Your New Year’s Green Year Resolution
Almost everyone loves to make a New Year’s resolution in those heady, sugar-infused, belt-stressing days after Christmas. Yes, New Year’s resolutions are popular and fun to make…though they are harder to keep for sure.
Luckily no one is keeping tabs…unless you sign an oath in blood or something like that.
Some people make a resolution to quit smoking. Some to lose weight. Some to exercise more. Some to eat less. Some to find a new partner. Some to get a better job. Some to make more money. Some to conquer the world.
Ah, yes, the world. Now that we are in the season of New Year’s resolutions, and since you still have some planning time to make yours a really good one, why not think a bit about the state of the Earth?
Is there a resolution you can make that will help make the world a better, greener place? Can you do your part, with a firm intention and strong-hearted resolution, to help preserve the environment?
- » See also: Brooklyn Bowl: World’s First Green Bowling Alley
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Perhaps you might resolve to carpool with colleagues to work. Or maybe you can resolve to take reusable bags when you go shopping. Why not resolve to buy all organic and natural products? Or why not commit to taking your own homemade lunch to work everyday?
Think about it just a little. Remember what Gandhi said, challenging all future generations: “You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
So, what Green Year Resolution are you willing to make?
And are you brave enough to keep it, to be the change so that we all can see it in this lovely world?
Please, friends, share your Green Year Resolutions! Or suggest resolutions for others (e.g., President-elect Obama)!
Image credit: Sujit Kumar at Wikimedia Commons.
Three cheers and Happy New Years to scientists in 2009 who will not be silenced by the chance at great wealth, power, privileges and status that are sure to be derived from saying loudly and clearly only what is politically convenient and economically expedient.
Why not lay blame for the current economic catastrophe and the looming environmental calamity where it belongs: at the feet of the economic powerbrokers who organize and manage a colossal pyramid scheme, a modern representation of the ancient Tower of Babel? Is the pernicious denial of anthropogenic global warming and the human-driven destabilization of Earth’s climate not primarily for the purpose of preserving the selfish material interests of a few wealthy and powerful people, and their minions?
Let’s look a bit more closely at the scandulous ‘business’ of Bernie Madoff, confidence games, Ponzi schemes and other financial vehicles for funneling, accumulating and concentrating billions of dollars in unearned wealth into the hands of a tiny minority of people who comprise the top of the global economy.
There are many minions of the wealthy and their bought-and-paid-for politicians who “spread the word” of these schemes. Con men operate pyramid schemes. They assure “plausible deniability” and “legal cover” for all that is said and done.
Only a telling of the truth about what they are doing is forbidden. That is the one and only thing that is verboten. Do not break their vow of silence by telling what is true about the perpetration of the schemes {ie, the only games in town, so they say}, because the “houses of cards” out of which a modern Tower of Babel is constructed immediately is exposed as fraudulent and patently unsustainable. These pyramidal constructions can withstand any force except that which is presented by speaking out loudly and clearly about what is happening in these enterprises. As soon as light of what is true was shed on Bernie’s scheme, the house of cards he had constructed fell.
Bernard Madoff may be the first of my “Not So GREAT GREED GRAB Generation’s” kingpins to find that his “house of cards” has collapsed; but I dare say, Bernie will not be the last. There are other kingpins and many too many minions ready, willing and able to play along in what looks like the greatest self-enrichment scam in human history.
Why not say that greed is not good and mean it? Why not assign value to personal honesty, accountability and transparency?
Steven Earl Salmony
AWAREness Campaign on The Human Population,
established 2001
http://sustainabilityscience.org/content.html?contentid=1176
My 2009 New Year’s Resolution will not be a “Green Year Resolution.” My resolution is to identify and to reduce the number of distractions that are causing my spiritual walk to stagnate. Life is busy. The necessity of attending to family, work, friends, and community leaves little enough time to cultivate one’s relationship with the Creator. Although Christians are only required to have the faith of a mustard seed, once called we should continue to learn and grow in faith. I need to get back to growing; back to studying The Bible; back to reading stories by Christian authors such as McDonald, Lewis, and Tolkien; and even back to reading some classic literature just for enjoyment.
The first distraction that I have identified is my presence here at “sustainablog.” Although I have thoroughly enjoyed my unofficial role as the blog’s chief antagonist for some time, I believe that now is the time to minimize my involvement. My goal has always been to challenge others to think critically about the claims being made by the most ardent apocalyptic apologists for environmentalism (like Steven above). I have also branched into discussions of the politics entwined in all “green” issues, since politics has attached itself to every aspect of life. It has been a most enjoyable experience, but since such discussions are temporal exercises with no possibility of reaching any solid conclusions, droning on and on has become a bit pointless and too time consuming.
I will check in occasionally and may even post something to stir the old pot. Until then, I wish you all the best. – Bobby B.
Resolution #1: Help grow the solar development business that is my FTE into a national leader in solar power development.
Resolution #2: In preparation for 2010, the year of the commercial PHEV/EV, start an organization to evangelize and educate the public about EV’s.
Initial target markets include evangelicals through public education and test drive events at Southern California large churches.
Resolution #3: Join CrossFit and get in the best shape of my life.
Good for you, Bobby. I know what you mean about distractions from spiritual growth. Have a wonderful 2009, and I hope to hear from you soon.
As a wife and mother, my greengoals for 2009 are to green our bagged lunches with Sigg and waxed paper, to walk more and drive less and to never, ever accept anothe plastic bag, even if it means juggling groceries out to the car.
As the owner of a start-up e-commerce website, my greengoals for 2009 are to green our supply chain, to expand our green product line and to consistently blog about our efforts.
My resolution - and I have few because I find them to be ephemeral and not that effective - is to let cars keep driving instead of stepping into the crosswalk.
I’m willing to give up a few seconds of my time to avoid making cars stop then start again for my convenience. That’ll add up over time eh?