The fireworks are going off, you may (or may not) have had a kiss at midnight, and now you’re ready and motivated to start the year off right! You know your health is your number one priority but what new year’s resolution can you make? Have you considered that, with most goals, you can also be doing your children and the environment a HUGE favor? So if you’re still on the fence about what to change in 2020, let’s look at some common goals and how they tie to decreasing your trash.
New Year’s Resolution:
Make Better Food Choices
Eat More Fruits & Vegetables
If health is your new year’s focus, no doubt you’ll be increasing your fruits and vegetables. The produce section is one of the easiest sections to find non-packaged food too! This means, you’re not throwing out or recycling packaging (because recycling is not the solution to decreasing waste. Read more about that here.) You can also find things like legumes and nuts in the bulk section of many stores, which you can bring your own containers for. So by eating healthier, you’ll also be decreasing your waste.
Drink More Water
Drinking more water is another great way to health. “I don’t want to drink tap water so I’ll be drinking from bottles!” you may think. One way to avoid bottled water is to always bring your own water bottles. If you’re in the US, avoiding bottled water and filtering it yourself is probably a good choice as the EPA (oversees tap water) and FDA (oversees bottled water) use similar standards. So if you’re wanting to avoid all the contaminates allowed and even added to water in the US, look into a high quality water filtration system, like a Berkey. This will not only save you money in the long run, but also save your health and decrease your waste. According to their website, the black filters never need to be replaced, just cleaned, but their filtration can slow considerable, making you want to purchase new ones after a few years. You can read about them on their website.
Save Money
When you drink water, you’re not just doing something good for your health, but it also helps you save money. You’ll drink water instead of soda or bring your own water bottle. Some other ways to save money and the environment are making a coffee before you leave for work and using your coffee mug or cook at home so you’re not taking food in to go containers or the food going to the landfill. You’ll also start to figure out what you’re buying impulsively vs actually needing.
Invest
Going low waste also means you’ll begin to invest in things to use for the long term. To save money, you could swap: reusable face rounds for cotton balls, washable sponges instead of disposables, straight razors instead of disposables, unpaper towels instead of disposable, cloth diapers, and even bringing your own mug to some coffee stores can all save you money in the long run. They may cost more upfront, but you’ll make less waste and save money in the long run!
Putting Yourself First
Putting yourself first isn’t selfish – it’s ensuring that your cup gets filled so you’re overflowing and able to help others. You also become more thoughtful about what you allow into your live and what you put your energy into. When you become more aware of yourself, you also become more aware of things surrounding you. You’ll begin to notice if you really want something or if you got it from someone and are only keeping it because they gave it to you.
Being yourself first on your mind also can make you decide to buy toxin free products. When products aren’t toxic for you, they typically tend to be better for the environment also! Your products tend to be made with more natural, basic ingredients.
What is your new year’s resolution? Can you make it great not just for yourself, but the earth too?
Taking care of mama earth is essential for your health and well being too. I think we can all agree this is something we all need more of in 2020!
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