On Being Mindful.....2010

My mantra with this blog has always been about being mindful of my green and healthy choices but not stressed out about them.  That said, it doesn't hurt to have some goals and resolutions for the year.  Something to push you to go a little farther then you might otherwise go.  Know what I mean?

For me, this past year was definitely the year of THE BOOK.  Writing and promoting Practically Green was front and center all year long (just ask my very patient and supportive family!)  Thing is, I was so busy writing about green, that I had very little time for 'doing' green.  This next year, I'm hoping to get in a little more green action....in my own home, in my community, perhaps even as a career.  My youngest will be heading to full day kindergarten in the fall and I've been itching to get back into the workplace and out of the house.  I'm dying to know what this will be the year of....

Meanwhile, I'll be plugging along at my Green & Healthy Resolutions for 2010:

• Sign Up for a Home Energy Audit - We had one many years ago (it wasn't pretty) and we've made many improvements since then.  My husband thinks it's time for another one.  I have to admit that a part of me doesn't want to do it because inevitably it means more work for us and some upfront money out of our pockets.  I can see some future blog posts coming out of this...
• Pony Up for Some Green Home Improvements - We are in dire need of a new roof on our house and we are contemplating doing some pretty major remodeling while we are at it....like a second bathroom and a closet (for me - mine is currently in Liam's bedroom!) on our third floor.  And then there's new insulation, siding, a new front porch....our dream list goes on and on.  We've been hesitant to take out a big old loan since we are close to paying off our house but frankly we're in a situation where we either need to bite the bullet and do the remodeling or move to a different house.  Any advice???
• Buy a Better Car- Our 1999 Honda Minivan is getting a little tired.  It's time to upgrade to something new for us (but most likely used).  Definitely looking for higher gas mileage.  Any recommendations for an energy-efficient family car with plenty of cargo room?  We are a one-car family so it needs to be a good one!
• Reduce Unnecessary Mail- Here's a confession - I love me a good catalog!!  Oogeling over expensive fashions at Garnet Hill, lusting after whimsical clothes from Boden or dreaming of a stylish kitchen from Crate & Barrel is a past-time I hate to admit but don't want to give up.  So I'm not about to go and cancel all of my catalogs.  But there are plenty of catalogs that go immediately in the recycling bin and those, I need to CANCEL!!  I also need to stop getting copies of bills in the mail that are on auto-pay....that is just ridiculous. 
• Make More Eco-Crafts!! - One of the highlights of writing my book was all the eco-friendly crafts that I made...like felted wool coasters and mittens, refashioned clothing, homemade lip balm, fizzy bath balls and more!  Nothing is more fun than creating something brand new out of re-purposed materials or making a healthier (and less expensive) version of something you could buy at the store!  My goal for this year is to create new stuff with what I already have (and believe me, I have quite the stash to work with!)
• Bake More Bread! - My husband just bought me a copy of the book Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. It's the no-knead method that everyone's been raving about...and I can't wait to try it.  I've literally been dreaming of all the yummy, healthy bread I am going to make!
• Experiment with Raw Food - After reviewing the book Fresh: The Ultimate Live-Food Cookbook, I am ready to dive in for more.  I'm thinking about taking a class from Susan Powers of Rawmazing.  Does anyone have a recommendation for another good raw food cookbook? 
• Practice Natural/Alternative Medicine- Every day I become more and more convinced that alternative medicine will keep us healthier for longer.  I've been dabbling in it for awhile now but I'd like to know a lot more.  I've got an appointment next week with a chiropractor who also does total wellness including homeopathy and nutritional counseling.  I'll keep you posted on what I learn.   
• Go to Yoga - My yoga practice completely dropped off the map while I was writing my book which is too bad because I really could have used its stress reducing benefits.  Silly that I should have to be reminded that good health leads to getting more done and not vice versa.  

Do you have a laundry list of New Year's resolutions too? It all looks so easy at the beginning of the new year doesn't it?   Just remember to be mindful (aware, present, non-judgmental) and don't beat yourself up if you don't accomplish them all.   

The Green Moms are writing about Green Resolutions this month over at Non-Toxic Kids.  Check out the round-up of posts on January 1st, 2010. 

