Well, I missed a week due to the holidays, so here is a round-up of things going on in the last 2 weeks:

On 4 January US Congress will swear in the largest number of women ever to serve as lawmakers in our country

Greenwashing is very popular these …

- cut back my consumerism. For January & February I’ve pledged to myself that I’ll do no superfluous spending, just food and bills and necessities. In general when I do shop I’m trying to shop with local or independent online merchants as much as possible as opposed to the big box chain stores.
- cut back my meat consumption. Living with someone who doesn’t eat meat has already inadvertently helped during the last few years, and I never really cook meat at home but I’m trying to be more conscious about not ordering meat dishes at restaurants either. I’m going to try to eliminate meat and poultry from my diet for Lent, not as a religious choice at all, just because that seems like a good period of time to start with.
- eat local and start shopping more regularly at the local farmer’s market
- blog more about eco-friendly and sustainable things and help get the word out about why going green is so important

There are plenty of other changes I want to start making, echoing many of those listed above, but these are the main resolutions I really have planned and want to make happen over the next few months.

Here are our resolutions:

1 - Always take our reusable grocery bags along when we shop for food, and not bring home any new plastic bags. Related: Keep taking what plastic bags we get from the farmer’s market back with us on subsequent trips so we can reuse them or give them back to the farmers so other people can use them.
2 - Track our household trash and recycling output and determine ways to reduce both.
3 - Make or buy a composter.

My resolutions are:

1. To continue to report garbage violations to the town hall when they happen instead of just letting it go and thinking someone else will deal with it. By garbage violations I mean things like people throwing ordinary trash in the compostable trash, throwing batteries and paper in the ordinary trash instead of sorting them. I reported one this year and the town hall representative said she would get a letter sent to our building to inform people what they were supposed to do, but the letter never materialised.

The main thing of course, is that when a bag of normal trash gets mixed in with a compostable load, the whole load is abandoned. It’s not fair on everyone who *does* take care to sort their garbage.

What I find most annoying though is that if the people committing the offences lived in a house and did the same thing they’d immediately get a 50 euro fine. Because they live in an apartment building they think they can get away with it - and they have so far! (eek, I sound like an awful neighbour!)

2. To finally get onto those people who manage the allotments so that we can get one for the summer. Living in an apartment we grow our own lettuce and tomatoes on the balcony, but we’d like a bigger space for different fruits and vegetables.

We’ve already made some big strides toward a more “green” lifestyle. We’ve been recycling for years, and that hasn’t changed, except that it’s become a habit now, which is good ;). We’ve also been using cloth bags at the grocery store, and the baggers cringe when they see me coming, because I’m rather anal about not wanting ANY extra bags, to the point that there are many things I won’t allow them to bag ;).

For energy saving, this past year, we added mucho insulation to our very drafty, very poorly built home, changed all of our lightbulbs to the energy-saver kind, installed a clothesline, installed a super-efficient tankless waterheater, changed from CRT to energy-saving flat panel monitors, acquired a small urban flock of chickens for egg production and soil amenities, and started eating locally and doing more cooking at home (I make my own bread and yogurt now ;).

We reduced our consumerism by buying local and buying used when we can and making some of our own clothes, which is actually pretty fun, and I have brainstormed an idea for making a skirt using scrap cloth and a pair of my husband’s old jeans :).

This year, I’ve resolved to make my own personal care products. My goal is to find recipes that are easy and use few “quirky” ingredients - things I can grow or that can be grown in my local area - and make a book for myself. I already made my first “batch” of deoderant. It works as well as anything I’ve ever bought from the grocery store, but the essential oils were very expensive, and so my future goal will be to grow as many of the herbs as possible and make my own essential oils.

I feel like we’ve made some good progress, but there’s so much more we could do. We’ve barely scratched the surface, at this point, but I’m having such a blast learning all of these tricks to make my life, not only greener, but more simple, and more satisfying ;).

-Get a composter. Since moving into a new house in May, we have not had a composting unit. This is on the top of my list.
-Whip up lots of cloth napkins and stop using paper towels.
-Conquer my addiction to written materials - brochures, free newspapers, and the like. I am an information junkie but I end up adding so many paper products to the recycling stream.
-Similarly, stop printing out things that I find on the internet. Knitting patterns that I will probably never use, recipes, etc. Less paper!!

1. Zero food waste this year. Anything brought into my home will be consumed - which means shopping more, but buying less (grocery store and the farmers market are walkable) and getting creative with leftovers.

2. Greening up my camping trips, beyond just recycling and reusing.

I’m already rather green, but there’s always room for improvement!

My goals:
- Join an organic CSA . Tried one a few years ago but they grew mostly my least favorite veggies! Trying a different one this year.
- Make fabric bags for gift-giving to use instead of paper.
- Going ‘no-poo’ - using baking soda and apple cider vinegar instead of commercial shampoo + conditioner
- Succumb to fewer online sales and spend more $$ locally, esp yarn
- Eat less sugar + soda
-Turn down the thermostat (started this last fall). Wear slippers and sweaters to keep warm in the house.

Started in Fall 2006:
- All reusable shopping bags
- Turning down the heat (we’re on a 2nd floor apt. building, and heat rises anyway)
- Buying organic (unfortunately no co-op by me)
- Reduce consumption - by only used or fair trade
- don’t buy any more water bottles, use tap water and a reusable water bottle
- Gave up Diet Coke! I used to drink 3-5 a day!

