cloth shopping bags, which she says are not only a durable alternative to disposable bags, but are also affordable. In fact, she has found them for free at fairs, flea markets and lawn and garden shows.
“I use them whenever I go to the grocery store or do any kind of shopping,” Williams says. “They’re stronger than the plastic bags, plus they can be reused and then thrown in the laundry. Some stores even give you a discount for every cloth bag you use.”
Although Williams is on track with her New Year’s resolution, she continues to challenge herself to do better.
“I still have to try and wean myself away from some of the paper goods I buy - one step at a time.”
Working in Work-Outs
In the last five weeks, Jablonski has lost a total of eight pounds and counting, in spite of a recent injury.
“I hurt my ankle a few weeks ago and that has limited by ability to exercise as much as I would like, but I’m still trying to remain active,” he says.
Jablonski stays on the go by coaching his two sons’ little league baseball teams and getting in extra running during practices. And now that the weather is warmer, he’s doing more yard work, which also helps him stay on the move.
“A few of weeks ago, I spent most of the day out in the woods behind a friend’s house with the chainsaw,” he says. “I’m trying to do things like that as much as I can. Finding time to do physical activity has been a challenge, but warmer weather will really help.”
To view previous articles on these employees’ New Year’s resolutions, click on the links below.
Falling Down and Getting Up in February
Employees Make 2010 a Year to Begin Again
By DeAndra Mack