I plan to plant a small garden in my yard this year to grow some of my own food.  I was blessed enough to be able to purchase my first home this year, so this is my first back yard.  I also plan to plant some native plants as well to help feed native birds such as hummingbirds.

Simplify  I  Simplify  I Simplify 
I commit to God that I will create a plan of action to get rid of the clutter and unused stuff that takes up space in our home and could be of use to others. 

Yesterday my husband and I were cut to the heart by this quote from Basil of Ceasarea (AD 330 – January 1, 379) quoted in Shane Claibourne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and Enuma Okoro’s book, Common Prayer:  ”When someone steals a person’s clothes, we call him a thief. Should we not give the same name to one who could clothe the naked and does not? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat hanging in your closet belongs to those who need it; the shoes rotting in your closet to the one who has no shoes. The money which you hoard up belongs to the poor.”

I resolve to reduce my purchasing and consumption this year. When I do buy things, I’ll look for eco-sensitive products, carry them home in re-usable bags, and–like Penney who posted earlier–give away things that others could use.

My resolution is to grow the number of volunteers in the Green Team that my roommate and I started at our church in NYC.  To reach out to more people to serve the world in the name of God.

My resolution is to grow the number of volunteers in the Green Team that
my roommate and I started at our church in NYC.  To reach out to more
people to serve the world in the name of God.

I have two resolutions. First: to make one organic meal a week and share my experience and thoughts on my blog about green living. Second: I resolve to speak to my bishop about starting a synod-wide green-plan, working together to implement green practices and initiatives and to be personally committed to making that plan successful.

My resolution is to reduce my family’s food waste.

I resolve to reduce the water we use to care for our lawn.  With the record drought last summer, my heart broke when I thought of the water that went into keeping our yard green.  I will look for drought tolerant native plants and work to increase the efficiency of our old sprinkler system.

My resolution is to buy more organic food and cook healthier meals for my family. I also plan on growing a garden this year which will help make this change more cost effective and help me be more in tune to God and nature.

I resolve to make one creation care change a month in our family.  We used to do this, but got out of the habit.  January’s change will be to reduce the cold NY winter drafts in our house by putting a draft collar under doors, keeping the basement door closed, and recaulking around windows.

We’ve been on this journey a long time and it’s always a baby-step process.  So, 2012 is for slowing down to have the time to use frugally and well all our home grown food.  And to organize, after simplifying, so that we can use/find/care for all that we do have.  Organize our kitchen, our storage room, our garden shed, our root cellar, our bookkeeping files….  
Cheers to all,  Joanne at Full Circle Farm in Canyon, BC

we will be resolving to give our garden a rest this year…it is the 7th year (Sabbath!) and we are grateful for the produce.  i also resolve to bike more and drive less…always room for improvement here.  finally, i will seek to learn more about he science of composting as too often our household scraps stay as a pile of rotting food instead of being transformed quickly in to good earth.

Here are my creation care new year resolutions:

1. Purchase a membership share in our local food co-op
2. Add more insulation to the attic of our new townhouse
3. Work with the neighborhood association to apply for a “green up” grant (my vote goes for neighborhood composting)
4. Use the car less and walk or bike at least 10 percent more than I do now

I plan on trying to reduce our electricity use (yes, I’m talking about you, heating and air conditioning), walking instead of driving more often, and bringing my own mug to the coffee shop more faithfully.

Give up Coke (as in cola)!  It requires water to make, energy to transport, and resources to package, market, and sell.  Plus, tap water is much healthier for me–no sugar to add to my waist line or decay my teeth.  

In so many areas of life, habits that are healthy for the planet are also healthier for  us–all part of God’s glorious plan.

I want our household to work toward being net zero – reducing our waste to nothing through composting, reusing and recycling.

As the snow continues to fall, it’s the most wonderful, colourful and dreamy seed ordering time!  Catalogues and websites call.  And, time to research healthy, non GMO, organic sources.  And sources that support growing out of the seeds each year (not storing in a mountainside in Norway).  There are wonderful lists for Canada and the USA (Seed Saver’s Exchange is a start for you south of the 49th parallel.  Happy dreaming and growing!

[...] invite you to join us and our friends at Blessed Earth (http://www.blessedearth.org/uncategorized/creation-care-new-years-resolutions-for-2012/) in making creation care New Year’s resolutions for [...]

My resolution for 2012 is to restart one creation care practice I started at one time but  stopped doing because I often forgot to do it and was lazy about doing it when I did remember. The shame of it is that it’s so simple, most everyone can do it. That is, use cloth or fabric bags to bag and carry my groceries. Sooooo, it’s on my radar once again. While I admit it’s still not a 100% habit, I am more mindful of it and bring my cloth bags with me.

I will buy no new clothes this year!  I also will invest in a kindle, donate the books that are on the public domain and consolidate our library.

I resolve to continue to consume less so I will start hanging clothes to dry on a rack inside and outside on a line when weather permits.  I also resolve to only buy clothes I really need: I’m going to try really hard to buy only from Goodwill or if I buy new, then only organic cotton material.  I also resolve to buy/drink fair trade coffee.
And finally, I will take the commuter bus to work at least two times a week.