As published in the Lafayette Today newspaper.
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As we embark on a new year, it’s a perfect time to make a green New Year’s resolution. Try something new that will help your family continue to reduce its impact on the environment. Everything we do adds up and makes a difference. Following are 10 ideas to consider:
10 Green New Year’s Resolutions
Vow to eat vegetarian or an entirely local meal once per week. According to the United Nations, the livestock industry accounts for 18% of worldwide greenhouse gases. Reducing meat consumption is one of the easiest and fastest ways to reduce your contribution to global warming.
Make the switch to green cleaning supplies. Certain chemicals commonly found in conventional cleaning products present known or suspected problems for the people that use them and for the environment. Switch to green cleaning supplies like Arm & Hammer’s green cleaner, Clorox GreenWorks or Seventh Generation. Elephant Pharmacy in Walnut Creek has a great selection.
Join a CSA for the first time. Why not make this the year that you decide to eat the freshest, healthiest, most local produce you can? Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program and get your produce from a local farmer. Learn about the options on our local food page.
Pledge to cut your home energy use by 5% (without spending a penny). Turn your thermostat down a couple degrees and wear a sweater around the house. Turn down your hot water heater to 120 degrees. Wash clothes with cold water. Turn lights and computers off when not using them. Limit showers to 5 minutes. Unplug an unneeded refrigerator or freezer. Cut phantom power to your electronics by plugging them in to a power strip and flipping the switch to off when you’re not watching or listening.
Wave goodbye to junk mail this year. Inundated by catalogs but too lazy to call and get off their mailing lists? Just register with catalogchoice.org, which will do the legwork for you. (Services like greendimes.com and 41pounds.org stop other kinds of junk mail too--for a fee.)
Walk or ride your bike into town to run errands once per week. Take time to appreciate the beauty and vibrant life that our community offers, get some great exercise, and skip parking headaches.
Pledge to actually remember to bring your own reusable bags when you go shopping. Hang a prominent reminder (maybe a picture of a tree stump!) from your rear view mirror to help you remember to grab your bags when you get out of the car. Don’t hesitate to run back to your car if you find you’ve forgotten them again. Use the same bags for all types of shopping, not just groceries.
Pick a month and try to go the whole month only buying “necessities” or used items. Nothing new that you don’t absolutely need. You’ll save a lot of money!
Switch to 100% recycled paper products at home - We’re talking about printer paper, paper towels, toilet paper, and even lined paper for school. By purchasing recycled paper products you’re preventing trees from being chopped down, and paper waste from ending up in landfills. In addition, less energy and water is required to produce a recycled paper product.
For more ideas on how to reduce your environmental impact and to read success stories written by your neighbors, please visit sustainablelafayette.net
link to PDF of Lafayette Today that
included article on page 6