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Sharon shares her three green resolutions for 2009.

Wednesday Dec 31, 2008.     By Sharon Hoyer

Lifestyle Feed

Perhaps the result of the last presidential election has reinstated faith in human progress and the power of symbols in my Grinch green heart, or maybe I'm just getting hackneyed in my old age, but as baby 2009 releases its first burp into the world, I am, for the first time, making New Year's resolutions. As someone who prefers to climb a steady, albeit shallow grade of self-improvement, I tend to shy away from resolutions, ultimatums and other bold, declarative statements. But while reflecting on the environmental state of aught eight, a few standout issues called me personally to action. So this week, I'd like to share my three green resolutions for the new year—in descending order of ambitiousness—and, who knows? Maybe inspire a few more out there.

Eat only happy meat.
I use the term "happy" not only to soften the carnivorous gleam off my canine teeth, but also because "organic" is just one facet of sustainable meat farming. The USDA Organic label indicates that your tenderloin was raised on organic feed, but there are no guarantees that that feed was the animal's natural diet, or that the beast wasn't packed hoof-to-snout in a factory farm. Thanks to the growing popularity of farmer's markets, brilliant organizations like the home-delivery service Fresh Picks, and the much-anticipated opening of the Dill Pickle Food Co-op, buying hormone-free, pastured and free-range animal products directly from smaller, local farms is getting easier all the time. Yet even we conscious omnivores tend to let things slide when dining out. For 2009, my goal is to know the back story on my baby-back ribs and, if it's not available, opt for a vegetarian item.

Am I going to miss the tacos al pastor at Lazo's? Hell yes. Will I wind up eating less meat? Probably. But that's not necessarily such a bad thing—American meat consumption is up to a whopping 10 billion animals per year; 70 percent of agricultural land is dedicated to meat production; 18 percent of greenhouse gases are generated by the meat industry. Factor in that it takes about 12 times more energy to raise a pound of beef as a pound of grain and you've got a strong case for environmental vegetarianism. That said, expecting the Thumb to stop semiannually frying up a big, juicy chicken (that can rival Harold's—I exaggerate not) is a tad unrealistic—as is expecting the majority of the U.S. population to go wholesale veg. But Americans do consume far more flesh than is healthy for the planet or themselves; eating less meat and eating good meat tops this year's resolution list.

Say "pbtth" to phthalates.
In a study conducted in Brussels a few years ago, girls between the ages of 11 and 20 were found to have more varieties of toxins in their blood than women in their mothers' generation, and only slightly less than women in their grandmothers' generation—who had decades more exposure to all sorts of chemicals, including some banned before the youngest group was born. We're bombarded by a stew of toxic chemicals, from the paint on our walls to the air fresheners in our outlets to the wax on our kitchen floors. My own household banished toxic soaps in favor of natural cleaners (good old baking soda and white vinegar, in many cases) long ago and, after about a year of trial-and-error research, has finally found a reasonably effective aluminum-free deodorant. For '09, I plan to go one better: eject all the soft plastic, nail polish, cosmetics, glues and fishing lures lurking around that contain phthalates.

If you followed that last link, you know that phthalates are a group of chemicals used as softening agents in plastics; they are also known disruptors of the sexual development of children. Phthalates have a way of leeching into the air as plastics break down over time—hence the recent concern over plastic toys and teething rings. It won't happen overnight, but my goal is to get rid of as many phthalate-laden products in our home as possible. This means no more cling wrap or plastic shower curtains or vinyl corsets, and a gradual phase-out of reused to-go containers that will be replaced with glass. It may take some getting used to, but I suspect going soft-plastic-free—or as close to it as possible—will have a certain old-world, toxin-less charm.

Shop locally pretty much all the time.
We may be living in a global economy, but as Americans become more thoughtful about their purchases—a common side-effect of economic downturn—the balance may start to shift in favor of the local guys. Ecological and ethical reasons to buy locally produced goods abound: reduce oil consumption from shipping, keep your dollars from supporting questionable working conditions in developing nations, cut down on packaging waste. Any one of these is reason enough to avoid the Made in China label, but I find one benefit of shopping locally to be more compelling than the rest: supporting local craftspeople and businesses. These are tough times for retailers large and small, and if I have to choose whether my 15 bucks is helping to keep open Quimby’s or Borders, I'll opt for the former every time.

In a town this size, finding what you need from locally-based producers and suppliers isn’t that tough—it just occasionally requires a little thought or going a few blocks out of your way. And I guess that's really what these resolutions boil down to: entering the coming year more mindfully…not because it's the "right" thing to do, but because, as I once heard Ken Dunn, founder of the Resource Center, say, it's the most beautiful, pleasurable thing to do.

Making a resolution toward sustainability doesn't have to be grandiose. You could resolve to switch over to all rechargeable batteries, bike to work one day a week in the nice weather, or book one less round-trip flight this year. What will yours be?

It took a move from the regimented lawnscapes of the suburbs to the congestion of a major metropolis for Sharon to look twice at what she puts in the trash, down the sink and into her own body. She reports fortnightly on her endeavors to change "greening" from calculated deviation to a practicable way of life. You can contact her here.