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January 2009
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
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Great Green Goals for 2009

January 5, 2009

I was rereading a post I wrote at the start of 2008 – Living Green past and future – where I outlined the things I’d accomplished in 2007 toward living a greener lifestyle and then added more eco-friendly things I hoped to accomplish in 2008. This year I’m going to do the same thing and invite you to post about your green goals for the upcoming year too. If you write a post and link back to this one, leave me a comment with the URL and I’ll add you to a list at the bottom of this post.

First, here were my goals for 2008 and my comments on how I did beside them in italics:

Green goals for 2008:

Grow a bigger garden – Did it! I grew tomatoes, basil, green beans, carrots, strawberries, zucchini, and yellow squash.
Possibly join a CSA to eat more locally and shop at the farmerâ€™s market – Did not join a CSA but I did learn more about them and picked up a friend’s CSA share one week (when she was out of town). And I did some of my shopping at the farmers’ market.
Buy some cloth diapers that can stand up to Julianâ€™s nighttime pees and stop using disposables (7th Generation) at night (We cloth diaper during the day.) – Yes and no. We stopped using 7th Generation dipes at night and instead stuff a Fuzzibunz diaper with a prefold and a gDiapers insert (which are biodegradable). Not the perfect solution, but better than where we were at.
Learn how to can foods - YES! And here’s proof. I canned three types of jam/jelly, spaghetti sauce and pear sauce in 2008.
Learn how to make my own yogurt – YES!
Read â€œAnimal, Vegetable, Miracleâ€ – No, and don’t even have it yet.

In 2008, I also:

Made my own butter.
Started using a clothesline to dry our clothes/diapers (at least some of the time).
Started using an eco-friendly dish soap.
Bought a dehydrator and dehydrated apples, nectarines, and strawberries.
Joined a food co-op.
Started using a Moon Cup (like a DivaCup).

As for 2009, my green goals are as follows:

Â Grow a bigger garden still! Although my yard is small, that is not the problem. The problem is that we have three large trees in our backyard that block out most of the sunlight. I’ve been trying to figure out if there are some places in my front yard that get good sun where I might plant some veggies, but we have a lot of trees there too. The only places in the front yard that I can think of that aren’t shaded are right by the sidewalk. We don’t have a ton of foot traffic on our street, but I’m not sure I want to dig up the yard to plant veggies when we want to sell the house in the next year or two. Hmmm. I think I might have to do some container gardening in addition to the small garden I already have.
Join a vegetable seed co-op.
Can more than last year.
Dehydrate more than last year.
Bake my own bread more regularly.
Continue to move away from the use of plastic and be mindful of plastic packaging.
Learn how to sew using my mom’s old sewing machine.
Read The Omnivore’s Dilemma (which I already have) by Michael Pollan
Learn more about ownership and care of backyard chickens (as our chicken crusade plods on)
And, of course, continue with all of the other things I’m already doing.

Now it’s your turn. This isn’t exactly your typical “Green Challenge,” but it is kind of similar. Write a post telling me your green goals for 2009, leave me your link and I’ll add it to the list below. (If you link back to this one, that’d be great too.) Or just leave me a comment telling me what your goals are. I’d love some more ideas! :)

Other bloggers making green goals for 2009…

Stumble it!

55 Comments »

Summer says:

Oh, great idea! I’ll write something tomorrow with my goals, I know I have a few.

January 6th, 2009 at 12:05 am
Alissa says:

Get some chickens! They’re easy and so much fun. Also, unlike the other animals I have they actually give back. Yay eggs! We liked this book a lot: http://www.amazon.com/Chickens-Tending-Flocks-Cities-Suburbs/dp/1580174914/ref=pd_sim_b_5

January 6th, 2009 at 1:07 am
Great Green Goals for 2009 | Crunchy Domestic Goddess says:

[...] Original post by unknown [...]

January 6th, 2009 at 2:55 am
Heather @ SGF says:

GREAT goals and you’re going to love both Pollan and Kingslover’s books. Definitely must-reads!

