It’s a Brand New Year.

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http://the-5th-turtle.blogspot.com

And what a wonderful year it promises to be…

Yes, the economy is hurting, yes, there are wars happening for reasons that may or may not be for the right reasons. Global warming, joblessness, violence, corruption, and greed have dominated the news. Yet here we are, on the brink of history: a new President that promises to be every bit the change he said he would be, and the growing environmental movement that promises to be the tipping point towards global stewardship instead of our long history of use and abuse of resources. I am so excited about the possibilities that I can hardly stand it.

Here in the Green Guest household, we avoid New Year’s “resolutions”. We tend towards a New Year’s “theme”. We each choose one, and they usually compliment each other nicely. Previous years’ themes have been concepts such as “abundance”, or “kindness”, or “sharing”. This year, Mrs. Green Guest chose “Reduction” as her theme – she is interested in reducing spending, reducing waste, and reducing overconsumption in a variety of areas. Once again, it pairs nicely with my theme of “Sufficiency”. My concept of sufficiency means having or using only what is sufficient for our needs, with no waste or excess. Do we really need three lamps on in the living room, or is one “sufficient” for our needs? Do we really need toilet paper made fresh from the trees of the forest, or is 100% recycled toilet paper “sufficient” for our needs? Think about THAT one for a minute, will ya? How much of what we buy, consume, and use do we really need, and how much is really sufficient for our needs?

To that end, I give you “The Story of Stuff”. Props to my buddy Hank for reminding me about one of my favorite web videos. If you haven’t already seen it, spend an easy 20 minutes watching it, please. It is a fantastic way to start the New Year. If you have already seen it, ditto what I just said. It bears repeating.

http://www.storyofstuff.com/




So what about you? What are your resolutions or themes for the New Year? I’d love to hear about them. There is power in numbers, so share with us! We’ll cheer you on! From the Green Guest household to yours, best wishes for a Happy New Year! Sphere: Related Content