(↟Nature, of course, has the most spectacular way to wipe the slate clean and begin again as you can see in my sunrise photograph at Canyonlands National Park.)
Lately I'm pondering if I'm living this life right. Am I really living my values? Deep down I know I should NOT waste time dealing with things that make me unhappy (yes, winter I'm speaking about you... we are breaking up this year) and I also know I SHOULD really try harder to live my values.
In some ways I'm already doing this. I'm vegan for health and ethical reasons and this lead me to make ethical choices in other areas of my life as well. So now, after much thinking and having some regrets because I didn't starting these changes sooner, I’m setting simple and attainable goals for the new year. I understand that these goals are not reached or even started overnight. Therefore, my plan is to switch over as I run out of things so that I can slowly be ready to make better choices. Trash for example is a choice and I would like to see if I can avoid some of it. Well, a lot of it actually...
But of course, nothing is ever as straightforward as I imagine it right now. My attempts will not be perfect, but it is still worth giving it a try. I know that a few small and persistent steps forward now is always better than no progress at all. ...and persistence is one of my strengths and something I can work with.
Here are my green goals for 2017:
P L A S T I C
-Plastic trash, for example, is a choice and I would like to see if I can avoid some of it.
-I want to stop using and buying plastic items whenever possible.
G R E E N C L E A N I N G
-I like to use simple homemade cleaning supplies for cleaning the house, dishes and washing clothes.
-I also like to make one or two simple all purpose cleaning solutions.
E T H I C A L + E C O F A S H I O N
In an ideal world, my closet would be shopped exclusively from sustainable brands, but that is not the case. This does not mean that I’m tossing everything I own so that I can replace each item with ethical alternatives. This does not sound sustainable or ethical at all. I will keep what I have until it gets worn out and then I will swap things for a better option. So far my goal was to buy less and vegan items. It was important to me that I choose each item well so that it could last a long time. That’s still the plan, but this is year I want to see if I could keep the same principles and maybe purchase second hand or at least ethical, eco friendly and fair trade clothing.
C O M P O S T
M I N I M A L + N A T U R A L P E R S O N A L C A R E
-Switch to a menstrual cup / period pads
-Switch to bamboo tooth brush
-Switch to items without packaging when possible
H O U S E P L A N T S
-I like to grow more plant friends to help with indoor air quality.
R E U S A B L E C U P S + U T E N S I L S
-I plan to refuse single use disposable items and repurpose items in our home or find a reusable alternative.
-I like to invest in a glass KeepCup for coffee and tea (because I just don't like the taste of drinking out of stainless steal).
-I like to continue using my glass water bottle (with tea strainer).
-I plan to continue bringing my stainless steel spork whenever I'm out and about.
I'm so excited about these changes! Do you set goals at this time? Please feel free to leave me a comment if you have any tips or if you would like to share your new years goals.
Cheers to an epic and greener 2017! #GoingGreen2017 #SLCzerowaste
♡ Nina