New Years Resolutions

Last year, I did really great about staying on top of my new year's resolutions.  I dropped the weight and focused more on my own little family, instead of trying to be super mom.  Yes, I still went to school, and found a million things that still needed done. But, I kept my focus so directed at the kiddos that I have good habits and will keep going how I'm going.

So, this year, I'm really focusing on being a better human - less waste, better practices - and teaching that stuff to my kids.  Because, after all, I don't just want them to have a better world to live in.  One day they will (hopefully) give me grandbabies.  Those kids need a clean world too.

I thought we were pretty good at it now, but oh how wrong have I been!  There's a million things I could do to make things better, and as I flipped through a simple google search about how to be more environmentally friendly, my mind started to spin.

After looking at a million things, I finally shut my computer down and just sat there, staring at the wall.  It was late at night, and the world was all asleep except save-the-world-Estelle.  Didn't I just spend a year trying to get out of the habit of conquering the world, and instead being the master of my tiny little corner of it?  Oh, how easy it is to back slide into old habits.

The solution here is to pace myself, so this is what I'm going to do.  I'm going to pick three things every month to make the world a better place.  They will be things simple enough that I can teach the boys, so that impact will not be just for today, but for the future as well.

Gasp!

I can save the world (a little)!

Opening up my computer again, I started to search for this month's three things with a little more careful direction.  It turns out somethings I was already doing.  For example, we wash almost everything in cold, except whites.  This cuts down on the water heater power, but you know what doesn't?  Bathtime.

Baths use up 2x as much energy and water as showers - and I'm as guilty as the boys.  I don't shower. I run a steaming bath and lay around with a book until I'm as pruney as I can stand.

But that's an easy thing to change and teach the boys.  There's number one.

Number two has to do with my coffee.  I do bring a refillable cup so I'm totally irresponsible. But I always fill my coffee, and then then mix in my creamer using those little sticks.  If you put the creamer in before you fill it, it mixes itself just fine, no little sticks needed.  This saves on manufactured materials, and landfill space. I often bring a kiddo for hot chocolate, and they do the same thing, so I'll teach them right way to do it.

Number 3 has to do with dinner time. We aren't big meat eaters, but we do eat some. It turns out that the kind of meat you eat can have a big impact on the environment.  Cattle, even grass fed, chemical/drug free, still have a huge impact on the environment.  They require a ton of pasture and release a ton of methane gas into the atmosphere.  If we cut down on our meals that include beef, we also cut down on that impact.  So, at least one meal a week meat free is number three.