Eco New Year’s Resolutions

Now I’m not one for the new year, new me bullshit but I am always trying to be better, do better and I learn quickly from any mistakes I make. I thought I’d share a random list of ideas if you’re looking to make any eco swaps!

In no particular order… just the random nature of them falling out of my head! Saying that, they’re not new or ground breaking but they’re good reminders of how little things can be big things and it might have a few new ones for you to try!

1. Simply buy less stuff

First one up and this one is pretty obvious. We’ve all become a bit consumeristic and if you sat back and looked at all the stuff you own with fresh eyes. Do you need it all? Probably not. Something to think about next time you go shopping!

2. Shop Ethically Instead

Again, another obvious one. We can make better choices. We can chose where we shop, we can buy local and we can buy better.

3. Buy Preloved

My eldest once described his preloved clothes as ‘awesome’ because “they’ve already been on adventures” – I love that so much. Find your local charity shops and go for a mooch.

4. Buy Reusable Products

Now these are often more of an investment so you could maybe look at swapping something once a month? A safety razor should last you a life time for example. Cloth nappies can easily be used on ALL of your children. Stop buying things to use once and throw away!

5. Muff Fluff – CSP

For all of us that menstruate monthly invest in some pretty fluff, or a cup. Your vagina will thank you for it straight away and your purse will thank you a few months later!

6. Look at reducing Single Use Plastic

From personal experience, I’ve found our biggest culprit for single use plastic is our food shopping. Something I’m finding very difficult to reduce but if you live in a less rural location than mine you might find it more achievable. Have a look next time you go food shopping and see if you can swap anything that comes naked or in recyclable packaging.

7. Meal Planning

Something I want to embrace this year. The best thing about this is it will hopefully help you eliminate any food waste as you can plan it all out and only buy what you need.

8. Meatless Monday’s

Not a new thing, but a great one! Reducing our meat intake on a massive scale will have such an impact. Vegetarian and vegan substitutes are becoming more readily available and tastier all the time. Going plant based full time is a big step but a few meatless dishes a week is great for your health and your budget too.

9. Grow your own!

Anyone can do this. If you got access to an allotment, a garden or even a window sill stick something in a pot and grow your own! It’s great for kids to see the process too and soooooooooooo much tastier!

10. Composting

Most local Councils provide every home in the UK with the means to compost. But to be fair there are no excuses. It’s really easy to do and takes up very little space! We have a small compost container on our bunker/countertop and once it’s full we tip it into our outside compost bin or the correct bin for the council to collect. It could not be easier. Most Councils even provide bags or you can go bag-less if you’re doing it yourself! Check your local council website.

11. Get Outside and Walk More

Another obvious one. Driving less is always good and walking more is even better. Getting outside back into nature is good for the soul and there are plenty of walks to choose from. Why not explore your surroundings and see what’s out there.

12. Buy all the BARS!

Bar soap, bar dishwashing soap, solid shampoo, solid conditioner, solid face cleansers, solid deodorant – they’re all out there now! Buy them!! They come with zero waste packaging and are made with natural ingredients. No waste and no more plastic bottles. You can make a huge difference with this one!

13. Eco Gift Wrap

On the back of Christmas we only produced half a small carrier bag of waste this year and they were all from presents gifted to us. All our wrapping was fully recyclable brown paper, or reused packing paper from deliveries over the year. Finished off with ribbon we can save for next time or eco friendly fully recyclable compostable tape. Win win and still pretty under the tree! We even made our own crackers this year too!

14. Find Your Tribe

Like minded folk are out there I promise. It won’t take you long to find them either. The past few years have seen a huge shift in public outlook on eco topics. We all want to do better, we all want to be better. Get yourself on Facebook and find a group! There are loads, composting, zero waste, vegan and veggie ideas, slow cooker groups, recycling, reusables, cloth nappies, organic clothes join them all and find your tribe!

15. Get Involved In Your Community

We moved to a small town and we threw ourselves into the community to embrace its spirit. We didn’t moan about the rubbish in the burn we found out when the next litter pick was and got our wellies on and got stuck in. Lots of folk like to moan nowadays and so few actually want to get their hands dirty and help. Don’t be like that. If you want something done, find a way to do it and get stuck in.

16. Be the change

Flaunt your reusable bottles, tell people about your amazing new solid shampoo. Flash your cloth nappies at folk to get people talking, thinking, asking questions. Send them links to things you might like. Show them how easy it is and soon enough they’ll think about it next time they go to buy something.

I wish you all the best for 2020 whatever it might bring!

Thanks for reading,

Jo 💚