Continue in 2007:
- Switch all lightbulbs to compact bulbs (even ones supplied by apt. building)
- Switch to all natural cleaning products (learn to make my own when possible)
- Freecycle my old cleaning products (reduces what others buy)
- Sign up for 41pounds.org
- Cancel all catalogs (ie jcrew, victorias secret, etc)
- Put plastic on windows (to keep heat in!)
- Put aerators on all faucets to conserve water
- Switch to green power (just learned is available in my area, figure out how to switch!)
- Put appliances on powerstips, turn off when not using
- Use library (just got a card yesterday!), and buy less books
- Update my blog daily, documenting my journey of ‘going green’
- reusable/eco-friendly gifts and gift wrap (i LOVE giving gifts, so this is a big one for me)

I know there are more, but I am just learning:)

Happy new year!

– Chnaged to reusable menstrual pads
– Use only canvas bags at the market
– Joined the local co-op
– planted a garden
– built compost bins in the backyard
– only use heirlooms seeds for my garden
– only use manure as a fertilizer
– only buy used books (exception: some school books have to be new)

I’d like to:

– learn how to seed save
– buy a hybrid, if affordable (my commute: 72 miles, one way, 3 times a week) Wolf’s commute: 30 miles one way, 5 days a week)
– get the cats to use World’s Best Cat Litter
– learn to can
– finish switching the lightbulbs
– learn to sew/knit/crochet

Our garbage company started allowing foodscraps, paper towels and pizza boxes in the yard waste bin and my daughter is potty training (yes, I used “disposable” diapers for the second year of her life), so we may be able to get down to a 15 gallon garbage bin.

I’ve been working on switching off the power strip for the tv/dvd because we watch maybe 20 minutes a day. I’ve also turned off the computer every time I walk away from it at home. I use it a little less that way, so I have more time with my family (or my knitting).

I’ve started carrying old single use sacks in the car so I remember to take them into the grocery store.

I am going to write a note to the president of the company I work for and ask them to require that people shut down their computers at night. I work for a computer company, so we will see if this will fly.

Thanks!

i recently moved into a co-op in los angeles which has helped me to reach some of my goals of composting and growing food and community again. some of my intentions for this coming year include:

selling my honda and transitioning to a biodiesel vehicle.

furthering my sewing skills so that i can better utilize the bin of fabric and almost-but-not-quite-right, clothing pieces that i have been holding onto. oh, and completing the six half-knitted mittens and other projects staring me down daily.

random acts of kindness.

my body as my temple…making healthy local veggie goodness and lots of yoga the norm again.

taking time to smell the roses.

continuing to grow and develop my urban greening project to enliven my self and share with others (www.ellaygreens.blogspot.com)

thank you for sharing your vision and inspiring me this past year! to abundance of love and happiness in the double-oh-seven.

vanessa

One day down, 13 to go.

-Reduce my consumption as much as possible, starting with January as a buy nothing month. When something is needed, I will first look at the thrift store, Craig’s list, freecycle, and ads in the paper before purchasing, or try to make it myself.

-Reduce electricity use. We already switch to CFL’s, but I’d like to be better about turning of lights, computers, etc. when not in use, doing more things that don’t require a lot of electricity, etc.

-Raise more of my own food–the eventual goal being to have all of our own produce and eggs.

-Build more soil through mulching, composting, etc.

-Craft more consciously.

I think there were other things but I can’t remember . . . this will certainly do for getting on with!

Cheers,
Michelle
(greenfingers.blogsome.com)

I also made a decision to re-use or re-cycle old clothing, cards, photographs and other such and sundry things in different and creative ways…

I also want to support the work of eco-conscious websites and others who strive to make the world more liveable and safer.

Like you!

I plan to join a CSA once subscription time rolls around again. I love going to farmers’ markets but I often have to choose between them and catching up on much-needed sleep.

I sold my car in 2006, but I still rent one to drive to my parents’ house a few times a year. I plan to sign up for TerraPass to help offset this. If only the trains or buses would let me bring the bunny onboard!

I managed to set up compost bins on the back patio of my apartment here in DC (not as easy as it was in my house in Dallas but still doable), so now I need to work on putting in a garden. In a perfect world, I would plant a mix of edibles for me and the bunny along with flowers that will attract and feed birds.

Switch my electricity to wind power (simple as checking a box online at my utility company’s website!).

Reduce my vampire load. I know this one will be a tough one for me.

Work on “greening” my office. You might think working at a non-profit would make this easier, but I keep encountering resistance.

Like Jenn, I’m sure that I will come up with more over time, but these are what I have in mind so far. I picked up a bunch of reusable shopping bags at Whole Foods and used them to wrap Christmas presents, so maybe my family will join me in that endeavor!

- read WorldChanging (the book) for inspiration, since inspiration seems to be half the battle for me
- join the local food co-op, so I can eat more organic and locally, and hang with like-minded people
- sew up a few more fabric tote-bags - I currently reuse the plastic, but would like to not have them anymore, which goes along with…
- always, always, always have a fabric tote with me - I plan to stash one in each bag that I carry on a regular basis
- bring an environmental sensibility into my hobbies, especially the crafty ones - buy organic and environmentally friendly yarn and sewing supplies, or buy second-hand

I’m sure there are others, but these are the ones on my mind right now, and the ones that I’m looking forward to working on (and, really, what could be better than looking forward to something like this?)

Happy new year!