Earth Day 2007 Resolutions

On a scale of 1 to 10--with 1 being the slovenly resource-wasting loser who fills his trash bin with beer cans and routinely throws litter out his car window, and 10 being a full-blown granola tree hugger--I've long considered myself to be about a 6 or 7. I go out of my way to place any recyclables I can into my recycle bin--all cans, aluminum, plastics, cardboard, grocery bags, non-Styrofoam packing materials, etc. I turn off the water instead of letting it run while I brush my teeth or wash my face, never run the dishwasher or washing machine unless they're full, and am somewhat fanatical about turning off lights around the house once I leave a room.

But lately I've been feeling convicted that I'm not doing quite as much as I could or should be doing to 1) preserve and protect our environment and 2) live healthier in my own home. Earth Day is the perfect time, I figured, to make some small changes in my normal routine, and last Friday Oprah did a show about simple things everyone can do to live more green. Most all of her ideas were realistic and do-able, although Matt and I both wondered aloud how practical it would be to own and haul around 10+ canvas grocery sacks and net produce bags to replace using the store's plastic or paper ones. But for the most part, I was inspired by how easy and affordable many of the suggestions were and, in fact, implementing many of them could actually save us money in the long run.

So here's my resolution list for 2007, and I challenge you to make some for yourself! Let me know which ones you're thinking about adopting, and we can hold one another accountable.

1) Get a membership at http://www.greendimes.com/, which I actually did this morning, so yay for me! Producing junk mail for just one year uses 100 million trees and 28 billion gallons of water. For $36 per year (about a dime a day), GreenDimes not only reduces by 75-90% the amount of junk mail (including unwanted catalogs) that come to your house, but they also plant one tree for you every month for a year! Also, fewer credit card apps and home refinancing offers coming to your house lowers your risk of identity theft. Normally it's $3 for every additional name you want to add in your household (for example, mail coming in Matt's or my maiden names), but for a limited time you can add up to 3 additional names for just $1 each. One last selling point that will probably be of interest only to Yvette, but Matt Damon is on the board of directors. Check out their site!

2) As I use up and run out of household cleaning supplies, replace them with natural and non-chemical eco-friendly products. Some of the brands mentioned on Oprah were Mrs. Meyer’s, Seventh Generation, Method (which I know is carried at Target and many grocery stores), and Shaklee. Shaklee is actually running a promotion right now where you can get 33% off their starter pack. I’ve got to say, I’m a whore for good packaging, and I was surprised at how cute the design and packaging is for all of these companies. I’m especially drawn to Mrs. Meyer’s….

3) Finally take my old household paint, electronics, cell phones, and computers to a certified recycling/reuse/disposal center!

4) Replace all of the light bulbs in the house with compact fluorescent bulbs. While they may cost more upfront, they last for 8-10 years and use 70-75% less energy. We already have a few of these, but my goal is to get them all switched out within the next 2 weeks.

5) Stop buying bottled water, period. And try to minimize buying carton items like milk or cream, since paper products with a wax coating can't be recycled.