{image from Bahman Farzad's photostream via Flickr}

Comments

[Katy]

Micaela--

Truly ambitious and inspirational post! Congrats on the book--now you can focus on other things like-- yoga! Do you know about yogatoday.com? A wonderful site with free yoga classes weekly (one hour long!). They are amazing.

Good luck!

Katy
http://www.non-toxickids.net

[Bobby]

Congratulations on your book Practically Green. Thank you so much for keeping us informed on ways we can conserve energy and our precious resources. Your ideas about recycling and creating something new out of re-purposed materials.There are millions of ways we can conserve and become more Eco-friendly. Thanks again for sharing some of these in your book as well as your blog.

[Micaela]

Katy - thanks for the tip about yogatoday.com. I'll check it out!

[Lynn from Organicmania.com]

What a laundry list, Micaela! (Katy was right). I am with you on the alternative medicine...was thinking the same thing and can't wait to get your read on things...

Happy New Year!

[AmberS]

I so appreciate your mindful and non-judgmental approach. It's why I loved your book, and it's why I love this post.

And speaking of this post, I think I'm going to cancel some of my catalogues. We get two LL Bean catalogues, and neither of us read them. Thanks for the inspiration!

[Mette - økologisk børnetøj]

Hi Micaela,

I love your blog. Always a lot of inspiration to get here. Move yoga to the top of the list to get energy for the rest :-)

// Mette

[Lena Pivec]

Hi Micaela, I am a part of Ecoparents with you. Just wanted to make a suggestions on your house dilemma. If you live in or around LH and love it, which I am sure you do, I would suggest doing the remodeling. It is so hard to find a different house with more space that you wouldn't have to do some remodeling to anyway. My husband does remodeling, he does it all, so he can sometimes offer a better price. Let me know if you would like his number and I can forward to you.
I enjoyed your book signing event, and your book, thanks for sharing your knowledge and aspirations with all of us.--Lena

[Micaela]

Hi Lena! Thanks for writing! I don't live in LH but I totally agree w/you that it would be hard to find a better house in an equally good neighborhood. We're still pretty far away from starting anything but if we need some help I'll be sure to check in with you!

[Diane MacEachern]

The thing I'm going to try to give up this year is my home-delivered New York Times. I love the news, but hate the paper waste. Maybe I'll start going to the library to read it - it's just not the same online.

Happy New Year!

Diane

[Jeanne @ EcoLabel Fundraising]

Hi Lena,

It is so hard to keep up professionally at home, so I agree---sometimes our professional focus should carry over more into our home, but I also agree it isn't something we should stress about! Love this post and think it ties in well with Diane's over at Big Green Purse on doing less but more quality.

Thanks for sharing!

Jeanne

www.ecolabelfundraising.com

[Sommer]

Good luck with your goals for the year! I love fresh bread so maybe this will be one of mine too and I need a home energy audit but I'm sorta scared!

[Condo Blues]

Since you've already had a energy audit with I guess an blower door test, etc. You can do your follow up own Energy Audit using the calculator on the Energystar.gov website for free. I used it and it was very helpful at determining how much energy we used and when.

Can I second more ecocrafts? Just for my own selfish eco-crafting purposes?

[Micaela]

Sommer - I'm glad I'm not the only one who's a little nervous about getting the results of an energy audit. :)

[Amalia Oropeza]

Car suggestion, a VW TDI, or any diesel vehicle that you can run biodiesel in. If you would like biodiesel information, please let me know...Better for the environment, less emissions, no war required, made from recycled vegetable oil (like from restaraunts), so many wonderful things about it! Totally a green thing :)

I LOVE READING YOUR POSTS, THANK YOU!

[Elizabeth]

Re the car: biodiesel is more eco-friendly but if you're looking at conventional cars, look into the Mazda5 (because that's what I have and I love it, ha). I get 30 to 31.n mpg on the highway on trips. In-town driving is 26-28 mpg. Unlike a minivan, it won't hold more than four people if you have to carry lots of stuff but if you need to carry people, mainly, it'll carry six if you put the short ones in the way back. It doesn't like the cold, though; my in-town mileage has dropped during all this below-20F weather.

[Burnham Boilers]

You could also do things like upgrading water boilers and installing air conditioners that save energy. Those changes get done once and last for a very long time. You could stop junk mail, but eventually it will all start coming back again.