As the start of the new year came and went, I thought of things I'd like to make an effort to change in 2011. One of my on-going goals is to be more "green". Despite saying in the past that I want to drive less, I've often used the car I have at my disposal instead of taking public transportation, out of convenience. Sometimes, even when I want to do something, I need incentive. So I bought myself a trolley/subway/bus pass so that I would not have an excuse to drive anymore, because now I can take public transportation for "free" (I play this little game with myself where something I paid for in the past is now free--and it works!). This resolution turns my half hour comfortable drive to and from work while listening to NPR into an hour to hour and a half commute each way on three different forms of public transit. I'm trying to embrace the longer commute while thinking about the gas money I'm saving and the air I'm not polluting (by myself) anymore.
Another resolution, which I have every year, is to be healthier. I have to admit that I eat much healthier than I ever have before, which has a lot to do with the vegetable-loving people I live with. I always liked vegetables, but have expanded my horizons to things I never cooked and rarely ate before--including collard greens, kale, beets, and squash, to name a few. This ties into my "green" resolution because I am now trying to buy the bulk of my food for the week at the local farmer's market, which means my food is traveling less distance to get to me, and because it is all food that is in season, less energy is used to grow it than many of the foods I would buy at the grocery store. Public transportation/biking instead of driving has forced me to do more walking and pedaling, which is better for the earth as well as my body--win, win!
I've been trying to cut down my paper consumption as well. I'm constantly perplexed when I hear people say that the paper products they're using have already been made, so there's no harm in using (or over-using them). I even know certain economics majors, whom I love dearly, who argue this. I came very close to failing economics 101, but the one concept I did grasp was the idea of supply and demand. I haven't bought any paper towels since May of last year (well, with one exception), and find that dish towels can do the job that any paper towel can do, and can be re-used--more times, even, than those paper towels on the commercials that you see the woman wringing out and re-using. Amazing. My one exception was a roll of paper towels that I keep far out of reach (so they're not convenient at all) under the sink, which I bought after a nausea-inducing episode with a friend's cat who got rather violently ill at my apartment this summer. I'll spare you the details on that one.
I have been trying to read more articles for school on the computer as opposed to printing them out. I still can't decide if it's worth my eyesight to do this. I have not yet stopped using toilet paper though, so rest easy.
These are my ongoing goals for the new year. I often feel discouraged at the state of our country and world in regards to many things, but especially people's respect for the environment. I have been inspired by the number of urban farms popping up in Philadelphia though, which not only help the land, but also the people living in the food deserts all over the city. I hope the trend continues to spread.
