new years resolutions: 2014

(Image Source)

Just as I did last year, it's now the time for me to declare 2014 resolutions. I must say it's exciting for me to see this blog come full circle. Once again, I begin the yearly cycle. Before I ecstatically charge ahead, let's look back at how I did last year. In 2013 I set out on missions of kindness and self reflection. In some areas I held strong where in others I weaned off. I have to say that my yoga practice was pivotal. What would I do without that mat and those minutes set aside? Not only is my body stronger, but it also helped me become more accepting, the other side to my yearly mission. I've always been fairly open-minded, but sometimes my head would jump to judgement before I could stop it. Through deep breathing and a shift in mentality that sort of fell out of the picture. 

But what did I learn from it? Why be more accepting? By opening myself to more people I was able to see life through thick and thin. Life happens, we all choose our paths, but what it comes down to is love. You have to love people despite of what they are because that is all that will make things better.

Love towards a stranger presents itself in the form of a smile. Love towards a friend is accepting. And romantic love gives our souls safety. It's a place to retreat when things get hard, and a place to grow and be all that we're able. If you can love everyone around you, in whatever form, then the world will present itself in full force. I've found that rich experiences are more likely to come your way, and life takes on a quality that is much more fulfilling, positive, and happy. Love will always win.

Onto 2014, shall we?

(source: 1 // 2)

My New Years Resolutions - 2014

The Year of Sustainability

Here it is, guys, the year that I decide to lower my impact. I already eat mostly local and organic, I recycle, and I have LED light bulbs, but I also drive a car, shop like crazy, and use a washing machine. It's time to push myself to do better. I've laid out a few rules to get me started, and each month I'll be focusing on a new area of life to see how I can make it more environmentally friendly. 

RULES

1. I will not buy any brand new clothes except shoes and underwear. Vintage and second hand apparel is fine, but I want to avoid consuming new goods, and instead focus on recycling. 

2. I am no longer allowed to drive to work unless I am bringing the dog. Public transportation and my bike it is. 

3. If I can buy it locally, I am not allowed to order it online. When I purchase an item at a brick and mortar location, I figure resources are more economized in transporting it to my doorstep. Not to mention, I can find local producers who are working in an environmentally green way, and I can support them and the local economy. 

I promise not to turn into a smelly weirdo that no-one can relate to. Part of my goal is to show that we don't have to sacrifice who we are to lower our impact. I can't wait to share the ride with everyone, so be sure to follow along.

Happy New Year, Everyone!

making babies

So here is the big news...I'm moving in with Adam...and...we're going to have...

A garden! Full of little babies! Babies as in plants that is. Tomatoes, peppers, kale, herbs - it will be full of all our favorite things. We got started on the little guys that need a time inside using recycled bottles. All you have to do is cut the bottle in half with a utility knife, drill small holes in the cap, and then you have a self-watering container to germinate seeds in. A week later to the tee, we have little guys sprouting up. Now that they're showing some green, we turned on a fan to circulate air and flood lights equipped with agro bulbs to give them light. Stay tuned for all the updates as we build planters, compost, fertilize, harvest, and of course, COOK, this season. This is going to be fun, here's to new life!

no impact man

The cold hard truth is that in order to keep our planet clean and healthy for the generations to come, humans need to consume less. The average American produces over 1,600 pounds of garbage and 27 tons of air pollution a year. The air pollution we cause comes from our use of natural fuels and electricity, mainly consumed through transportation of ourselves and the goods that we consume. Often, those goods not only use energy in their transportation half-way around the world, but also in their production.

But what if we were to limit our consumption? What if we were to live making as little an impact as humanly possible? It's a radical thought, but not too radical for Colin Beavan, the No Impact Man. In 2006 Colin and his family decided to live producing as little environmental impact as possible. What does that mean? Try no packaged goods, electricity, driving, even toilet paper. They made the decision to only consume food that was produced within 250 miles of their NYC home, which if you think about it, means no coffee, olive oil, pasta, kiwi, or any other goods that are not produced in upstate NY. 

As radical as Colin's project is, he makes several very great points. To start, the purpose of his experiment is to see what, after a year, they can and cannot live without in order to cut back on consumption. He believes that optimism will incite change, and even points out that it's not always about how can you go without something, but how can you make it work in a more sustainable way. If we can get back to a communal way of life, we can understand how our own impact effects others, and we can work together to provide what everyone needs in an efficient way.

A huge proponent of the eat local movement and a lover of green goods, I was deeply moved by Colin's documentary. It's not about flip turning your life upside down, but about questioning your habits and believing that we can repair what we've already destroyed through simple changes. What you can do to make a difference? It can be as easy as purchasing a reusable shopping bag or a water bottle and committing to their use. Below are several of the things that I can commit to myself as of right now. I hope to make more and more changes in the months to come, and I hope you'll join me. We're all in this together.

My Commitments to Less Impact:

1. To cut back on my use of plastic ware  I will bring a set of silverware to work along with the plate and mug that I already have.

2. I will never use ziplock bags again, just reusable containers.

3. I will walk and ride my bike as many places as possible, no being lazy!

4. I will continue to eat local, and try to do so in a bigger/stricter way.

5. I will buy the majority of my clothing from thrift and vintage stores.

6. I will get reusable bags for bulk foods at the supermarket, and no more plastic bags in general.

--

Check out the No Impact Project for more ideas on what you can do to help create change