Last May, I started a
year-long adventure to reduce my impact on the Earth. Some months we have made some changes that we have managed to merge into our permanent routine, and other months have not gone as well.... In December, for example, my goal was to reduce our consumption of "stuff". And, with Christmas and the holiday season... well, we didn't do so well. Even though we didn't go overboard on presents for the kids, we still did get them plenty... more than they needed. I plan on continuing to try to reduce my family's consumption in 2012, and maybe that will be easier without any holidays looming.
My goal for January is to spend some time volunteering, particularly for environmental causes. Since January is already a few days underway, I need to start looking for some volunteer opportunities pronto! January does tend to be one of the coldest and wettest months in Portland, but I think there should still be ample volunteer events happening. I hope to volunteer once or twice this month and then once every month or two after that. I think that volunteering, especially with your children, sets a great example for them to be future stewards of this Earth. Now I just need to motivate myself....
I went back and read through your first post when you introduced this idea. You've got a good list. Although I'm not an 'environmentalist', I do want to be careful and aware of how we treat the world we live in, certainly. Your reducing ideas are great. We try to cut down on our trash by recycling, composting and being aware of what the items I'm buying actually come in. We do other things as well, but I agree, it's difficult. And we definitely have too much 'stuff'. There's always that struggle with saving to reuse (rather than going out & buying more) vs decluttering so that you live more simply. Hard to do too when there are 6 people in the family!:) I want to do more - I think the time factor is a big hindrance. Choosing between good and good and good projects...
ReplyDeleteYour volunteering is difficult during a cold month. Is there a place that plants seeds inside? Perhaps volunteering time to do that would help? Just a thought.