Green your Resolutions
The New Year is an excellent time to commit to going greener.
It’s been a tradition since the days of the Roman Empire. At the dawn of a new year, we vow to change our ways both big and small. This is the year we’ll get our taxes filed early, lose that final five pounds, or clean out the garage.
If you’re anything like me, by February, the resolutions are forgotten or abandoned. The cookies proved too tempting, the garage proved too challenging and my accountant is still going to have to wait until April 10 to hear from me.
This year, everything’s going to be different, because I’ve devised an ingenious plan that ensures I’ll keep ALL my New Year’s resolutions, and better still, I’ll feel fantastically virtuous in the bargain. Because this year, I’m vowing to do what I was intending to do anyway. This year, I’m going go even greener.
Here’s my resolution list. Feel free to borrow one or all, or create one of your own. And remember, every time you cross one off the list, log on to record your act of green. The carbon you’re saving will have a lasting positive impact on the planet—for this year and all the new years to come.
1. I resolve to regularly
check the pressure on my tires. Underinflated tires can cost you both at the pump and in the atmosphere. I bought a tire gauge that I keep in the glove compartment to ensure I’m getting maximum fuel efficiency. Each time I fill my tank, I’ll check my tire pressure too.
2. I resolve to replace at least
one plane trip with a train trip instead. Air travel is one of the most carbon-intensive ways to get around, so this year rather than fly to Los Angeles to visit family, I’ll take the train instead. Want to calculate exactly how much carbon you’re not putting into the atmosphere by taking the train instead of flying? Click
here.
3. I resolve to swap out my old manual thermostat for an
energy-efficient programmable model. This way, I won’t have to remember to turn the heat down when I go to bed, and I’ll save money on utility bills too!
4. I resolve to do
all my laundry in cold water. Okay, this is sort of a cheat since I’m already doing this and have been for more than a year, but I added it in the hope that I can encourage you to do the same. Thanks to today’s
new high-efficiency cold-water detergents, your clothes get just as clean without unnecessary energy use.
5. I resolve to
swap out the incandescent bulbs in my house and replace them with energy-efficient CFLs, or compact fluorescents.
6. I resolve to bring my
stainless steel travel coffee mug with me everywhere I go, so when I get my caffeine fix, I’m as low-impact as possible.
7. I resolve to establish “
Meatless Mondays” for myself and my family. Commercially raised meat—particularly beef—is terribly hard on the environment. According to
a recent United Nations report, if every American went without meat for one day of the week, 100 megatons of greenhouse gas emissions would be saved.
8. I resolve to
start composting. With worms. At home. Getting my garden in shape without the use of chemical fertilizers has long been a goal, but until recently I’ve been a little intimidated at the idea of starting my own composting project. That is, until I checked out a recent blog post right here on One Million Acts of Green. Turns out it’s easy and inexpensive too!
9. I resolve to
always use reusable shopping bags. I got into the habit of always carrying cloth or net shopping bags in my purse while living in Europe, but to encourage my friends and family to do the same, this year everyone’s getting a
handy dandy nylon shopping bag that you can clip to your keychain.
10. I resolve to get at least
10 people to sign up for One Million Acts of Green. Spreading the word about climate change and finding ways to encourage friends and family to “go green” is one of the most important things we can do to increase our positive impact on the environment.
- Take me back home -