Today is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year 5769. And, although I am Jewish, I'm at work today. Oddly enough, the members of the House of Representatives are not. They went home despite the near-catastrophic collapse of our economy - with the Dow Jones tumbling by 777 points yesterday. I am not going to speculate about the motives behind the Congressional recess -- the dearth of potato pancakes in DC?-- but it's worth noting that only 8 percent of Congressmen are Jewish.

Today is also the day that a 26-year ban on offshore drilling will come to an end. Because Congress did not act to extend the moratorium, oil companies will now have the opportunity to expand their exploration for more oil. By co-opting American's real desire for "energy independence," Big Oil was able to turn the tide and open up new areas for their oil rigs despite the general consensus that this will do nothing to lower gas prices or help us find new clean energy sources.

With these thoughts in mind, here is my shortlist of New Year's resolutions:

1. To use my skills to pressure Congress and the next president to re-assert the moratorium on oil drilling and reject other dirty fuels, like oil shale, tar sands, and liquid coal.

2. To encourage our political leaders and others to take a serious look at how we can reinvigorate our economy through investing in clean energy sources (that is wind and solar, not so-called "clean coal"), creating green jobs, and finding lasting solutions to end our real dependence on oil.

3. On a personal note, my modest goals are to turn off more lights, consume less, and ride my bike more. (Check out NRDC's Green Living Guide)

October 9 is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, so maybe then I'll turn my thoughts to things we need to repent for. With the way things have gone recently, I have a feeling it may be a long list.