Reflection: My resolution

Why have I decided to do this? Why make a resolution to live a more sustainable life? Where did the idea come from?

It really started last spring when I started to investigate what my life-goals are. I defined three projects that together sum up my life. The first was about safety and having a steady ground to stand on. The second was about always growing and continuous learning. The third was about making the world a better place.

Since then this third project has been gnawing on my mind. How can I do this? Where do I start? The culmination came when christmas shopping was starting. I got an e-mail from a NGO that I sometimes give money to, saying that this year I should give people what they were wishing for. I should give them Nothing. The NGO then had gift certificates saying "This year you get Nothing". I decided that instead of giving my near and dear gifts that they don't need, I would give them Nothing. Because of this I started to reflect on all the different things we buy that we don't really need. I went in to a store that sell all those kinds of cheap tingle tangle and it really sickened me, how much of the things people buy in here will just end up in the trash?

A decision: I need to consume less!

So, if I consume less, the world will be a better place? But how do I measure this? Am I willing to sacrifice some of the comforts in life? And what is it that I really want to achieve by my smaller consumption?

I want to use less resources and make sure that the resources I use are not damaging the environment. But I also wanted to support developing countries and fair trade. And then suddenly the word sustainable dawned on me. This was the word that I would use and go by. My goal: sustainable lifestyle. To keep it sustainable for me, the environment and the people around me.

The reason I decided to start writing about this project was that I realize that it will take a lot of effort and knowledge to get through this. And I want to share that. I want others to be inspired by and learn about the things that I find. Sharing is caring you know! I will try to keep my consumption at minimum but the things I do consume, I will do as sustainable as possible. Telling you all about the analysis I have to make to find the best choice of different products and how one can think when choosing what to consume. And also problematize about how to choose the lesser evil, if necessary.

Come along and join me. I have created this resolution for myself, what will be your?