© Catherine Owen
Dec 22, 2007
New Year’s resolutions can benefit both yourself and the planet. Learn how to go green at the grocery store, in your home and for the environment of the future.
Resolutions are often made by thinking about individual change. You pledge to lose weight, stop smoking or pay off your debts in the New Year. However, resolutions can also be made for collective gain. Beginning January with resolutions to go green in simple ways contributes to reducing your ecological footprint on the earth. In the process, making green choices at the grocery store, around the home and in the world you will lose pounds, lessen pollution and even save money!
Green Groceries
Many of us don’t live near an organic grocery store or have the space to grow our own vegetables. In Canada, fortunately, there are now organically certified items available at most grocery stores. Choose the recycled toilet paper, the biodegradable soap and the locally grown produce when you can. Look for bird friendly, sustainably-grown coffee beans. Buy certain package-heavy goods in bulk to save on garbage. If you live near a farmer’s market, shop there in summertime. Bring your own canvas bags or a basket. Start a community garden and turn your leftovers into rich-soil producing compost. Barbeque more than you use the stove; it produces fewer harmful emissions. Better yet, eat all you can raw for the highest level of nutrients. Vegetarian cooking is getting tastier and more varied all the time. Try for at least one meatless meal a week. Saves vital resources and you’ll be surprised how much faster you’ll drop those pounds.
Green Homes
Enjoy showers more than baths, saving water with an efficient showerhead. Clothes get clean just as well in cold water, especially when you use a biodegradable detergent. Speaking of cold water, avoid buying bottles of it; instead, install a tap filter and take a reusable thermos of it with you. Lower the thermostat a bit and get snuggly in sweaters, making sure your insulation lacks gaps through which heat quickly leaks. Making your house sparkle is easy with baking soda and vinegar mixtures; no need for Mr Clean! Replace your lightbulbs with energy and dollar saving LED bulbs. Use re-chargeable batteries for toys, gadgets and tools. Steer clear of leaf blowers and weed eaters for yard work. A manual mower and a trowel does the job just as well, and gives you valuable exercise in the process.
Greening the World
The best resolution you can make for the earth is to use your car less or get rid of it altogether. Walk, bike, use public transit or car share. The emissions and money you save will be immense. Recycle much more than you throw away and buy recycled or used products. Simply buy less. Ask yourself if you really need this consumer item or if you can live without it. Lighten your expenditures and you’ll relieve stress on both yourself and the planet. Make a contribution to an environmental cause like Greenpeace, the Sierra Club or the Rainforest Action Network. If you choose to try even a few of these ideas, you’ll be starting the New Year with resolutions that will benefit yourself and the environment we all live in.
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