I hate New Year's resolutions. So in the spirit of the original intent of resolutions, I decided to make New Year's determinations. Last year, I determined that I would start carrying my own cloth bags shopping…especially to the grocery store. I had a bunch laying around the house from trade shows and giveaways. So I didn’t even have to buy any.
It took me six months to really work this into a routine. My challenge was not having them in car. They were in the car. I just kept forgetting to take them in to the store. I was storing them in the trunk and that was the problem. I wasn't seeing the bags to remember to take them in. Then I would get to the check out line and duh! I would remember the bags.
So to solve the problem they got placed in the back seat. Now I was remembering about half the time. Still not good enough. So I moved them to the front seat. Until I was in such a habit about carrying them it felt like I was naked if I walked into the grocery store without them. I now I keep them in the trunk because of this enforced habit.
I also have a routine when I unload the bags in the house. Now that the bags were getting actually used I was leaving them in the house. So, now as I unload each bag I hang it on the inside of the front door so the next time I go to the car I remember to put the bags in the car.
It’s these little habits that get incorporated into our daily lives that start to build and make real differences in greening our lives. Plus there are some additional advantages, I no longer have a never ending growing clutter of grocery bags that I feel guilty about not using (I couldn’t bring myself to throw them away knowing that they would take forever to biodegrade, if ever, in some landfill) and by setting an example I have influenced other shoppers by it actually being a conversation starter.
So what’s your New Green’s Determination for the year? Just change one thing at a time and then you will be surprised how many things have added up.
