I typically don't get caught up with new year's resolutions, but after the frenzy of the holiday season and ambitious January 1 declarations fall into a clearer perspective, this can be an even better time to look at realistic, positive changes that can make a difference in daily life and, more importantly, last year-round. This is also a time of year when our attention is not as split and we can focus on setting intentions without so many distractions.

My advice, for what it's worth, is to broaden your horizons and look for changes that can be reasonably (perhaps even enjoyably!) accomplished in the dead of winter.  I know "being green" is my thing, so maybe I'm biased here, but I think winter is a great time to focus on adopting greener habits at home. We spend a lot more time at home during the winter months, and often have stir-crazy kids to occupy. So if your family has been meaning to go green, now just may be the time to do it!

Here are some potential resolutions that are seasonally appropriate and green:

Repurpose & Upcycle (The hip new words for reusing stuff). Of the tenets of waste reduction—reduce, reuse, recycle—I think reuse is the most underrated. In fact, I think recycling often blinds us to the reuse potential of many common items. When an item is recyclable, I often find myself tossing it in the bin without a second thought.  

For example, large spaghetti sauce jars are a hot commodity in my house.  I store all of my dry goods in them—rice, sugar, nuts, seeds, etc.—keeping the pests out while helping me to stay more organized and avoid purchasing containers.  These jars are also great for gift-giving; fill them with homemade treats and put a sticker or some material over the cap for a hostess or holiday gift. This holiday, we gave brownie and cookie mixes in jars to family members—there are lots of recipes for "gifts in a jar" here.

Tin cans can be reused in a variety of ways as well. This Christmas, my aunt covered tin cans with paper and ribbon and filled them with treats!  I want to try using them to make luminaries.  There are more ideas for re-using tin cans here. 

The insides of cardboard boxes—like cereal and cracker boxes or even heavier boxes—are great surfaces for painting, drawing, and cut paper creations.  At this year's Halloween party we made scary scenes using a cardboard box as the background.  There are grown-up uses for cardboard, too—think recipe cards, place cards, a "wet paint" sign or "be right back" note.

Finally, clothes are often relegated to donations or rags, when there is a lot more in between! Donations are great, especially for clothes that are still in really good condition. But what if you have a beautiful printed shirt with a stain in one spot?  Consider turning it into a handbag or a dress for a child's doll. Or maybe it could be turned into a coffee-table cover or tied up for a nice potpourri satchel.  I put an old, mismatched placemat to use to dress up a plain old corkboard.  While some cloth projects require sewing skills, others can be accomplished quite nicely with a glue gun or tacky glue.

Institute a family game night.  How is this green you ask?  Well, if you are all sitting in one room playing a board game together, not only are you spending quality time together, but the rest of the lights in the house, the television(s), the video game(s), and the computer(s) can all be turned off.  Think about the energy one family game night would save you! 

Learn to make one thing at home that you would normally order out.  By avoiding ordering out, you not only save money, but you save the energy required to deliver the item to your residence (or for you to go get it) as well as the boxes that it is delivered in.  You also know exactly what is in your food, which I always find reassuring. 

This last resolution could be an especially fun challenge for your family—trying to get your meal of choice as good or better than the restaurant at home.  We are currently on a calzone mission, attempting to create the perfect calzone at home.  Tonight was attempt number three and we are getting close!  I should warn you, however, that this resolution can become addicting—I already have a mental list of the next "take-out" foods I would like to master.

If your family isn't big on eating out, an alternative could be trying to bake one item you would normally buy at the store twice a month.  Bread, cookies, crackers—the possibilities are endless.

Stay tuned for this winter's craft columns, where I will share with you the trials and tribulations of attempting to craft my way to a greener planet!