It looks like “going green” is toping the list for many others. Over and above losing weight! For myself, I’m going to do both. Below is an article taken for the Guelph Mercury about going green for the new year. Enjoy everyone, and happy new-year!
“In a year when climate change made it onto the public agenda, it also secured the top spot on many New Year’s resolution lists.
“You have to practice what you preach. We as governments of all stripes in this country have been talking about the need to do more for the environment. It is important that governments act, but it is also important that individuals act,” said Michael Chong, MP for Wellington-Halton Hills.
He and his wife have resolved to reduce their environmental footprint in 2008. They plan to buy food in bulk to cut back on the amount of packaging that needs to be recycled.
“It’s just something that we’re going to work towards — continuous improvement,” Chong said.
Guelph songwriter James Gordon also has a green resolution in mind. He will try not to use his car within the city’s limits, opting for his bike instead.
“Everyone’s trying to think of little things they can do. I often think, I’m at home now. I can just leave that car in the driveway. But sometimes, out of convenience, you don’t,” he said.
“I could do it. It’s a little bit more effort, but it’s better for your health, better for the city, better for everything.”
Canadians are accepting the idea that individual action can help protect the planet, according to a public opinion survey by the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association, an umbrella group representing the Canadian market research industry.
Of the 34 per cent of Canadians who have New Year’s resolutions, about 70 per cent want to be more environmentally conscious in 2008, the survey found. That makes it the new year’s most popular resolution, the goal of more than one-fifth of Canadians.
Guelphites are seriously intent on making a difference in the world when it comes to another pressing issue. Local activist Dr. Anne-Marie Zajdlik’s resolution is to finish raising $1-million for an AIDS clinic in Lesotho, Africa by the spring. She has about $200,000 still to find.
“Canadians are a very generous lot of people and Guelph is particularly compassionate,” she said. “What I’d like to do this year is to focus much more on creating awareness in our community and encouraging and inspiring Guelph to be even more compassionate.”
Since mid-December, $60,000 in donations have rolled, bringing the Masai for Africa campaign up to the $800,000 mark. Donations are expected to continue during the holidays and beyond.
The belief that big changes can start with individual actions underlies many New Year’s resolutions, from global concerns to personal ones.
Resolving to exercise and get fit is a perennial resolution for many people seeking self-improvement. It is the most popular resolution after becoming environmentally-conscious, according to the public opinion survey.
“Instead of just easing our way into it, we jump in, whole hog, and either we burn ourselves out very quickly or we get very disillusioned that we’re not getting those immediate results,” said Irene Thompson, a personal trainer at GoodLife Fitness.
Resolutions are too easily broken and most last only about a month, Thompson said. She recommends setting small objectives according to the “SMART” principle — goals that are specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and time-sensitive.
“With their resolutions, they have every great intention in the world. But they just don’t give themselves enough time to accomplish that,” she said.”
