Joshua As the year ends, it’s easy to think of all the changes we’ll make in the new year. But by the second half of January, many of us have already found reasons to break our spending freeze or skip the gym.
We’ve created ten easy green resolutions for the New Year that are so simple you won’t have any excuses not to keep them. They will help you reduce your carbon footprint and waste in your home and improve the quality of Earth.
Never again buy bottled water.
If you stop buying bottled water, you could save up to $1400 this year. You could save up to 1,400 by not buying bottled water.
Brew fair trade coffee.
Choose a Fair Trade coffee blend that supports farmers. Use oat milk instead of dairy creamers. Choose a fair-trade coffee blend to help farmers. Add oat milk instead of dairy creamers. Use a French Press rather than a coffee machine that uses disposable pods.
Reduce the use of paper towels.
It’s time to change if you use paper towels to clean your counter, wipe up spills, scrub the bathroom, or keep your hands clean during dinner. Instead, buy a few cloth napkins and cotton clothes. Then throw them in your washing machine when you do laundry. The cloth versions are just as simple as the paper ones and only have to be purchased once. Ocean Conservancy says you can eliminate 13 billion pounds of paper towels from landfills daily.
Remember your reusable bags.
According to Ocean Crusaders’ estimates, over 1 million plastic bags end up in the trash every minute. Taking reusable bags to the store can be one of the most efficient and effective ways to reduce carbon footprint. The hardest part is remembering to bring them along.
Use a bicycle for short trips.
It can be a great way to get around, even if you’re not a big cycling fan. You could use your bike for short trips, such as going to the grocery store or getting ice cream after dinner at your favorite place, attending your yoga class in the morning, or having brunch with your friends at a coffee shop. You can reduce your carbon footprint, save money and improve your fitness by riding your bike on short trips.
Eliminate Phantom Power
If you don’t want to bother, you can use energy-efficient gadgets that will do it for you. You can use power strips to shut down all of your appliances simultaneously. Set your TV, set-top box, and game system on a schedule so that they will automatically turn off at night. Your energy bill could be reduced by up to 10% annually without lifting a finger.
Order your local CSA.
It sounds excellent to go to the farmer’s markets, but when Saturday comes around, you must be up early and have cash on hand to compete with other shoppers for the best strawberries. Have your local CSA program assemble a weekly box of the best local produce if you need more time to deliver it to your home.
How to Become a vegetarian part-time
It’s easier than you think to come up with meatless meals. For breakfast, try pancakes with fruit, fresh salads, or roasted vegetable sandwiches; for lunch, and dinner, veggie pizzas, bean soups, or creamy risottos. Double a recipe to save time and eat it throughout the week.
Switch to green energy.
Switching your home to run on green power sounds like a big job–installing solar panels or geothermal energy is not a job for the construction-impaired. You can do this without leaving your chair. Call your local power company to see if it offers renewable options. You may see a slight increase in your energy bill.
Replace your lightbulbs
The ultimate eco-slacker may want to replace their CFL or incandescent lightbulbs with LEDs. It only takes one person to replace a lightbulb. And since CFLs are more energy-efficient than traditional bulbs, they will save you time and money for many years. You can’t face the hardware store. You can order your bulbs online, delivered to your home.
