“On our way – walk to school”

I talked about my reasonings for choosing each month to tackle a new green habit in 6 Ways to Go Green in 2013 {Part 1} and now I am going to go further and share my goals to go green for the second half of the year.

July: Walk and Bike More, Drive Less. This is a great month to practice this in the Pacific Northwest. July is the best month for summer weather and getting outdoors. We are lucky to be able to walk to several places: library, parks, grocery store, coffee shop, and a few other shops and restaurants. One thing I would like to focus on this year is biking. Because we live in such a hilly area with no bike lanes, we haven’t done much biking as a family. One day I would love to be able to camp and take off on our bikes to explore the country.

August: Organization. This is one of the most difficult goals I have aspired to as a parent. Kids are like mini whirlwinds that continually undo any work made on tidiness, schedules, or ideas to keep things in order. I know that if I could only get some grasp of organization though, we’d all have a lot more time for fun and play. I would also feel calmer when I knew where everything was and where I was supposed to be as well. Doing this greener means I hope to not use plastic or other materials that are not eco-friendly. That will be a challenge.

September: Green Back-to-School. I always try to keep our back-to-school as green as possible. It can be hard when our school has a system of shared supplies, so while my eco-friendly pencils and wipes may not go to my child, my conscience is clear. Our school is very green compared to many public schools, but I hope to be more involved with the school to work on greening a few more things.

October: Green Halloween. Green Halloween‘s site has the market covered on how to make this holiday of candy excess a little easier on the planet, and your kids. I would do well to simply follow all of their recommendations. I will confess an eco-sin that while I do a great many things to attempt to keep Halloween green, I still have not banned all the candy that they get. Even though I know that stuff isn’t healthy for them and likely isn’t healthy for the planet (depending on brand), I let them eat what they want for the most part.

November: Activism. I recently read a quote from Alice Walker that said ”Activism is my rent for living on the planet.” Those words struck me as perfect. I have long considered myself an activist, but I would like my activism to become more focused with special consideration for forcing myself to step outside my comfort zone. I have seen what can happen when both of those things happen and I long to see some successes on issues I hold most dear.

December: Home Health Remedies and Prevention. I believe strongly that we have great power to prevent illness through real, whole food and exercise. When that fails I believe homemade concoctions of herbs, honey, ginger, and other such things can heal us without much effort. The trouble is knowing what to use and in what combinations. I have wanted to learn more about this and with another winter beginning this month, it is the perfect time to turn my attention toward that knowledge of healthfulness.

Bonus: Eco-Friendly Car. This may not be likely for this year, but I like to plan and dream a little. One day when our main car gives out, I want to be prepared to make a solid eco-friendly choice. I have seen the Mitsubishi i, which looks incredible, but too small for my family of five. I know about hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric cars, I only hope that 2013 and beyond will see more and more options for families. Until then, I will be watching to see which technology comes out on top.

In this brand new year with so much on our minds, what do you hope to accomplish before the year’s end? I hope you will join in the conversation as we all bring a little different perspective on priorities!