This new year green your new years resolution!

Rather than foregoing the new years resolution altogether or doing the same resolution as the year before add a little healthy excitement to your new years resolution.  Here are our top 10 green resolutions for ringing in 2010!

10. Plant some trees.

With all the consumption of paper products, there are less trees standing to give us clean air.  This year commit to planting a set number of trees, whatever your budget will allow, and help give back to the community and the environment.  If you are unable to plant a tree in your area you can buy trees to be planted in national forests and areas all across the globe!

9. Use reusable shopping bags.

I know we've all heard this a hundred times and then some, but every plastic shopping bag you use eventually finds it way into a landfill.  This year, add some stylish eco-friendly shopping bags to your shopping list.  Keep the bags in your car or by the door so you remember them when you go shopping.  They can hold quite a bit more than the standard plastic bag, which means fewer bags to carry, fewer loads to take in, and fewer bags ending up in a landfill.  An all around win!

8. Unplug unused electronics and chargers.

All the electronics and chargers you leave plugged in when not in use are sucking unnecessary energy from the outlets.  There is no need for a cell phone charger to be plugged in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week when you only charge your phone for a couple hours at a time.  The same goes for the blender, coffee maker, toaster, dvd player, gaming console.  All these electronics are pulling energy they don't need and adding to your electric bill.  Unplug your electronics or plug them into a power strip and switch it off when they're not in use and reduce your electric bill and carbon footprint.  It's estimated that 5% of electricity in the U.S. is wasted on products that are turned off.

7. Buy Recycled Products

Many of the products we use on a day-to-day basis are paper products.  This year, buy recycled paper products and help save a few trees.  Recycled products preserve trees because no trees are needed in the production, and the production process is a lot less damaging to the environment.  You can buy recycled toilet paper, paper towels, and napkins at many local super markets or online.

6. Make a shopping list before you go shopping

Reducing the number of trips you make to the store can greatly affect and reduce your carbon footprint.  Making a shopping list and waiting until you have a substantial list and make one trip to the store you will save on time, gas, money, and you will reduce your carbon footprint.  A great way to go green in the new year!

5. Buy a reusable water bottle

Using a reusable water bottle can help cut your waste and expenses this new years.  It is a simple and inexpensive way to green your life and stay hydrated.  In 2006, Americans purchased nearly 31 billion bottles of water and spent $11 billion on bottled water.  These bottles of water end up in landfills.  According to an article in the Chicago Sun-Times , "it takes 1.5 million barrels of oil -- enough to fuel 100,000 cars for a year -- to make the plastic bottles to meet Americans' demand for bottled water."

4. Keep a Green Actions Journal

This year keep a journal of all your green activities.  This is a fun and easy way to track the different ways you go green this year or years past.  Keep a journal throughout the year to track your progress and to see what green initiatives you have accomplished throughout the year.  You might be surprised at what you can accomplish in a years time.

3. Drive Less

An easy way to cut costs, get a little exercise, and give the planet a break.  Gas emissions are a large contributor to pollution and global warming.  By driving less you decrease your gas emissions and can help cut your costs on gas.  If you decrease your driving habits and choose to not drive just once a week you will find fun and creative ways to get from point A to point B while giving the planet a small reprieve.

2. Plant a Community Garden

Want a way to bring your community together?  Community gardens are a fun way to bring the community together.  Not only do community gardens bring a community together, but they also produce a nutritious product.  The fruits and vegetables produced in a community garden can be much healthier than those bought at the super market and you can save on time and money commuting to and from the store for produce that has been shipped in from all over the world.

1. Use Eco-Friendly Alternatives

As the products you use on a daily basis run out, think about purchasing eco-friendly alternatives to replace you usual products.  Many of the conventional products have toxic chemicals and can be packaged in materials that are harmful to the environment.  This year, as your products run out, look at buying some environmentally friendly alternatives and give the environment a little bit of a break.