I’m not always a huge fan of New Year’s Resolutions, but 2022 will be different. Data indicates that 93% of Americans are concerned about the environment. But we’re also more willing to do more to support sustainable businesses.
In one recent survey, 66% of people say they consider sustainability when deciding what to buy. We’ve covered the best sustainable swaps and hot products in the past. If you, like me, are one of the 75% who are looking for ways to be more sustainable as your New Year’s Resolution this year, here are a few tips for how to start.
Use It Up
Food waste is such a problem. If you look at the numbers, around 1/3 of all food, amounting to ~ 1.3 billion tons per year in the world, is lost to waste. Not all that loss is the “fault” of consumers like you and me. In fact, some 50% of food is lost to the production process. STILL, imagine the impact we could make if we just did a better job of eating what we bought.
One of the best ways to avoid the problem of food going bad is to keep better track of the food I buy, both at-a-glance when I scan the pantry shelves and via my smartphone. I’ve used LOTS of apps to try to track my grocery lists, but the one I’m using right now is KITCHENPAL. It’s an all-in-one grocery list, pantry manager, and product comparison solution, with recipe ideas thrown in.
DecoBros Stackable Kitchen Cabinet Organizer
Your pantry might be one of those black holes where food stuffs go to expire or worse. That’s why organization is such a key part of USING all your food this coming year. By strategically organizing your pantry, you’ll know what you have and what you don’t have. Even someone as short as me can see and find what I’m looking for when I need it.
I also know it’s in there because I use my trusty pantry manager app. To get started with organizing your pantry, plan out how you will make the best use of your space, and get cabinet organizer solutions that will work for you. Be strategic but also be realistic. If you’re never going to use the food, remove it from your pantry and donate it to your local food pantry. That’s a part of being more sustainable too!
Reduce Food Waste
When you throw food out with the trash, the waste generates methane, which is a contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. A wonderful way to reduce food waste, with its negative impact on the planet, is to use a composter. When you compost food waste, you’re also taking something that’s essentially garbage and creating something essential and valuable out of it: fertilizer.
Dual Chamber Compost Tumbler
This dual-chamber compost tumbler is the best way to put those kitchen scraps to work for you and your garden. Miracle Gro produces nutrient-dense fertilizer, which you can use for your new sustainable garden.
Bring Reusable Shopping Bags
Before the pandemic, a few states implemented single-use bag restrictions. California was probably the most vocal example, but our local ordinance has made the news too with their plastic-bag ban. So, why should you bring your reusable shopping bags to the store? From a sustainability point of view, the answer is obvious. People use and discard more than a trillion single-use plastic bags every year. That’s huge and completely unnecessary. You can bring your own bag!
Organic Organizer Shopping Handbag
My favorite reusable bags are these Cotton Mesh String bags. I discovered these bags when I’d forgotten my reusable bag and the grocery clerk at the counter showed me one of these. She called it the “uterus bag.” She said, “It stretches and stretches. Plus, it holds EVERYTHING.” The Amazon description mentions fruits, veggies, and all. They do come in handy, but I’m most in love with how durable and cross-functional they are.
For heavier items, check out these Standard Baggus bags — each can hold up to 50lbs or the resuable set of Lotus Trolley Bags.
Grow Your Herbs (And Veggies and Fruit)
Starting a garden is a great way to become more sustainable for 2022. As you practice organic gardening, you can mulch your landscape, plant native plants, use sustainable watering practices, grow delicious food, collect dried seed heads for storage, and compost. It’s not just an exercise in sustainability. It will also be a great stress reliever and make your landscape beautiful. If you just don’t have the yard space, or you aren’t able to garden outside, you may be looking to successfully bring a garden into your home. It’s easier than you might think.
iDOO 20 Pods Indoor Herb Garden Hydroponics Growing System
The Hydroponics Growing System offers lots of flexibility for an indoor or outdoor garden. It comes complete with fully customizable LED lights, 4pcs removable water tanks, up to 20 pods, 27″ Adjustable Height, and an adjustable light timer.
Make Trash More Sustainable Too
I write a lot, so I can see the benefits of paper and ink. In fact, I rather love the stuff. But many businesses and households have an amount of paper and ink that would horrify any or all of us. Given the mountains of trash that we’re already facing, we need to do whatever we can to avoid contributing to the problem.
That could mean solutions as simple as a reminder at the bottom of your email, asking your reader to avoid printing the message if possible. It could mean being more proactive with recycling efforts at work and home. There are lots of ways that you can make your relationship with trash more sustainable. Why not start with your trash bags and go from there?
Compostable Small Trash Bags
Compostable garbage bags are a great solution for tossing out the trash without worrying about how the trash bags will adversely affect the environment. They’re plant-starch based, so they’re much stronger and more reliable than you might think. They don’t leak when they’re wet, and they hold up well even with everyday household use. This is a great time to tap into this amazingly resilient solution for your trash.
Moneygreen Dog Poop Bag
There are a few different options for compostable poop bags. They tend to work great for picking up all that dog poop when you’re at the park or walking around the neighborhood. Personally, I prefer the bags with the clip on the end, so I can easily hook the dispenser on my belt or jacket. There are also options for attaching it to your dog’s collar or leash. I also like the fact that the carabiner is metal, since the plastic clips always break. This is a great way to take care of your dog’s business, while being sustainable and eco-friendly.
Make Fashion More Sustainable
We’ve covered consignment fashion options in the past, but it’s such a great way to tap into high-quality luxury clothes at a fraction of the cost. It’s sustainable because you’re keeping clothes out of the landfill and putting them to effective use. Consignment stores are great options when you want to tap into a wide selection of gently used clothes. On my trips to consignment stores, I’ve always found clothes with the original tags still on. It’s a great way to save money, get a good deal, and contribute to saving the planet. Here’s one popular consignment shop.
THREDUP
Thredup is a popular consignment and thrift store, with a reputation for being the “World’s Largest Consignment Store.” They feature millions of items for sale. The payout to most sellers is pretty low, but you can find all sorts of great deals on the site. ThredUp is dedicated to singing the praises of what thrifting can do for the environment, but they also offer sustainable options for buying and selling. If the clothes are no longer wanted, ThredUp recycles or donates them to charity.
Are you planning to be more sustainable for your New Year’s Resolution for 2022? We’d love to hear more about what you’ll be doing. Please share in the comments below.
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