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Steps to Create an EnAct Team

Step 1: Attend an Orientation or Form Your Team
EnAct offers free orientation sessions where you can learn about the program, meet others interested in starting a team, and ask questions about sustainability.

There's no need to come to an orientation to get started. You can just begin working through the EnAct: Steps to Greener Living book in your neighborhood, classroom, workplace, or faith community. Your first step is to invite others to join you.

If you would like help creating a poster, writing an article for a newsletter, or recruiting and organizing an EnAct team, please call (608) 204-2888 or e-mail us for assistance.

There is no minimum or maximum team size, but teams of 8–10 people generally work well.

Step 2: Order the Enact: Steps to Greener Living Book
Team members can order the book directly from EnAct, or purchase it at a local bookstore. You can also download the book for free here. It is not formatted for optimal printing, so please view it on screen and print only the pages that you need.

Step 3: Meet
Using the book as a guide, EnAct members come together and learn how to:

• Conserve energy
• Waste less
• Save water
• Drive less
• Eat well

One chapter is devoted to each of these topics. Teams generally meet 7 times: one kick-off meeting, one meeting for each chapter, and one meeting to celebrate. Meetings last about one hour, but can go as long as team members are interested.

Set up a schedule to meet and discuss each chapter. Meeting every other week or once a month provides enough time to implement the action steps and keep momentum going.

At your first meeting, collect contact information from each team member. Please e-mail or send that information to EnAct, 25 N. Pinckney, Suite 310, Madison, WI, 53703.

Team members should come to each meeting having read the relevant chapter. Your team discusses the topic. Each team member commits to the actions that they would like to try, and comes to the next meeting prepared to talk about what worked well or what was challenging.

Your team might decide to invite guest speakers, serve local foods or drinks, have the meetings at different homes, take field trips, or work together on a community project.  EnAct is happy to suggest activities for your team.

Step 4: Complete the EnAct Pre-Program Survey
At the first meeting, ask team members to go online and complete our EnAct Preprogram Survey. We are beta testing this survey, so in addition to answering the questions, ask team members to provide us with their feedback. We use this baseline information to help you and your team measure your success.

If you live in Dane County, our sponsors send each team member a complimentary "conservation kit", which includes CFLs, a window insulation kit, a faucet aerator, coupons, and other items to help people get started taking action in their own homes.This is to thank EnAct members for filling out the survey.

Step 5: Take Action
Each chapter of the EnAct: Steps to Greener Living book has a list of actions to help you live more sustainably. They are divided into First Steps, Next Steps, and Projects. Start at whatever level is comfortable. You don’t need to take every step suggested. Simply challenge yourself to try a few new things.

At the end of each chapter, set goals for the action steps or projects you want to complete before the next meeting, in the next 6 months, or in the next year. General resources for each topic are provided in each chapter to help you achieve your goals. We also provide resources specific for , , and .

Step 6: Motivate Each Another
Take turns leading the discussions. Keep the conversation focused on what each of you can do to improve your impact on the environment. At the end of each meeting, share the specific action steps you’d like to take.

At the beginning of the next meeting, check in with team members to find out how it went. Don’t get discouraged if an action doesn’t work out the first time. Ask team members for help if something is particuarly challenging.

Step 7: Complete the EnAct Post-Program Survey (to come)
Once you’ve completed the actions in each chapter, we will ask you to complete an online Post-Program Survey. We are currently drafting this survey and a link will be posted soon. The pre- and post-program surveys will allow us to send you an analysis of how you and your team improved your sustainability through EnAct.

Step 8: Celebrate and Tell a Friend
When your team has completed the chapters, celebrate your success with a potluck party or other event. Consider meeting again in a few months, or working on a project together in your community.

Wrap up by sharing photographs and stories about your team to inspire others. We will post these on the EnAct website.

If you enjoyed EnAct and found it useful, please spread the word. Tell others how they can learn greener habits, save money—and have fun, too.