Do you pick up pet waste? Do you keep fats, oils and grease out of the drain? Do you turn off lights when not in use? If so, you are already doing your part for a cleaner, healthier Chesapeake Bay.

The Suffolk Department of Public Works would like to make Suffolk residents aware that they can take their commitment one step further by signing up for the free askHRgreen.org Bay Star Homes program.

To enroll, participants simply register online at askHRgreen.org/BayStarHomes and pledge to practice at least eight environmentally-friendly behaviors in their homes and yards that will have a lasting impact on the waterways.

The program is open to all Hampton Roads residents, regardless of housing type or whether they live on the water. After signing up, Bay Star Home participants will receive a welcome packet full of green tips and information and may also become eligible for additional environmental offerings.

Suffolk citizens are encouraged to sign up and receive a free flag and flag pole, along with a 1-year-old wax myrtle tree, while supplies last.

Bay Star Homes originated in Norfolk and is now open to citizens all over Hampton Roads through the region-wide askHRgreen.org public awareness and education campaign, supported by the cities of Chesapeake, Franklin, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach and Williamsburg; the counties of Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, Southampton, Surry and York; the town of Smithfield; and HRSD.

Everyday activities greatly affect the health of our waterways. Becoming a Bay Star Homes participant is one way to get involved in the effort to protect our region’s most defining natural resource — water.

To learn more about Bay Star Homes or to register your home for the program, go to askHRgreen.org/BayStarHomes.