Earth Day was on Wednesday, so I thought I’d take a look at my family’s lifestyle, evaluate our green-ness, and see what we need to improve. I'm no Ed Begley, Jr., but we try:

Good: In the past few years, my husband and I have gotten rid of a combined 30mpg by driving more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Good: Both of our cars were purchased used—no new resources.

Bad: We live 13 miles away from my husband’s office.

Good: We live four miles from my office—Carbontastic!

Bad: We live 20 miles away from our kids’ school.

Good: We recycle every single thing that Waste Management will accept.

Bad: We do not compost.

Good: We always bring our own reusable bags shopping.

Bad: I have been known to buy a bottle of water occasionally.

Good: We live in a 100+ year old house—no new construction materials.

Bad: It has the least water-efficient toilets I have ever seen.

Good: We turn off all lights, computers, stereos and televisions when not specifically in use. The kids get a dollar docked from their allowance when they leave something on—money talks, man!

Bad: My husband likes our house to be 80 degrees all the time.

Good: Our thermostat is on a timer.

Good: 75% of the furniture in our house is antique or vintage—no new wood.

Good: We only buy recycled paper towels, tissue, paper napkins and TP—I just cannot wipe with new trees!

Bad: We do not buy organic milk, produce or meat.

Good: We have drastically reduced the amount of fish we consume to protect the oceans’ stock.

Good: We consider all resale options before considering buying any new appliances, electronics, equipment, etc.—keeps them out of landfills.

Good: There are no non-native plants or sod to be watered in our yard.

Bad: There is nothing but dirt in our yard.

To conclude, in order to make 2009 an Earth Year, here are my Green Goals:

Start a compost bin.

Impose a moratorium on bottled water purchases.

Replace the toilets in our house (more efficient models start at $50!).

Buy my husband some thrift store sweaters.

Work the added expense of organics into our household budget.

Xeriscape or plant a vegetable garden in our yard.

That’s not too bad! Attainable and inexpensive. How do you stack up? What are your Green Goals for 2009?

—Lisa