Are you interested in “going green” for the new year? If so, you may want to add a few green New Year’s resolution ideas to your list. Maybe you already have resolutions about your health and about your wealth. Why not add one more to improve the environment?

To make things easy for you, check out these New Year’s resolution ideas with green themes. The best part is that each of these New Year goal ideas can help both you and the environment at the same time!

1. Use a Car Alternative

If you’re in a place where you can get to work or school every day by biking, walking, or using public transportation, take advantage of it. At least try it for a few weeks to make it a habit.

  • Health (and Wealth): Getting more exercise can accelerate you toward your health goals. Making exercise part of your daily transportation routine almost guarantees improved health, energy, and rest, and saves money.
  • Environment: Individual cars contribute a lot to air pollution and greenhouse gases. It feels great to know that by using alternative forms of transportation, you’re contributing to cleaner air.

2. Bring a Water Bottle from Home

Plan ahead! Bring your own glass or plastic water bottle with you. Avoid buying single-use, disposable plastic bottles and cups.

  • Health: Get a water bottle with lines on the sides that show you how much you’re drinking. That’ll make it easier to drink the ounces you want for weight loss or overall health. For example, if your bottle holds 30 ounces, you can quickly drink it all in the morning, then refill it and drink it again to get a total of 60 ounces.
  • Environment: When we purchase and throw away plastic bottles and cups, we waste the fossil fuels that went into their manufacturer and participate in filling up landfills. Let’s stop the waste in 2020!

3. Learn New Recipes

Find a cookbook that is focused on simple, short, and quick recipes. Keep it fun and easy for yourself (important for all New Year goal ideas). You could learn a new recipe just twice a week, like on Wednesday and Sunday.

  • Health (and Wealth): Cooking can give you a sense of pride in your food, increase the pleasure hormones caused by learning, save you money on eating out, and bring you and your friends and family closer together as you share meals with them.
  • Environment: Compared to your home cooking, processed foods often use up a lot more energy in their manufacture and put a lot more greenhouse gases into the air.

4. Eat Organic and/or Local Produce

Start small if you want to switch to organic and/or local produce. You could switch just a few of your produce picks to organic using the “Dirty Dozen” list (which lists the fruits and vegetables that have more pesticides on them). For example, try organic apples, tomatoes, peaches, and potatoes.

  • Health: As you gradually switch to organic produce, try to notice if any of the changes help you feel especially better. You might continue buying those, regardless of the price. They’re worth the investment!
    Wealth: Look for local grocery stores promoting deals on organic produce. Or try a farmers market, going at the end of the day when farmers offer lower prices.
  • Environment: Local and organic produce can help reduce the amount of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers sprayed on our soil and into the air. It can also be grown in a way that plans for the sustainable, long-term use of the land.

5. Don’t Buy Fast Fashion

“Fast fashion” is a type of cheap clothes some big stores make. They hurt the environment and end up in landfills quickly. If you want new clothes, figure out which retailers sell fast fashion and avoid them.

  • Wealth: If you want to get low-cost clothes, shop at thrift stores, consignment shops, and responsible, green stores that make long-lasting clothes. You can also trade clothes with friends and family.
    Health: After secondhand clothes have already been worn and washed for years, they’ll contain less of the manufacturer’s chemicals that can irritate your skin.
  • Environment: Some fast fashion companies destroy the soil in third-world nations in order to make cheap, low-quality cotton. They also use non-renewable fossil fuels in synthetic dyes and fabrics. By not supporting them, you can help the environment.

Have an exciting 2020 with these New Year’s resolution ideas! May they make you healthier and happier. And, if you want to experience an alternative way of getting your home energy, contact Spring Power and Gas.