With a monthly eco-resolution now in place for 2010, it occurred to me that as I begin to act on, purchase or do anything, I need to question and decide if it fits within the framework of improving the environmental habits that I have personally established for myself.
In addition to committing to the practice of new and/or improved habits, I also want to try to take a moment to question all my actions to determine what the potential impact will mean.
- Is it clean? Will the outcome result in less waste?
- Is it healthy? What are the effects to our bodies and/or environment?
- Is it resourceful? Am I able to skillfully maximize the benefit of an item or action through creative use, reuse, reduction, recycling and perhaps cost savings. (Monetary savings, though, are only considered resourceful if the other outcomes are present).
In many cases, my answer may not be a “yes”. For example, riding a bike is just not an option for me right now with two boys in two different schools ten miles apart. But I can think about my driving habits and how to be as fuel efficient as possible. Or buying and wearing nothing but eco-friendly clothing can be difficult based on style preferences, fit as well as having very few retail options on a local level. But I can curb any frivolous clothing spend, shop at consignment stores and Ebay for great buys and purchase higher quality staple items that will last longer.
Sounds simple enough doesn’t it? Three little questions we all can ask ourselves that exponentially may make a big difference.
