January 2020: Setting Green Goals

SETTING GREEN GOALS
Tuesday, January 14, 2020 at 7 PM – 8 PM
Corner Coffee (Uptown)
1414 W 28th St, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55408

As we turn into the new year and new decade, this is the perfect time to assess goals and reset priorities, especially as it relates to our planet.

Although many of us, almost 50% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions according to U.S. News & World Report, only 8% of people follow through with them. Despite all the good intentions, there are a variety of reasons for why we come up short in achieving our resolutions, including setting restrictive goals that are not realistic for our lifestyles.

Reflections on last year

If you’re wanting to change that for 2020 and set goals that will stick, a great first place to start is to reflect on the previous year. What went well or not so well? What were you unable to accomplish and what were the barriers? What surprised you?

This will help you:

Acknowledge your accomplishments
Realize the lessons you learned
Understand your mistakes
Figure out what else you can try
Bring out what you’re truly passionate about

If you’re feeling stuck, use these 50 year-end reflection questions to help you review 2019 to spark your thinking.

Ideas for green goals

While results from a survey showing America’s top new year’s resolutions for 2020 put “be more eco-friendly” in 8th place, all of these resolutions are related to the environment in one way or another. Take the top two – managing finances better and eat healthier – for example. In managing finances better, we may question our purchases to buy only what we need and love to cut down on spending. To eat healthier, we may choose to make more home-cooked meals or add more veggies and natural foods to our meals.

For the more eco-conscious, below are ideas for resolutions/goals that are related to being more eco-friendly. As a good practice, the more SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time bound) you can make your goals, the more likely you are to achieve them. You can tailor these examples to fit your needs.

Recycle more (or better)
- Set up system for collecting recycling at home and bringing it to bin once a week starting March 1st
- Look up recycling rules or attend a Recycling 101 class by March 1st
Compost
- Set up system for collecting compost at home and bringing it to bin once a week starting March 1st
- Add a backyard compost bin by March 1st
- Look up organics recycling drop-off sites in Minneapolis, other cities in Hennepin County, and Ramsey County.
Eat more natural food (or grow them):
- Add one plant-based meals to my week starting on March 1st
- Set up veggie garden with zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, etc. in backyard by May 31st
Use reusable shopping bags
- Bring reusable shopping bags on shopping trips at least 2 times a month
- Place reusable shopping bags in handy location (entryway, passenger seat, purse/backpack, etc) after each use
Use a reusable water bottle
- Bring reusable water bottle to work at least 3 times a week
- Bring a kit of reusable water bottle, coffee mug, straw, utensils, napkins, etc to work at least 3 times a week
- Join the Last Plastic Straw Challenge by printing a card you can leave withyour bill at restaurants to encourage them to only provide straws when customers request them
Do second-hand
- Rent books from the library starting March 1st
- Buy clothes second-hand starting March 1st
- Join the “No new clothes pledge 2019/20“ Facebook group for extra inspiration and support
Spend more time in nature
- Go on a walk/run/hike every month
- Take a paddle boarding class in June
Take public transportation to work
- Ride the bus/light rail to work at least once a week
- Bike to work at least once a week
Consume/buy less
- Bring a list of items needed when going shopping, and only go “off-script” with one additional item 5 times during the year.
- Reduce Amazon purchases to only 5 times for the year
Travel smarter
- Buy carbon off-sets for at least one trip traveled by airplane
- Swap all vacations to staycations

For more ideas, check out these articles:

Best practices for achieving goals

Below are two resources to help you think through what you want to accomplish and set goals that will be successful.

Good Life Project podcast “To Succeed at Anything, Do This”: In this episode, Jonathan Fields breaks up how to to find success accomplishing meaningful things into eight parts – Picture, Purpose, Plan, Possible, Proof, People, Practice, and Pledge. He describes each and how it’s related to succeeding in your goals.
Seven steps for making your New Year’s resolutions stick

Green Tips

Plant a Rain Garden

Many people do not realize that rain carries pollutants from our houses, yards, streets, sidewalks and parking lots to the nearest storm drain, leading directly to local lakes, streams and rivers. Rain gardens are designed to have a center depression to help rainwater seep into the soil. This infiltration helps recharge groundwater and reduces polluted runoff.

Check out our article on rain gardens to learn more.

Host a Clothing Swap

Swapping is a great way to eliminate waste and engage in reuse. Instead of throwing away items that you no longer want, you give them to someone who does, and instead of purchasing brand new items, you can reuse items you receive from others. Swapping can also be a way to provide items to people who cannot afford to purchase them, and it is a wonderful way to meet new people and build a sense of community.

Check out Swapping Made Easy for a full list of tips to hosting your own swap!

Check Windows and Doors for Energy Efficiency

Here are some easy tips for Home Energy Savings:

Leaky windows, doors and frames can let out the air you paid to heat or cool. Once a year, check the caulking around your windows, doors and joints to make sure everything is sealed tightly.
Install weather stripping around any leaky windows and doors.
If you use storm windows, check them each winter to be sure they provide a good seal and are not cracked.
If you have only single glaze windows, you can purchase do-it-yourself plastic storms that just tape into place.
If you use window air conditioners, take them out for the winter. If they are attached to the wall or too big to move, make sure they are well-covered with insulating material to avoid leaking a lot of your warm air.
If you have a fireplace, install a glass door that reduces hot air loss.

Get Your Mayor Involved

More than 600 cities nationwide are not waiting for federal action on climate change—they are taking matters into their own hands. The U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement is one way cities are reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and urging government to take action. Read more about the agreement here, plus learn what Minnesota’s government is doing about global warming.

Pack a No Waste Lunch

A ‘no-waste lunch’ is a meal that does not end up in the trash. Buy food in bulk and put it in reusable containers to carry to school or work. Packing your food in reusables is typically less expensive and creates less waste than buying food that comes in disposable containers.

Check out our No Waste Lunch tips!

Purchase Sustainable Lumber and Wood Products

Minnesota’s forests are vital to the state economy and environment. The Minnesota wood products industry provides employment to rural communities and serves markets throughout the world. As global trade in forest products grows, forest certification has emerged as a mechanism for consumers to identify wood products produced from sustainably managed forests. Nearly 50 different companies in Minnesota manufacture and market certified products. Retailers and distributors sell a variety of lumber, paneling, and decking products. Numerous local paper and printing companies also offer certified products.

More info here!

Green Your Laundry

Green laundry practices are good for the environment and for your wallet! Use cold water, wash only when clothes are dirty, line dry clothes year round, buy concentrated laundry detergent in refillable containers, use non-chlorine bleach, and purchase Energy Star appliances when possible.

Check out our full list of green laundry tips!

Green Your Child’s Lunch

Home-packed lunches can be fun, healthy, and green, with very little time or money required. A child’s lunch, including organic fruit, requires less than five minutes on average to prepare and could cost as little as $1.00 per day-compared to over $2.25 for school lunch.

Try these suggestions to green your packed lunches, whether for children, adults, or picnics!

Host a Climate Café

Climate cafés are a relatively new offshoot of the café discussion movement, which takes its inspiration from philosophical discussion groups. These discussion cafés offer a venue for respectful public conversation on the challenging subjects facing us daily. You can host a discussion anywhere and get the climate conversation going. Interested? Check out this article.

Start an Organics Recycling Program

Establishing an organics recycling program is a great way to reduce the amount of trash an organization or household disposes. Organics include all food waste and non-recyclable or food-soiled paper products and can make up approximately 25 percent of what we throw away. This article offers tips on how to start your own program.

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