You’ve probably made New Year’s resolutions before, and maybe you’ve found it hard to follow through. Don’t worry; so have millions of other people. But it’s never too late to try again. If you’re interested in reducing your carbon footprint, try making these New Year’s resolutions for a greener lifestyle.
Use public transit to get to work
Research has shown that people who commute to work by bus or train makes people happier than driving to work. And it’s not surprising—who gets any joy out of fighting traffic every morning and evening when you can sit back and leave the driving to someone else? If you can’t commute by public transit every day, make a New Year’s resolution to use it one or two days a week to start, and see how it works for you.
Cut back on meat
The World Health Organization has concerns about humankind’s rapidly increasing meat consumption. The environmental impact of factory farming, the cost of feeding animals, and the low yield that meat produces, have got people all over the world rethinking how much meat they eat. If you’re interested in going vegetarian or vegan, there are a lot of delicious recipes available to you (you can find quite a few of them on our Pinterest page). But even if you can’t give up meat entirely, make a New Year’s resolution to start by not eating meat one day a week.
Eat sustainable foods
Some crops, such as avocados and almonds, are incredibly water-intensive and stretch the capacity of drought-ridden states like California to sustain both human drinking water and agricultural needs. The best way to eat sustainably is to eat local. Check out your area’s farmers’ market and support the people who make it possible for you to get your fruit, veggies, and meat and cheese sustainably. Another option is to get involved in a community-supported agriculture program in which you get sustainably grown veggies and fruits delivered to your doorstep.
Give up the coffee pods
Not only are those one-cup pods polluting our landfills, they’re significantly more expensive per cup than making your own coffee in a coffee machine or French press. Even though the manufacturers of the coffee pods say the things are recyclable, very few people actually do put them in the recycling bin. Furthermore, since the pods are made of plastic and aluminum, they are a great deal harder to recycle. Instead of making one-cup servings, why not make a New Year’s resolution to make your morning coffee more sustainable? While you’re at it, you can bring some of that extra coffee with you in your own personal cup in order to save money during the work day.
What New Year’s resolutions are you making to create a greener life? Please share them in the comments!
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