Even if you don’t make them, there they loom, out in the distance - New Year’s Resolutions. Promising. Threatening. Intimidating. Exciting. I can never decide if they are good or bad. I love the idea of starting fresh and setting new goals; but I hate the accompnying pressure and judgement. So this year, I’m inviting you to do something new: Instead of focusing on trying to improve your self, try to do something for your planet. "Ugh!", you protest, but before you get all squeamish, thinking that I’m about to call you out on how you spent your Christmas bonus on another little black dress instead of donating to one of the many  address-label-funds-soliciting letters you got in the mail last month, hear me out, for what I mean is this: When you really think about it, aren’t you good enough as is? Just as you are. Whenever I ask my 90-year-old grandpa how he’s doing, he invariably reports a list of new ailments, but then puts on a big grin and says, "But it beats the alternative." And there you have it.

So this year, give your self a break and a pat on the back for everything that’s right with you, and then help stop global warming. Join the EcoMom Challenge and go on a diet that will work! In a nutshell, the EcoMom Challenge is about the simple things you can do to reduce your CO2 emissions by 8,000 pounds. I’m talking easy little things like driving less, avoiding products with a lot of packaging, buying recycled paper  for your printer and changing out your light bulbs to more energy efficient CFL’s (Compact Fluorescents which are now widely available, and with the money you’ll save in electricity bills, well worth the extra up front cost). This is the easiest and most fulfilling diet you’ve ever been on. Truly. I know I don’t get out enough, but it was honestly thrilling when I finally replaced all of the light bulbs in my house and I feel almost giddy when I remember to turn in my empty ink cartridges for recycling. Corbin, my five-year-old son, enjoys these little adventures too and his comments about Reducing, Reusing and Recycling are always good for a smile.

The concepts of "green living" and "sustainablity" can feel overwhelming, but it is also exciting and gives you a whole new sense of pride in your self and the way you are living your life. First steps for a sustainable future. It’s my EcoMomTM mantra, and a great way to start this New Year. In the words of the great Helen Keller, “I can not do everything, but I can do something.”

Oh and about that little black dress and the Christmas bonus, check out designer Anna Cohen’s soy drape dress. Happy 2007!