My wife and I ran a coffee shop for a little over three years. Slowly, our convictions of green living began to creep in.

I do love the clean-slate feeling a new year can bring. I think in 2010, my theme will be Good Enough is Not Enough.

For me, the best way to go green and make a significant impact on the environment is centered on the situations I encounter in my everyday setting.

I realized that I have been so focused on big changes that I have lost sight of the answer to one simple question: What can I do every day to be mindful of my footprint?

I must confess, I’m not a huge New Year’s resolution kind of guy, but when I think about the new year, there are a few areas of my life that I want to take to the next level.

Now that the new year is here, I feel that it’s time to level up in my recycling and green living efforts.

One of my goals this year is to join my local CSA. A CSA is a program in which residents of a given area form a relationship with a local farm.

Finding a sustainability-focused gift shop is tough. Finding one that sells eco-friendly gift wrap is even tougher.

Ironically, manufactured chemicals like BPA represent how hazardous our contemporary lifestyles can be, but there is another, better known chemical compound, Lysol, that helps keep much of America safe.

Let’s talk about how to use less plastic when buying personal care items such as soap, toothpaste, deodorant and cosmetics.