January 6th, 2009 at 8:50 am
Nicole says:

Some of the people in our neighborhood have incorporated veggies into their front landscaping in really attractive ways. That’s my goal for our new house. At the very least I can have a squash or pumpkin trailing down my driveway or soemthing :)

January 6th, 2009 at 9:24 am
Green Goals 2009 | My Inner Bitsy says:

[...] Crunchy Domestic GoddessÂ has listed her “green goals” for 2009 and has asked readers what their goals are.Â I [...]

January 6th, 2009 at 9:26 am
Bitsy says:

These are some great goals. I have just posted mine. ;)

I totally admire the gardening skills – I want to do a little gardening this year, but I usually kill everything so this is the year of healthy plants!

January 6th, 2009 at 9:27 am
Lizzie says:

I wrote up my Green Goals!

Here they are

January 6th, 2009 at 9:27 am
Lisa says:

Here are mine-
http://retrohousewife05.blogspot.com/2008/12/happy-almost-new-year.html

I haven’t had my blog a whole year yet so I look forward to being able to look back in 2010 and see what I was able to do.

January 6th, 2009 at 9:39 am
lilbet says:

You must read Kingsolver’s book. It is an excellent source of information, but written in entertaining style. You will love it AND I bet you will want to start making your own cheese (which is extremely easy and fun).

I have a corner of my yard that I use for a garden. You don’t need a lot of space if you choose the right plants. Research the plants, don’t dig up more of your yard. Also, try to grow in two seasons–use your space for early crops and then when they are done, reuse the space for later crops. It can be done, very simply. I grow zucchini, cucumbers (bush plants), many many tomatoes, lettuce, rutabagas, peas, lots of potatoes (two seasons worth), asparagus (this takes years to get going), peppers, carrots, and pole beans (a must have for anyone with a crunch for space). My plot is 10×20 and is shaded for much of the day. I also had hanging baskets of strawberries and cherry tomatoes.

A friend used to plant her pumpkins, squash, and watermelons just intermingled with her landscaping. Beautiful and functional.

The point is, you can do with what you have. And every bit counts. Be sure to compost or get free compost from your city to keep the soil alive. We’re lucky to get free compost from our county and can get free manure from our university animal hospital. Great stuff!

We may do a CSA for additional produce this year and use our garden plot for bigger stuff. We’ll see. A CSA is very expensive and can sometimes provide way more than my family can use at once.

I can every year. This year I made the best dill pickles. If you’d like the recipe, it’s on my blog. They are excellent and we’ll never buy them again. You can also make dilled green beans, which my family also loves. There’s a great book called Stocking Up that is a must have if you want to plan your garden. It’s a preservers Bible.

January 6th, 2009 at 10:40 am
erica says:

You’re so awesome! my garden keeps expanding every year, too. This year I would like to grow enough to preserve something I grew. I finally really got going with the seed saving this year and saved 6 kinds, and i’m hoping to attend some seed swaps. go us!

January 6th, 2009 at 10:58 am
erica says:

oh by the way – I found the best way to re-use pickle juice… if you cut up baby green tomatos and stick em in the juice they picklize! I just made tartar sauce with some the other day. So, I suppose I DID preserve something :)

January 6th, 2009 at 11:02 am
Ami says:

My green goals for the New Year are to continue reducing my plastic consumption, BMOB (bring my own bag) to EVERY store (not just the grocery store), and to learn how to can and increase the amount of produce I can/freeze during the summer/fall.

I agree with others who’ve recommended The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. They’re two of my favorites!

January 6th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Going Green in 2009 : Wired For Noise says:

[...] post subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for stopping by!Amy at Crunchy Domestic Goddess shared her 2009 green goals and invited everyone else to join in. I know I have several green goals that I hope to accomplish [...]

January 6th, 2009 at 11:31 am
Cancer Mommy says:

You’ve inspired me to write my green list. Admittedly, it’s baby steps, but I figure something’s better than nothing! http://cancermommy.ning.com/profiles/blogs/im-already-losing. Thanks for keeping me thinking about my impact on this Earth.

January 6th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting says:

Ooh, I like it! I will work on it! Thank you! You inspire me!

