Make Reusable Bags Your New Year’s Resolution

Flipping through today’s news briefs, I was so pleased to come across The Salt Lake Tribune’s very own MaryJane Butters and her “Everyday Organic” column on her top five New Year’s resolutions for a greener lifestyle. To be fair, the article had me at hello because I’m a big fan of lists regardless, but I’ve got to say: I like this woman’s priorities.

1 » I will store one reusable tote bag in my vehicle and bring it into the store the next time I go shopping. Those plastic bags that stores dole out by the zillions are made from petroleum, and only about 1 percent of them are recycled throughout the world each year. Most end up in landfills or in the oceans, where they wreak havoc on sea life. One good deed leads to another, and soon you may be toting all of your groceries home in reusable bags.

Yeah! Number one! If last year wasn’t “the year” for reusable bags, then it’s coming for sure now. The knowledge doesn’t stop there, though. She has four more resolutions, and all of them are not only excellent, but simple and practical, because Ms. Butters knows that New Year’s resolutions are easier said than done.

The whole concept of going green or making environmentally responsible lifestyle changes can be mind-boggling. There are so many suggestions out there and so many products proclaiming planet-friendliness that it’s sometimes easier just to stick with the status quo than to try and figure out where to start. That’s why I’ve come up with five New Year’s resolutions that provide simple ways to green your home, from the food pantry to the cleaning closet. Clip this column and post it on your fridge or bulletin board — someplace where you’ll have it as a handy reminder of how a few little changes can end up making a big difference. You can even check ‘em off as you go. Remember, no matter how resolved we are, lifestyle changes don’t happen overnight. Go easy on yourself and stay positive. This is an ongoing process that gains momentum by simply putting one foot in front of the other.

Interested in seeing what else she has to say? Check out the article, and if you own the newspaper already, get clipping. If you don’t, print it on out — or better yet where the environment is concerned, simply bookmark it.

Thursday, January 15th, 2009 at 10:18 am and is filed under The Daily. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.