The new year is upon us. While we can’t go back, we can make fresh strides moving forward. Here are a few resolutions to make for a more sustainable lifestyle.
It’s been quite a year, hasn’t it? Despite the uncertainties and difficulties we’ve faced, we can reflect on all we have learned about ourselves and our world to help us move forward. Don’t worry if you don’t feel like you accomplish much this year and aren’t too keen on making goals at the moment. No matter the date on the calendar, each day can be a new cycle of change, a new challenge, or a new beginning.
If you’re wondering what you can do to make your lifestyle different in this new year, we urge you to ponder more eco-friendly options that support both present and future generations. Here are some New Year’s resolutions for sustainability that you should consider.
Go Paperless When You Can
The world we live in is a technological one—a digital one—that has changed our everyday lives for the better. We use the internet all the time as it has completely revolutionized the way we communicate. All the while, people continue to use and waste paper. This year, choose to opt out of paper mail and set your notification settings for electronic bills and statements instead. Don’t forget that some of your favorite stores offer emailed receipts as well. At the very least, continue to recycle or reuse paper products to eliminate waste.
If You’re Veg-Curious, Become More Veg-Conscious
If you are considering or have considered ditching animal products for good, now might be the perfect time to give it another shot. One of the top New Year’s resolutions for sustainability is to eliminate—or, at minimum, reduce—your meat intake. The meat industry has an ongoing emissions and pollution issue. If you’re already vegan or vegetarian, you know that a plant-based lifestyle is the best way to reduce your environmental footprint.
For those still on their way, know that this diet is both good for the planet and good for your health—and you don’t necessarily have to give up your favorite foods cold turkey (so to speak). Resolutions are a process and not a matter of instant transformation or gratification. Think more deeply about your food choices, and work to make conscious, ethical decisions. Adjustment or adaption may take time, but take this fresh opportunity to take a sustainable step in the right direction.
Buy Local and Handmade
One way to be more sustainable is to consider what you’re buying more carefully. Be fully conscious of how you shop and spend your money as an everyday consumer.
Instead of supporting large, unethical corporations that mass-produce items, commit to shopping more locally and purchasing more products from small businesses.
Sustainability is only one of the advantages of buying handmade products. Arts, crafts, trades, skills, and traditions can continue to live on for further generations through the products that artisans and craftsmen create. When you think globally but act locally, communities and individuals alike have more hope for the future.
