Recommit to Your New Year's Resolution
“Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.” —Benjamin Franklin
As we ring in the new year, millions of people make resolutions to change their life for the better, hoping to lose weight, quit smoking, spend more time with their families, or make other life improvements. The Web can help you on your journey, with advice, resources, and inspiration that will help you follow through with your New Year’s resolutions.
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New Year’s resolutions don’t have to be just about bettering yourself; you can also resolve to make the planet a better place to live. These sites show you products and behaviors that can reduce your ecological footprint and help the environment.
- Benefit from green incentive programs. Check the Web site of your local utility company to see what tax credits or rebates are available for your eco-friendly investments. Your power company’s Web site can also be a good source for energy-saving tips.
- Replacing your burnt-out standard light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs is a relatively easy and inexpensive way to reduce your energy usage (and costs). It’s often best to save the money and fuel on shipping by buying CFL bulbs at real-world hardware, home, or discount stores instead of online.
To assess your ecological footprint …
Low Impact Living
provides a very simple impact calculator. The site’s real value, though, is in the calculator’s suggested projects that help decrease your environmental impact, telling you when the benefits of these projects will cancel out their costs and how much of the planet’s resources they’ll save. Use the project filter to view projects that are more favorable to you based on concerns such as budget, time, or specific environmental issues.
For general guides to green living …
Zerofootprint
is a nonprofit organization that hosts events to promote awareness of environmental issues, and partners with cities and communities to launch local initiatives. The site provides tips on how to reduce your carbon footprint, links to environmental news, and information about living a green lifestyle. Use the site to learn about organic and eco-friendly products and find out where to buy them.
Greenpeace
promotes the mantra “reduce, reuse, recycle” to guide its readers through the fundamental principles behind the more complicated methods of going green. Below brief explanations are articles that focus on making specific areas of your life greener, such as “In Your Yard,” “In Your Kitchen,” and more.
For sustainable food and eating green …
Sustainable Table
has a bright and easy-to-navigate site that gives you the lowdown on sustainable food and all it entails. A very readable guide that introduces sustainable food, articles on the benefits of sustainable agriculture, and a dictionary of sustainable terms, make this site a must-read. Click over to the "
Eat Well Guide" for help finding sustainable food nationwide.
LocalHarvest
is focused on getting you to the local, organic food that you want. Referenced by numerous other sites, its popular CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), Farmers’ Market, and Organic/Natural Food store locator is an incredibly extensive nationwide resource designed to enable you to shop well, and shop natural. Their online store also brings organic and natural food to your doorstep.
For environmentally friendly transportation …
The American Public Transportation Association
is a huge proponent of all things relating to public transportation. Read reports on public transit’s benefits or find public transportation near you. Use the drop-down menu on the right to select your state and then your region; you’ll then be linked to your local public transportation provider’s Web site.
For energy-saving and Earth-friendly products …
Energy Star
, a government-run Web site, is one of the best resources for finding green appliances and electronics for the home. Check out the list of compliant products in such categories as home appliances, office appliances, lighting, air conditioners, and more. Using appliances that sport the Energy Star label is estimated to save you around $80 a year on energy costs per item, according to the site. There’s also a “
Home Energy Yardstick” that takes information about your home and energy bills and then shows you ways to make your home more energy friendly.
Green Seal
approves products as eco-friendly. In the “Certified Products” section you’ll find items in categories such as hand cleaners, paper products, and floor cleaners, as well as links to the products’ Web sites and places to buy them.
GreenShopper
not only acts as your portal to green shopping and green products, but it also explains how to recycle different types of products and how to save energy by avoiding shipping.
To buy carbon offsets …
Carbonfund.org
has a large button at the bottom of the left menu titled “Offset Your Footprint.” Here you can choose a category (ZeroCarbon, Car, Plane, or Home) and how much carbon you want to offset with your donation. Check the left menu for links to information about the Web site and its ideals concerning carbon reduction and offsets.
For local environmental organizations …
Keep America Beautiful, Inc.
is one of the country’s largest community-improvement networks and is dedicated to educating individuals about their responsibility to improve their local community environment. To start helping, go to the “
Get Involved” section of the site. Find an existing affiliation in your area or start your own.
The Student Environmental Action Coalition
has set up local opportunities across America for students to participate in environmental causes from their college or high school campuses. Register to get involved and start pushing for green initiatives all over the country.
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