BTW, you’ve been awarded! :)

http://www.crazyadventuresinparenting.com/2009/01/award-time.html

January 6th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
chelle says:

I will have to think about this. Great goals :)

January 6th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Lisa Medley says:

Definately get to reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I’ve read it, The Omnivore’s Dilemna and In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. If those books don’t get your juices flowing then I don’t know what will :) I raised chickens this year for eggs and entertainment, two pigs which go to slaughter Thursday and this spring I plan to raise all our own chickens for eating as well. I live on 30 acres so it’s probably easier than in the city but every little bit counts!

January 6th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
dundeewriter says:

Thanks for the inspiration to put my green goals into writing!

Here ya go:

http://dundeewriter.blogspot.com/2009/01/green-goodness.html

January 6th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
emily says:

Fun to see what other folks are doing. I’m starting really small this year. I’m trying to keep track (and therefore curb) my use of plastic and paper bags from stores. It seems like an attainable goal and I’m a little surprised and horrified at how many I’ve used in the first week of the year already! I’m keeping tabs on my goal here: http://zealog.com/zealogs/bags-of-the-plastic-and-or-paper-variety

January 6th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Jen says:

Good luck with your goals!
Here are mine: http://chasingdomesticbliss.blogspot.com/2009/01/new-year-goals-in-blogisphere.html

January 6th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Abbie says:

Honestly, I enjoyed AVM better than Omnivore’s Dilemma. It’s more family-oriented, and I found it to be more optimistic. (Not to mention it’s a quicker read.)

But both are great choices. Just don’t skip AVM!

January 6th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Jen @ Eco-Office Gals says:

I covered the 3 R’s for my green goals here. I’m sure there are a ton more I can do, but baby steps! LOL
http://eco-officegals.com/2008/12/30/your-green-steps-for-2009/

January 6th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
erin k says:

We got Animal Vegetable Miracle for Christmas so I am currently reading it. It is RIVETING. I got so excited by it I just had to plant something, even though it is -20 degrees outside. So my little guy and I planted some basil and thyme in pots in our kitchen today. Fun.

January 6th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
phyllis says:

great list. i am definitely expanding my garden this year too but i have the same tree-ish problem. i’ll keep working on it….

looking forward to seeing your progress! life is a journey…

January 6th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
Deanna says:

Here’s the link to my goals:

http://wellgroomedhippie.blogspot.com/2009/01/green-goals-for-2009.html

January 6th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
sagemom says:

What a great list…and a great idea! Here are my goals:

http://sageandsavvysentiments.blogspot.com/2009/01/my-green-goals.html

January 6th, 2009 at 11:33 pm
Ann says:

Kingsolver is awesome. :)

Amy I thought you might check this out.
http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/CoopExt/LARIMER/fiber.fun.htm
They have a free beginning sewing class. Lilla just got a sewing machine from Grama. At 7 years old I am amazed at how she can figure out how to make a pattern and put it together. She is sewing doll clothes, pillows, and purses right now.

Hurray for chickens! We found a home at Miller Farms for our rooster too.

Ann

January 7th, 2009 at 9:14 am
TopHat says:

Amy,
I’ve posted mine here: http://itsallaboutthehat.blogspot.com/2009/01/green-goals.html
Thanks for this great idea!

January 7th, 2009 at 9:44 am
Green Goals for 2009 at My Web of Life says:

[...] Amy at Crunchy Domestic Goddess has given me a greatÂ incentive to finally get around toÂ penning my greening goals for 2009. She has some fantastic ideas listed along with other bloggers’ resolutions. It is worth checking out. [...]

January 7th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Jenni at My Web of Life says:

Thanks for coordinating this. It helped me get off my duff and finally get my goals written! Please add me to your list of blogs. Thanks!

January 7th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
casual friday everyday says:

Green goals! Great idea. I need to do this. I really want to grow a garden myself. That’ll be interesting though. Congrats on meeting goals last year and good luck for this year!

Nell

January 7th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Amber says:

I also want to read “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle”. I put it on my Christmas list but didn’t get it. After reading the comments I think I will buy it myself.

I *LOVED* “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”. I held off on reading it after my son was born because I was worried it would be too heavy for the newborn period. Once I started it, though, I was really pleasantly surprised. I would highly recommend it.

