Emily Williams: Resolutions Save the World

Guest Post by Emily Williams Emily Williams is a California transplant currently living in South America, trying to green-ify her life at least in part due to the environmental guilt caused by her plane trips home. She makes her internet home at Don't Call Me Gringa.

Hard as it is to believe, 2009 is bearing down upon us. I've never been a fan of New Year's resolutions — and the fact that all resolutions seem to disappear faster than a New Year's Eve hangover doesn't exactly motivate me to become a fan. That said, it's always good to have a goal, and the beginning of a new year is as good a time as any to reflect on life and see if we can't challenge ourselves to become a little better.

Considering that the hot topics these days are social and environmental activism, my list of goals for 2009 just so happens to involve several ways that I'd like to do my part to help save the world.

Replace all my lightbulbs with efficient ones. I know I should have already done this, and I did, but then I moved to a new place. And now I'm back to square one on the lightbulb front. I need to motivate and actually replace them, so hopefully by sharing this goal with all of the Internet, I'll get it done sooner rather than later. Use environmentally friendly cleaning products. This involves my doing both the research and the actual product creation, since I don't live in an area where stores stock ready-made varieties. I think 2009 may become the year of my love affair with white vinegar — seriously, have you seen the thousand-and-one uses for it? Volunteer. It's easy to say that I don't have the time to commit to a volunteer program, but realistically I can find a few spare hours here and there. My dog is a rescue pup, so I'd like to work with an organization that helps strays find homes. This one's cheating a bit since I've already found a group, but in 2009 I'd like to actually get involved with them on a regular basis. Get recycling in my building. My apartment building doesn't offer recycling pick up, but in my area there are organizations out there will take care of my recycling and use the proceeds to support charitable endeavors. I'd like to lead the way on getting my building connected to and using a recycling program. Even if your city already picks up recycling, why not see if there's a program like this near you? Find my charity of choice. I always said during college that once I had a full-time job, I'd find a charity I really believed in and support it financially. The current economic climate may not be very donation-friendly, but the truth is that I can go with one less luxury coffee a month for a cause I believe in.

So there you have it, my list of five goals I'd like to work on in 2009. I'd be lying if I said that "exercise more" and "eat more vegetables" weren't on this list as well. Hey, a girl can't be completely selfless! They're not resolutions, so there's no risk of failure, they're just goals that I hope to get closer to achieving as the next 12 months go by. What are you hoping to do next year? What little changes can you make that will help improve your world? Whatever they are, here's to a happy new year.