The new year is here! Did you make any green resolutions for 2012? Here are some great green resolutions that are fairly easy to implement, make a difference, and that you’ll enjoy.
Green Resolutions for 2012
Reduce meat consumption – have one or two vegetarian days (or more) per week.
Beef CAFO
Switch to organic meat – When eating meat, make a concerted effort to only eat organic meat. Don’t buy meat products from Concentrated Animal Feed Operation (CAFO). These operations generate lots of animal waste and the close confinement allows pathogens to run rampant. As a result, CAFO animals are given large amounts of antibiotics and steroids to ward off infection. You can read more about CAFOs here and here.
Reduce gasoline consumption
- Ride a bike or walk to close by places of business and interest
- Car pool to work
- Take public transportation one or more times per week
Grow some of your own food!
This is a very fun green resolution. Even if you live in an apartment, you can grow some small bit of food from herbs on a windowsill to growing a tomato plant on your terrace. However much or little food you grow, every bit helps to reduce fossil fuel use at numerous points along our industrial food supply chain. From diesel in tractors and trucks to natural gas derived fertilizers, our industrial agricultural system uses a tremendous amount of fossil fuel.
Small Raised Bed Garden - via Flickr
There are other benefits in addition to reducing fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions. Growing a garden is a great way to spend quality time with the family. One of my favorite benefits is that you can grow unique heirloom varieties of different vegetables. They taste great and some of them look wild and exotic.
A related resolution: Eat more locally grown food
Eating locally grown food also helps reduce the amount of diesel fuel used for food transport. Plus it helps the local economy.
You can buy locally at the Denver Farmers Market and the Boulder Farmers Market.
A perennial green resolution, reduce waste.
There are so many ways that we can all reduce the amount of waste we produce everyday. Here are just a few simple ideas to think about.
- Don’t use single use coffee cups
- PortionPac
- Carry a handkerchief with you instead of tissue paper
- Use old cloth, towels and sheets instead of paper towels to clean up messes in the kitchen. Wash, rinse and repeat.
- Green house cleaning. At Clean Conscience, we use PoritonPac and Sh-mop cleaning products that greatly reduce packaging waste and resource waste while providing a superior clean.
Have you made a green resolution this year that I didn’t mention? Share it with us in the comments.
Photo credit: redteam - Flickr