The new year is a time to look towards the future while reflecting upon the past, and we love how the cherished tradition of making resolutions can focus the present towards a brighter tomorrow. Now that we’ve shared our Editor’s New Year’s Resolutions with you, we’d love to hear your resolutions for 2009! In fact, to encourage you to share with us, we’re holding a New Year’s Resolution contest. Simply leave a comment below with your green New Year’s resolution and we’ll be awarding a super soft organic cotton Inhabitat t-shirt of your choice to our favorite response!
The past week has offered an excellent opportunity to reflect upon all of the extraordinary developments of the past year, and now that we’ve entered 2009 we’d love to hear your resolutions for the next year. Whether you’re saving energy, greening your commute, conserving water, or reducing household waste, say it loud and proud for the chance to win a fabulous Inhabitat t-shirt of your choice!
I’ve decided to eat 365 apples in 2009. I needed something simple, something I knew I could not fail at, but that had a great deal of potential. I’ve been blogging about it (http://angrypirate.com/wordpress/category/apples/) and I am loving it. It’s been surprising how even the simplest daily gesture can take on a life of it’s own.
My New Year’s resolution is to reduce the number of items I own to less than a hundred. This will take trickery and imagination but I think I’ll be able to do it. Also, I don’t intend to buy anything new, and help make the wealth history.
In 2009 I’d like to practice expressing my thoughts through illustration. I feel like the ability to quickly and clearly depict ideas through picture is be something every engineer should be able to do; sometimes words aren’t sufficient.
My resolution for this year will be to teach myself electronics and electrical engineering. I have read about several new developments in the industry and want to fully grasp the subjects / challenges. I figure if I can analytically understand the subjects it will improve the way I look at the efficiency of use and overall generation. This is better than just hoping for a quick fix to the world’s energy problems but rather becoming part of the solution. I will also begin to shift my career towards manufacturing renewable solutions rather than just things.
My resolution is to be aware of my space and optimize my living in it. For example, in 2008, I began gardening in my small Brooklyn apartment; I successfully grew windowsill tomatoes (so good!), parsley, and lavender. I also started a compost bin, the yields of which go to nourishing my plants. So, in 2009, I resolve to take it further and coddle more delicious homegrown herbs and veggies, and also to explore new ideas that can be executed on a small scale in a tiny little railroad apartment, such as sprouting (alfalfa, beans, etc). Basically, 2009 will find me trying to open my eyes to the growing possibilities (pun intended) around me and make sense of why I live in a city.
I am learning to see myself again, and the journey is good! I am will keep on goal for my health!
1. Get Healthy – 2009 will be the year I ride my bike to work and back – 30km per day!
2. Carbon Footprint – I will halve my carbon footprint this year – meaning that if everyone lived like me we’d need just 1 earth!
3. Start my eco not for profit – it’s a great idea, this is the year it will take off!
4. At least 2 hours face to face voluntary work per week (no more web only work!)
5. Read at least 2 books per week, Learn Nepali, Learn to dance and relearn the art of conversation! (or any of the things on my 43things list!)
6. Make 2 new friends
7. Go on at least 1 adventure per month…
I shall not buy any useless gadgets and I shall keep at least one computer running 24/7 for 2009 doing charity computing (e.g Folding@Home, Climateprediction.net) as well as many others. I will also do many general things, but nothing I can promise 100%. For example, I will mostly buy recycled cotton socks but I can’t promise ALL of my socks will be recycled or environmentally/ethically right. Therefore I have decided on merely two things I can promise 100% – charity computing and no gadgets.
Happy new year!
Here’s mine:
I’ll keep my parents from buying a car. No car has ever belonged to my family, and wont before it’s made a car that sustains. That means it shouldn’t be powered by fuel, diesel or bio-diesel/ ethanol, but non fossile renewable energy. It should be made of aluminuim or something that is recycable. We’re having a garden outside our house where we grow some of our own fruits and vegetables so it doesn’t need to be imported from countries Like Spain. Unfortunately doesn’t everyone have the possibility to grow their own vegetables..
I live 5 miles away from my current school. That means I’m depending on public transport, but even that has its emissions and that is one of the reasons why I like to take my bicycle to school instead of taking the bus. Next is college, which is even further away, but I will still use the least polluting possible way for me of transporting; the subway and walk or cycle the rest. So does my parents, and only the winter keeps us from walking or cycling all the way.
When it comes to what we do home we recycle paper, metal, plastic and such, like we’ve been doing since I was born(1993) and earlier. New laws tells that new houses for example has keep the indoor heat better. We live in a newer house which were built after these laws. Electronics should be used as rarely as possible, and everyone in the house should be taking care of and being bothered about that. The power from the power outtakes is pretty clean though. It comes from waterfalls and its preassure. In the winter it comes from nuclear plants in Sweden, that’s when we should be as efficent as possible.
I’ve to excuse my bad english and errors. x)
-Trond Hauge, Norway.