Green Tips: Eco New Year’s Resolutions

Happy New Year! Do you have a resolution in mind this year? Many set goals around money, health, or family. We’d like to inspire our members with New Year’s resolutions that are not only eco-friendly, but can also help your wallet, health, and increase quality time with loved ones! Check out some of our ideas below for Eco New Year’s resolutions. 

Green Your Transportation

Want to reduce your impact on air pollution? Follow one or more of these tips to move around in a more environmentally friendly way. Even better if you get a neighbor, friend, or family member involved in your goals!

• Walk or bike to a destination at least once a week.
• Use public transportation when traveling to dense metropolitan areas. 
• Switch to a plug-in hybrid or electric vehicle.
• Carpool or rent an electric vehicle for every (or at least one) road trip this year.

Go Solar

Want to green your energy source and save money on your energy bill? Installing solar panels on your roof could be a great way to achieve both of those goals. The US Department of Energy has a useful guide on whether your house is suitable for solar panels and how to install them. You could save over $30,000 on energy bills over the next 20 years while reducing carbon emissions from power generation. If installing solar panels on your home is not feasible, switch your source of energy to renewable through your utility provider. 

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

The three Rs: we all know them, but have we been doing all we can to follow them? Let this year be the year we reduce our burden on our limited landfills!

• Reduce: Before buying something, ask yourself “Do I really need this?”
• Reuse: Think about ways to reuse things before throwing them out, especially unrecyclable things which take long periods of time to decompose.
• Recycle: Read through local recycling laws to get clear on what can be recycled in your town. Find them by typing “[name of your municipality] what can I recycle?” into your search engine.
• Teach the children in your household how to sort recyclable items and make recycling a family-wide goal! You can also do some upcycling crafts with the family! 
• If you missed our Reducing and Recycling E-Waste Green Tips from last month, be sure to check that out.

Green Your Diet

If a healthier diet is your New Year’s Resolution, you can accomplish your goal while being more sustainable.

• Consider cutting out or reducing your meat intake. The cultivation of livestock emits large amounts of greenhouse gases, so removing meat from your diet will have a positive environmental impact. In addition to lowering your risk for several diseases, you will likely save some money as well. 
• Buy locally grown produce which is fresher and likely contains fewer added chemicals than their mass-produced counterparts. Additionally, buying local supports local farmers and cuts down on transportation emissions.

Enjoy Natural Areas

Want to get outside more often? Start hiking in state and national parks! In addition to healthy exercise, you will get much-needed mental respite. Bask in the wilderness while showing your support for open spaces. Of course, remember to leave no trace!

We hope you enjoyed this week’s Green Tips, and we wish you a wonderful start to the new year!