Welcome to 2009! It's a brand new year and a fresh chance to make a difference in the health of our families and the world we share. For most of us, that means committing to some New Year's resolutions, those time-honored promises that we'll do better where it counts. Here's the list that we've created at Seventh Generation. We invite you to make it yours as well.

• We resolve to be ever mindful of our carbon footprint, and to look for ways big and small to keep reducing it.
• We resolve to replace all our remaining incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs, and to keep those lights off whenever possible.
• We resolve to drive less and to try and live car-free at least one day a week. We'll do this by combining all our weekly errands into a single trip and by walking, taking mass transit, carpooling, and riding our bikes whenever we can.
• We resolve to eat locally as much as possible and to go vegetarian at least one day a week, to reduce the impact of our diets on the atmosphere and the environment.
• We resolve to buy less stuff. Before we make a purchase, we will ask ourselves if we truly need the item, and investigate whether we can rent, borrow, or buy used instead.
• We resolve to cut our solid waste by 25% by increasing our recycling and composting efforts, and by buying products that create the least amount of trash.
• We resolve to spread the word about environmental issues and to encourage all efforts to do something about them.
• We resolve to remember that we are all in this together and that many of us could use a helping hand. We will actively seek out these neighbors and offer whatever assistance is within our means.
• We resolve to spend at least an hour a week outdoors, to appreciate the elegance and serenity of the natural world.
• We resolve to share this admiration for the outdoors with our children, families, and friends, and to help them understand why they should defend the Earth from harm.

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photo: husin.sani