Go Greener, Australia

I make New Year’s Resolutions each year, and I even keep them more often than I forget them This year I’m making green resolutions for the first time. I thought about practical changes I could make that would have an impact on the environment, be measurable (so I can tell if I’ve succeeded or not), and achievable given my time and budget. So here they are:

Switch to reusable bags

I already own green canvas bags for grocery shopping, but frequently forget to use them. And I often end up with plastic bags from the bookshop, or newsagent, or wherever. I do try to refuse them, but sometimes you forget, or end up buying something that just can’t be carried easily.

The plan: come up with a way to remember my canvas bags for the grocery shops; and buy a reusable bag that can be kept inside my handbag for the rest of the time. I’ll know I’ve succeeded if we run out of the stash of plastic bags we use to line our bins with.

Reduce our household water use by 25%

I don’t think we’re particularly wasteful with our water-habits, especially since I cut back on my shower-time! But our house is over 15 years old and has no water-saving features at all.

The plan: install water-saving devices on all our taps; install a dual-flush, water-efficient toilet; and see what else can be done. I’ll know if I’ve succeeded by measuring this year’s water bill against last year’s.

Keep writing to politicians and businesses about green issues.

Last year I wrote over a dozen letters and emails to politicians about environmental issues, and to 3 companies about their recycling of old products or the type of products they currently stock. I’d like to equal this, at least.

How about you? Any green resolutions or goals for the future?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 1st, 2008 at 4:00 pm and is filed under reduce-reuse-recycle, saving water. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.