January 7th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Casual Friday Everyday » Greenie Girl Goals says:

[...] at Crunchy Domestic Goddess has asked what our Green Goals are for 2009. Her simple question made me think what I’d like to do this year to be more green and [...]

January 8th, 2009 at 11:27 am
Kendra @ A Sonoma Garden says:

Nice goals…and great that you followed up on almost all of your goals for last year. Now that we’re back from vacation, I’m starting to think about what my ’09 goals will be in regards to leaving a lighter footprint.

January 8th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Paige says:

Both books were good reads!

One thing you might like to try is incorporating herbs into your front yard landscaping…mine don’t seem to mind the shade. (I have catnip, peppermint, thyme, chives and garlic.)

I’ve blogged my goals…
http://pawpawsforthemasses.blogspot.com/2009/01/green-goals-for-2009.html

January 9th, 2009 at 12:01 am
Rose says:

This was a great idea.

My goals for 2009: http://veraciousdragonfly.wordpress.com/2009/01/09/great-green-goals/

Stars Above,
~Celestial Rose.

January 9th, 2009 at 4:11 am
Janelle Sorensen says:

Aaaah, so many about gardening. I can’t wait to garden again and this year I won’t overplant mine. (I have limited space and tried to plant too much in it last year. The vegetables really suffered.)

Anyhew, I did a short round up of resolutions over at the Healthy Child blog, too. Check it out:
http://healthychild.org/blog/comments/healthy_world_watch_january_9th_2008/

January 9th, 2009 at 9:35 am
Kay Pere says:

Great suggestions! If it’s not too late, please include a link to my 2009 Green Goals on my “Quiet Little Life” blog.

I sure enjoy reading the things you have to say. Keep it coming!

Peace! Kay

January 11th, 2009 at 10:50 am
Faith says:

Awesome! I know I will think of more I forgot in the morning, lol.
http://dancing-with-dragons.blogspot.com/

January 12th, 2009 at 12:54 am
Green Goals For 2009 — Global Mama says:

[...] Domestic Goddess has listed her own “Green Goals” for this year (read Amy’s post here), and she has inspired me to do the same. I feel that going green is a gradual process for most [...]

January 12th, 2009 at 11:00 am
Laura says:

Awesome goals, Amy! Here are mine:
http://www.globalmama.com/2009/01/12/green-goals-for-2009/
I have “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” sitting on my desk right now – looks great, but I haven’t read it yet either!

January 12th, 2009 at 11:04 am
Sarah says:

Barbara kingsolver’s book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle should be #1 on our list above ALL other goals.

It has been life-changing for our family.

January 12th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Erin says:

Awesome idea/awesome goals! Here’s mine: http://beadingmom.blogspot.com/2009/01/2009-get-greener-goals.html

January 12th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Christy says:

Great goals! Here we come 2009!

Green your school in 2009 by jumpstarting a Kids Konserve Waste-Free Lunch Challenge.

See the 2009 Goals at http://kidskonserve.com/blog/

and get started at:
http://store.kidskonserve.com/

January 14th, 2009 at 10:48 pm
Dare says:

Amy! Oh how I’ve missed your blog. Our laptop totally crashed after the New Year and I’ve been missing this blog particularly!

I had already posted about my resolutions, well at least 3 of them. Here’s a link.

http://www.givethemroots.com/2009/01/321.html

January 19th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Dare says:

About the diapers… my latest post is about Nature Babycare diapers, I just found out about them, babiesRus just started carrying them as well. Much greener option than Seventh generation and probably more cost effective than gdiaper refills + cloth.

January 19th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
lisha says:

I am planning on doing Square Foot Gardening this year- I had never heard of it and am much more optimistic about not killing all the plants! You could use this method in your front yard without digging- just use raised beds and they are pretty light so you can move them around too. I need to think about what else I plan to do.

I wondered if you could tell me what food coop you joined? I am in the same city as you- I saw the article in the paper about you and the whole Motrin thing.

Thanks!

January 19th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
ayse says:

I’m in too!

January 21st, 2009 at 2:27 pm
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June 1st, 2009 at 6:48 am
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June 13th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
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December 21st, 2009 at 7:52 am

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