How many of you have set a New Year's resolution for 2009?
I bet that a lot of them are about improving your health, finding a new job, getting finances straight, etc.
Most resolutions are about doing something for yourself, to improve you. How many of them are about doing something that helps the environment or ethical and healthy living in general? Think about your own resolutions:
Get more exercise
Well it's clear in this instance that this fits in with the thinking around ecolocal. The key though is how you are going to get more exercise - are you going to go running, walking, gardening etc, or are you going to drive to the gym to work out on electronic pieces of equipment, just to drive home again? Hmm....
Clearly one option is not only greener but cheaper - select a gym that is near enough to home to walk or run, then if you really want to go to classes or to use equipment they have that you can't have at home, use the journey there and back to warm up and cool down.
Loose weight
There are so many different ways of doing this, and in many instances they are simply quick fixes. I'm a great believer in sensible eating being the way forwards here - increase your fruit and veg intake (including pulses) and decrease the dairy and fat. By doing this you're not increasing the chemicals in your body (unnatural supplements and meal replacements etc) and you can eat food as near to its natural form as possible. Try to buy local and, if possible, organic as well.
Even better, shop on foot - the extra exercise will do a world of good and supplement the dieting.
Stop smoking
Well, I'm not going to say anything about this except - passive smoking and conditions of the people growing the tobacco / ethics of the companies. Stopping smoking has to be a positive thing for everyone!
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Replying to this comment:
Hear hear - I quite agree - no need to go to the vast expense of joining a gym, walking is easy, inexpensive and a very efficient method of getting about. How many of you jump into a car just to go round the corner/down the road for a newspaper or a carton of milk?!
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