New Year's Resolution: Put Together A Sustainability Plan

Green Living is the Life for Me!

It's the time of year when people put together a New Year's Resolution...to lose weight, pay off credit cards or get a new job. This year I hope you might consider something GREEN... a sustainability plan.

For today's blog, I interviewed sustainability expert David Dean about what his sustainability plan looks like.  David selected the NC Museum of Art and the sculpture The Conversationalist as the backdrop to his interview because both represent a commitment to sustainability. The museum because of their sustainable environmental site management and the sculpture because of it's re-use of tires and railroad ties.

Entrance to NC Museum of Art

View of the pond and museum from east side

View of the pond and museum from the south east side

Signage explaining the pond's design for managing storm water

Close up of the pond's design and storm water flow plan

Finally, what should you include in you sustainability plan?

Start by writing your plan down. There is something about putting your ideas on paper that give them a greater chance to succeed. Sharing your plan with friends and loved ones increases it too. Finally, reviewing it weekly helps make your plan become part of your habits and routines.

Here is my plan for the year:

Personal Wellness

• ·         Exercise daily
• ·         Pray and give thanks for 10 things every day
• ·         Eat more fruits and vegetables, less red meat
• ·         Grow vegetables in our own garden
• ·         Go to church weekly

Food

• ·         Carry lunch or eat lunch at home three times a week (eat out less)
• ·         Prioritize locally own restaurants when eating out
• ·         Buy fruits and vegetables at local farmers market
• ·         Bring re-useable shopping bags to grocery store
• ·         Drink less soft drinks and more water

Transportation

• ·         Bike or walk for in-town errands, especially taking things to the post office and Red Box
• ·         Ride share or ride public transportation at least once a week
• ·         Maintain our cars with regular oil changes, tune ups and proper tire pressure

Energy

• ·         Replace all bulbs in and around the home with CFL and LED bulbs as our budget allows
• ·         Chart energy and water usage each month
• ·         Replace or clean furnace filters monthly
• ·         Purchase carbon offset credits through NC GreenPower

Water

• ·         Limit my showers to 3 minutes or less
• ·         Encourage kids to limit showers to 5 minutes or less

Recycling

• ·         Recycle all cans, bottles, cardboard boxes, junk mail and newspapers
• ·         Recycle batteries and electronics

Clothing

• ·         Shop at second hand thrift stores for “new clothes”
• ·         Purchase cotton or organic fiber clothing

Personal Growth

• ·         Blog weekly about Green Living
• ·         Study and pass LEED AP certification
• ·         Volunteer with USGBC-NC
• ·         Read a book about sustainability a month

Remember this: Inch by inch, it's a cinch! Mile by mile it's a trial.  Make sure your goals are bite size pieces. Many of my goals are things I already do and I am just trying to do just a little more, like eating more home or local grown vegetables everyday.

Here are some additional sources for you:

http://www.greenlivingonline.com/

http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/green-guide/

Thanks for reading my blog.

Rick

apexgardner@gmail.com
@apexgardner (twitter)