New Year

This is my first post of the New Year and it's already January 18th. That should tell you how busy the year's been already!

I have mixed feelings about 2009. The promise of new beginnings is still there, just like any year, but this one is already tainted with media rumors of the worst recession since the Great Depression and massive jobs loss. At IBM, they're only predicting a 4% reduction of staff, but at a company of 386,000 employees, that's a whopping 16,000 people. The ax should drop sometime in the next two weeks. Lucky for us, that's no where near what some other tech companies are reporting. For instance, Microsoft may cut 17% and no one seems very excited about the new Windows 7.0.

On the good news front, since the year rolled over, my 401K losses don't seem as depressing. I've only lost 5% since the beginning of the year, instead of 37.94%. My bi-weekly commute to North Dakota now costs me $30-40 one way instead of the $60 it did last year. Best of all, people are not buying useless things like the one-click butter cutter or faux sky lights that seem to exist only to clutter our houses and hurt the environment.

As for me, I plan to tackle my pocketbook by living a little more sustainably. Nathan and I are ordering a vegetarian cook-book to reduce our meat consumption and I'm pondering buying this, which will turn my bike into exercise equipment and a small power generator. I think it's going to be a good year.

Natural or Artificial Flavor

For anyone that's ever wondered whether it's better to have a Natural vs. Artificial Christmas Tree - here's your answer:

Christmas Tree Environmental Impact Assessment

If you don't want to wade through eight pages of detail, here's what you need to know:

Unless you keep the artificial tree for 20 years and continue to use it afterward, a natural tree has a smaller impact on climate change.

When compared on an annual basis, the artificial tree has three times the negative impact on climate change and human health. However, the artificial tree is four times better in terms of ecosystem quality.

My conclusion? I think we're all better off using a tree like the one we have in our North Dakota apartment. Made of recycled materials, minimal decorations, and the best part is, your pets won't try to eat it:



Merry Christmas!!

Bag Lady

If anyone has been thinking about switching to canvas bags from plastic, but hasn't run across any bags yet, check out this site:Green Bag Lady

There's even a pattern for you to make your own!

Another plus to switching to canvas is that they fit more items and are easier to carry inside since you can carry them on your shoulder - fewer trips back and forth to the car.

Happy Bagging!