I work at a local outdoor outfitter where I am constantly reminded of our impact on the planet. Every day I see little things that either frustrate me or inspire me. For example, I love my recycled fleece, but I wish it hadn't come individually wrapped in a disposable bag that probably gets thrown away more often that recycled. Primaloft is now making a synthetic insulation that is made out of recycled soda bottles, but we're still burning a lot of fossil fuels to ship them to the stores. So it occurred to me recently as I was brushing my teeth, listening to the water run down the drain, that I could be more environmentally conscious. Maybe something on a small scale would be a little easier and might even save me some money in the process. As I thought about it I began to realize that I have plenty of areas that I would like to improve, such as reducing my carbon footprint, but it wasn't going to be that easy. My drive to work is much to long to commute by bike, and my house is just so old that its hard to make it energy efficient. I needed some fresh ideas, so I took my problem to my friends and it turns out I wasn't alone. Take a look at what some of my friends and co-workers had to say about their new years resolutions.
"Hello, I'm James, I've been with River Sports for almost a month
now. To help make the New Year a little greener I've resolved to
replace my charming, if incredibly inefficient wooden windows with
modern high efficiency units. Having already replaced 2 windows I know
the switch isn't easy. I've became attached to my vintage wooden
windows, and over the years they have became very well attached to my
house. But as energy costs continue to rise, I know it's time to move
on, and embrace an energy efficient future."
now. To help make the New Year a little greener I've resolved to
replace my charming, if incredibly inefficient wooden windows with
modern high efficiency units. Having already replaced 2 windows I know
the switch isn't easy. I've became attached to my vintage wooden
windows, and over the years they have became very well attached to my
house. But as energy costs continue to rise, I know it's time to move
on, and embrace an energy efficient future."
"My name is Erika, I'm a recent college graduate working at River Sports. For years I have striven to be as good to the earth as I possibly can. This coming year my resolution is to commute to work by bike at least twice a week."
"My name is Taylor, and I'm your typical busy college student. My green resolution this year is to make sure I take the recycling one a week. That way it doesn't overflow and we always have space for more."
"Hi, my name is Mary and I've been with River Sports since March. My green resolution for 2011 is to commute on my bicycle everywhere in all forms of weather rather than just mild weather."
"Hi, I'm Joe and this year one of my resolutions is to make my home more energy efficient. For example, properly sealing doors and window, and installing a new water heater."
"Hello everyone my name is Gene Groshon and I work at
River Sports Outfitters. This year for my New Years resolution I will go out once a week and pick up litter around Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge. This place is a great reminder of why it's so important to be green and goes to show what impact you can have."
"Hi my name's Rob. I always used to carry a Snowpeak titanium fork and spoon around with me so I wouldn't waste plasticwear, but for the past couple of years I've stopped that habit. So this year for my Green Resolution, I'm going to pick back up the silverwear so I don't waste another 3,000 sets of plasticwear for the rest of my days."
Wow. What started as a simple question; "Can I do something that is easier or cheaper for me and better for the environment at the same time?" resulted in some very inspirational ideas. Some of their resolutions were simple, and an easy adjustment for the regular day to day and some are going to require a little more commitment. Regardless of their resolution, I am proud of my friends, and inspired to do a little more this year. I'm already doing some work on the house, so I guess I could budget in a couple of new windows. And I really like the spork idea. It may not save me much money, but that is a lot of plastic that is just being thrown away. To be honest, I was a little bummed that I couldn't ride my bike to work. I've really started to enjoy my bike this year, but biking 35 miles to work everyday just isn't realistic. On the other hand I've noticed how much my car's roof rack effects my gas mileage. So this year my new years resolution will be to remove my bike rack while it's not being used. My car may look cooler with it on, but my wallet and my lungs are going to appreciate it staying home for the daily drive to work.
Making a commitment to change our daily routine, especially when it may take us away from what is comfortable, is never easy. But if we all try to keep our resolutions, if only just "most of the time", then I think we will all be a little better off. As for me, the roof rack is coming off in the morning, and I think I can be a little better about wasting so much water while brushing my teeth.
© Nicholas Waller
