This is the time of year when we start making lists of things we'd like to accomplish in the new year - our annual new year's resolutions.

I've compiled what I'm calling my new year's sustainability resolutions; these are all simple things I can do in 2007 that will keep me moving towards living a more sustainable life. None of these are radical changes in my lifestyle, but together they can add up and create a discernible difference in my impact on the world (especially if I teach my new found skills to other people).

In 2007, I'm going to:

• Start a compost
• Use my new compost to plant some vegetables this spring
• Go for a month without buying anything new
• Freecycle (WA) one thing for every new thing I do buy
• Replace all my light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs as they burn out
• Plan my meals better so I create less waste
• Buy only biodegradable cleaning products for my home
• Pick one "green" home improvement to make this year (probably installing more energy efficient windows)
• Do more errands on foot or by bicycle instead of by car
• Complete the Choices for Sustainable Living discussion course at the Northwest Earth Institute
• Get involved in a sustainability project in my home town of Seattle

What's on your list this year? I'd like to hear about your ideas for small changes we can make in 2007 to live more sustainably (in the comments). Just think what we could accomplish together if everyone in Seattle put one sustainable resolution on their list of resolutions for 2007.

How about checking with your local hardware store or office supply house to make sure that they carry FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified products? FSC is an international non-profit organization headquartered in Germany and funded by servaral business, governments, foundations, and environmental organizations. As Jared Dimond points out on page 473 of his book Colapse, "The councils original tasks where three-fold: to draw up a list of criteria of sound forest management; then, to sep up a mechanism for determining whether any particular forest satisfied those criterai; and, finally, to set up another mechanism for tracing products from such a certified forest through the complex supplier chain all the way to the consumers, so that a consumer could know whether the paper, chair, or board that he or she was buying in a store, and that carried the FSC logo, actually came from a soundly managed forest." They have succeeded and many products carry the FSC stamp of approval. It is up to us to make sure that it is meaningful in the market place and that those products FSC stamped are purchased over those that are not.

Cheers,

Matt

Posted by: Matt Parry on January 2, 2007 8:23 PM

Hey there. Happy New Year! Thanks for your list of resolutions. One thing I thought would be good to do every year - and what more perfect time than at the beginning of the year - is to remove my name from junk mail lists. I've even done it for family members who are unlikely to do it for themselves (they don't know I do it - oops).

There are a few options out there, including:

Direct Mail Association: this is free by postal mail and $5 online. (www.the-dma.org/consumers/offmailinglist.html)

Greendimes.com: $3/month and constantly checks lists to keep your name off

41pounds.org: $41 covers your household for 5 years. I haven't tried this yet, but from their FAQs they seem to be the most comprehensive.

Posted by: Joan on January 3, 2007 2:12 PM

There are a lot of things on my list this year, but I guess the most important one is to work with my community to make Seattle (and the rest of King County) sustainable and livable for all. We already have urban villages, a great parks system, lots of trees, the beginning of what can become an excellent public transit system, lots and lots of creative and well-educated people, a whole lot of other great things I can't remember of the top of my head. What we don't have is affordable housing for all, good education for all, health care for all...

Some of these problems have to be addressed on a national level, but we can take care of some of them right here. So, pick an issue, any issue, and join a community group that's working to address it. Neighborhood council, food kitchen, urban planning nonprofit, housing advocacy group - pick any of them, and give them a couple of hours a week. You'd be surprised at the amazing things we can do if we put our heads together.

Posted by: Jen Power on January 16, 2007 9:54 AM

That's a good list.

Mine:

Make enough changes to my yard to get a backyard habitat certification.
Be as mindful of water use inside the house as I am in the garden.
Continue to write our elected officials about how important public transportation is for the city [as opposed to more lanes for single occupancy vehicles.]
Attend any public meetings concerning Seattle Storm water management [60% of the pollution in the Puget Sound is from storm water runoff.]

Posted by: Julie Webster on January 16, 2007 1:32 PM