What Are Your Green New Years Resolutions?
Posted on January 2, 2009 by
This year, in addition to maintaining the green changes I’ve made in the past, I plan to:
- Bike more as a form of transportation as soon as the weather is clear enough.
- Learn the art of canning so I can more efficiently store food from our CSA and our garden. Right now, I freeze the food I store, but if we lost power for more than a day or two, we’d lose everything we’ve stored.
- Learn how to use my sewing machine, so I can make use of our old clothes, mend things in need of repair, and update clothes that aren’t quite right instead of passing them off and buying new ones.
- Work toward finding an organizational system that works for our house and family so the things we need don’t get lost, our home is more efficient, and I have more time to devote to things I want and/or need to accomplish.
- Plan meals better, so we can cook once and eat twice, saving time, energy, and food that might go bad if cooking dinner feels like too much of a chore every night.
- Read at least five green books.
What are your green resolutions?
If you’re just starting to make green changes in your life, here are five simple resolutions that won’t cost you much or force you to make a major lifestyle change.
- Change your lightbulbs. CFL lightbulbs are a good way to go. If you can afford to switch to LED bulbs, they are even better, and the energy savings will pay for the bulbs over time.
- Bring your own bag. Who needs plastic? Not only are reusable bags better for the environment, I find they are much better for hauling groceries. The handles are stronger and easier to grip, the bags hold much more than plastic, and flat bottomed bags make it easier to stack groceries in neatly.
- Read the labels on your personal care products and as you run out of a product, transition to a greener product that is free of icky ingredients. Not only are you making a healthy change for yourself and your family, you’re protecting our water systems (many chemicals from personal care products leach into our waterways, and are not easily removed), and you’re using your purchasing dollars to “vote” for greener products.
- Break up with Teflon. The coating on your pans and cookware that makes food slide off easily is an environmental and health nightmare. Opt for cast iron or stainless steel cookware that does not have a non-stick coating, and use oil to keep your food from sticking.
- Get a BPA-free reusable water bottle and use it. The quality of bottled water is questionable, the waste involved with one-use plastic bottles is inexcusable, and the energy it takes to haul water from bottling plants to your home is unnecessary, since it flows readily from your tap. Thanks to the amazing Fake Plastic Fish and the Take Back the Filter campaign, Brita is now taking back their filters for recycling starting this month, so if you don’t like the taste of your tap water, filter it.
What are your green resolutions this year?
Do you have a freezer chest? Or upright? If so you can put some gallons of water and ice bags in with the frozen food. This helps keep the cold in when the electricity goes out.
Stocking Up is a good canning book. I find it a little confusing to read but overall it’s good. Anything by Ball’s is also good.
This year Mr Chiots and are focusing on detoxing our personal care. We will also work to eat even more locally and we are trying to produce even less garbage. We also are trying to grow even more of our food, we’ll be adding more fruit trees and more garden beds to our gardens. We did really well greening our lives in 2008 and hopefully we can do just as well in 2009.
Canning is great, you’ll enjoy it. I would suggest some jam first, it’s quick and easy – kind of like instant gratification! I’m planning on starting to buy Weck canning jars to transition from my old one, that way I don’t have to buy the little lids with the plastic lining. If you don’t have jars, I’d suggest investing in the from the start. I’m planning on taking a few years to transition to them.
Resuscitate EcoJoes, get more OUT of my garden, learn about some eco-friendly landscaping, and start a neighborhood group to clean up litter.
Happy New Year to everybody out there on the Internets
I’m trying to create and maintain a more simple household by getting rid of clutter and preventing more from getting in. I’m doing my purging slowly so that I can take the time to get rid of everything in as green a fashion as possible through passing it on to others or recycling.
This may also be the year I join a CSA.
That’s a great list of resolutions you developed for yourself, Allie. I plan to bike to work when it becomes climatically feasible. I have always liked cooking big bunches and eating leftovers for days. I have never been finicky about keeping leftovers for four or five days, but it would probably be better to freeze some. I like to make big pots of soup, stew, curry and so on.
We are also going to visit at least one commune come summer. I hope to live in an intentional community soon.
I am thinking of doubling up on my CSA and preserving more too. Tough to get through the winter months without our favorites.
Oh..and the sewing idea…great! You would be surprised how many little things you can take care of if you know how to sew even just a few stitches. Cloth napkins are great beginner project…and very practical. You can be uber green and use scrap fabric.
I’m four out of five on the green tips! I’d love to learn how to can as well, but always thought it was so hard. Maybe I should do a little reading and see if it’s not easier than I thought!
Sounds great! I posted my list on my blog.
Thanks for the tips, I’ll definately add them to my list which includes purchasing energy saving power strips for our electronics and using store cupboard basics for cleaning and making my own beauty products.
I don’t resolve–I prefer the short-term, easily accomplished goal instead. (Like your tips) This year, my biggest green goal is to find some sort of eco-friendly hair product that works as well as my favorite conventional one. I’ve got very, very curly hair, so this is no minor job.
[...] over at Allie’s Answers continues to inspire me! She listed her green new years resolutions, and they are a really great set of goals. It got me to go back and find our goals from 2008, to [...]
Allie – I’m with you on the biking more and learning to sew!