Employees Share April Updates on New Year’s Resolutions

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Patrick Jablonski works hard in his backyard

Sticking with New Year’s resolutions is rarely an easy task, but four months into 2010, two CCA employees are still at it.

Rebecca Williams, accounting clerk at North Fork Correctional Facility, continues to pursue a greener lifestyle, and Patrick Jablonski, CCA senior director, Quality Assurance Research and Analysis, plans to work off – and keep off – a total of 20 pounds.

Both are taking small steps toward their goals, although they say they found themselves in a slump this month.

Clean and Green

This year Williams has transformed her spring cleaning into green cleaning. For starters, she’s got a new lease on laundry.

“Since warm weather is just around the corner, I’ve been using my ‘solar clothes dryer,’” Williams says. “I use a clothesline to hang out clothes when the weather is nice. I know some people probably live in cities or places where they can’t have a clothesline, but if you can, it will certainly save on electricity and the laundry - especially bedding - smells wonderful.”

Anytime Williams isn’t pleased with the texture of her clothes after they’ve hung outdoors, she fluffs them in the dryer without heat for a few minutes. But that’s just one part of her increasingly green cleaning routine.

“I have laminate floors and use a dust mop to clean them,” she says. “I stopped buying the little disposable cloths to put on my dust mop and have been using microfiber cloths - they’re great!”

Williams cuts down on waste by using the cloths for a variety of tasks. While they’re dry, she uses them to pick up lint and pet hair from furniture. She also keeps them handy to replace paper towels and dish towels, and then tosses them into the washer for reuse.

“There are a number of green cleaners on the market now that are much better than they used to be,” Williams says. “I buy those whenever I can and always in the smallest, most concentrated container.”

Innovatively, Williams uses shredded junk mail as packing when she mails items, and she places it around her flowers and plants for mulch. “It holds moisture very well and cuts down on weeds,” she explains.

Getting Fit Bit by Bit

“My progress has slowed a bit in the past couple of weeks, but I’m in a lot better shape than I was at the start of the year,” Jablonski says.

During Easter weekend, he moved about three tons of rock from his driveway to his backyard in order to create a fish pond, waterfall and patio.

“In addition, I expanded my vegetable and flower gardens a couple of weekends ago, which required a bunch of work,” says Jablonski. “I’m continuing to run with my baseball teams too, but I’m only down 10 pounds for the year. There’s a long way to go.”

To view previous updates on these employees’ New Year’s resolutions, click on the links below.

Employees Share March Updates on New Year’s Resolutions
Falling Down and Getting Up in February
Employees Make 2010 a Year to Begin Again

By DeAndra Mack