Here are five simple resolutions you can make for January of this new year to change your habits and practice a more environmentally-conscious lifestyle. Once you have fully adapted to these first five steps, making additional changes to your daily routines will be easier and you will soon notice a difference in how you go about your life on this fragile planet, not to mention the financial benefits of living eco-friendly. Each month five more tips to "going green" will be featured.
For January, start with these five steps. The second and fourth step might be big changes for some, but it is the start of the new year and there is no better time to implement lifestyle changes than now!
1. No more plastic bottles
It is time to make single-use plastic bottles a thing of the uninformed past. According to the Council of Canadians, producing and transporting bottled water requires large amounts of fossil fuels and plastic water bottles continue to end up by the millions in local landfills. Purchasing a stainless steel, reusable water canister is a simple way that each person can cut down on their plastic consumption and waste. Refill your reusable stainless steel water bottle with tap water every day and take it with you. Just think of how many plastic water bottles you go through a week and all the energy and resources it takes to produce those bottles and recycle them after one single use! This is also a great way to cut down on an unnecessary cost each week.
2. Reduce your meat intake
Even better, go vegetarian or at least cut down the number of meals per week you eat that include meat. The amount of resources used to raise animals for meat consumption is astounding. The David Suzuki Foundation reminds us that meat production and processing requires far more water than any other form of food production. As if this were not reason enough to cut back on meat, keep in mind that food animals also are the world's largest users of land, as they require pastures and a massive amount of land is used to grow crops for their fodder. Eating meat-free meals uses only a fraction of the resources that it takes to raise the equivalent protein value in meat. Eating meat-free meals is a great lifestyle change for 2009 because of the positive impact on the environment, your pocketbook and even your health. The David Suzuki Foundation states that vegetarians have a 24 per cent reduction in mortality from heart disease compared to meat eaters!
3. Carry reusable bags
Reusable bags are everywhere now. At most major grocery stores you can buy a canvas, reusable bag for around $1 if you forget to bring your own. Accumulating plastic bags in our homes and our landfills is wasteful and needless. Using reusable bags cuts down on the resources required to produce these bags. Some grocery stores now charge you for using plastic bags or at least offer a small price reduction on your grocery bill if you bring in your own bags. Reusable bags are larger, more sturdy and don't contribute to our waste outputs.
4. Change the way you travel
This is certainly easier said that done when you live in a place that is hard to get around by public transport. However keep in mind that every little bit counts. If public transport is inaccessible or unreliable where you live, try to arrange carpooling with co-workers, friends or neighbours. Avoid taking multiple trips in a day to run various errands to minimize your time spent driving a car. When the weather allows, try to bike or walk to places within a reasonable distance. Consider a hybrid or fuel-efficient car if you do have to drive regularly. Regardless of how you go about minimizing your ecological footprint caused by travelling, you will notice a financial gain. Taking public transit is far more cost efficient than purchasing, fueling and maintaining an automobile and reducing the amount of time you drive will reduce the amount you spend on volitle fuel prices. You also will reduce wear and tear on your car by slowing the accumulation of mileage.
5. Get creative with gifts wrap
The effort and resources put into wrapping a gift in fancy gift wrap paper and adorning it with ribbons and bows for several dollars seem extremely wasteful and unnecessary in today's changing world. The satisfaction of having a gift look pretty for a few seconds before its wrapping is torn off is no justification for such waste. Use up all of the gift wrap in your house and do not purchase any more. When you receive a gift in wrapping paper, try to preserve it so you can reuse it for another gift. Wrap gifts in other small gifts and fasten with small pins, such as tea towels, dish clothes, scarves, handkerchiefs, cloth napkins or reusable canvas bags. When you receive a gift in a gift bag, do not throw our or recycle the bag, but instead continue to use it to place other gifts in and remind the gift recipient to reuse the bag.
Additional Online Resources:
Council of Canadians - Five reasons to ban bottled water
David Suzuki's Nature Challenge - Food Facts
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
