New Goals!

It's been quite awhile since we've update goals down on the funny farm. Here's how we're doing:

1) Eat seasonally, locally, sustainably, and organically. The funny farmer have been doing really well on this goal. We still have a few exceptions to the local rule, like coffee and dark chocolate. We frequent our farmers' market and use a local dairy. We also participate in a local CSA (community supported agriculture).

2) Grow more of our own food. We've had lots of family fun with this goal. We have 3 chickens and a large organic garden. Both are doing well despite our crazy Seattle weather. Our next step is to add a small green house.

3) Increase community, decrease consumerism. Sometimes, we struggle on this goal. It's easy to cocoon inside our corner of the world, but we're trying to connect to other green minded folks. We recently all participated in Green Fest. We also have been buying too much stuff. Time to cut back by using the library, making our own coffee, and repurposing (see new goals).

4) Live and play simply and locally. We've been staying fairly close to home in our vacationing, going just one state below or up into British Columbia. Most of our local play involves walks along the trails, visits to parks, or local celebrations.

We've decided to add a couple of new goals to the family project:

5) Eat vegetarian 3-4 times a week. We already do this on a fairly regular basis, but now we want to make it a project goal. Why? Red meat production is heavily taxing on the environment, so we're limiting this to no more that 1/wk with chicken and seafood on the other non-veg days.

6) Buy only what we need or truly love. We would like to save more green for fun and long term goals. Therefore, we are going to limit our consumerism to things we need, stuff we truly love, and experiences.

7) Make less trash. Despite religious recycling, we still generate too much trash. So it's time for mandatory travel mugs, reusable shopping bags, and packing free options. We do most of these already on a semiregular basis, but now it's time to do them every time.

8) Repurpose reusables. By repurposing, we use or creative brain and buy less stuff. For example, pop bottles can be bird feeders. Old jeans make cool denim purses. Vintage buttons and broken watches become jewelry. Wine bottles can become plant waterers. Broken flower pots are frog habitats.