Eco-Friendly New Year's Resolution Ideas to Start Living More Sustainably

New Year's resolutions take on the holiday season by storm, and what better way to ring in the New Year than with new habits that will not only benefit your life and health but have a positive impact on our environment, too. As we are starting to move away from capitalism and over-consumption, implementing sustainable habits can be the next step in your sustainable living journey. But where can you start? What habits actually make a difference? Keep reading to learn more about simple and effective changes you can make in your everyday life to start living more sustainably and get inspiration for eco-friendly New Year's resolutions.

If you want to start living a more sustainable lifestyle, New Year's can be the perfect time to start. Living more sustainably can feel a bit intimidating, but many of the habits and lifestyle changes fall within 3 categories: reducing waste, eco-friendly swaps, and lifestyle changes. While there is a lot of nuance and overlap between the categories, these umbrella terms can help you zoom out and figure out what you want to prioritize. The non-exhaustive list below covers a couple of ideas from each category and details how these resolutions unfolding throughout the year could look to give you even more inspiration to keep going.

Work Through Your Makeup Collection

The Goal: Work through and use up makeup products in your collection before buying and trying any new products.

Why Do It: Overconsumption of beauty and personal care products is no joke, and can sneakily cost you a lot of money over the years. On average, women spend $37 on makeup per month and an additional $600 per year on skincare. These products often come in single-use and/or plastic packaging and contribute significantly to waste. Simplifying your routine can help your wallet and your health. As you work through your collection, you will free up the space and finances to invest in products you truly enjoy, and can swap out others with more eco-friendly alternatives with cleaner ingredients.

What This Looks Like: As you go through the year and about your routine, continue to use your products as normal, being intentional about not buying a new product until you use something up or, even better, use up every alternative you have.

For example, if you are running low on your eyebrow pencil, get creative and see what else you have in your collection you could use instead, like eyeliners, eyeshadows, an old contour powder, etc.

The same can be done for skincare and haircare too. If you have skincare products you don't love but need to work through, use them on your body or gift them to a willing friend instead. Work your way through a conditioner mask before buying a whole new bottle, etc.

When you do use up products and go to replace them, try and find more sustainable alternatives to take this resolution even one step further.

Reduce Waste Around Food Storage

The Goal: I will reduce waste in the kitchen by using reusable storage containers or other alternatives instead of foil, plastic wrap, and other single-use materials.

Why Do It: Purchasing and using food storage materials that have an immediate end of life in the trash is what I like to call buying your garbage. Eliminating these materials from your kitchen will save you money over time, reduce your household waste, and reduce your exposure to microplastics and increased aluminum levels in your food. Studies have shown storing and marinating food in aluminum foil can increase the amount of aluminum in food, though adverse health effects have not been observed; it is something to be aware of. Reducing the amount of plastic you are exposed to is something that will only benefit your long-term health.

There are so many alternative food storage systems on the market nowadays that making the switch should be easy (of course there are always extreme or health-related cases), and is a matter of using your best judgment to figure out what will work best for you.

What This Looks Like: Stop buying tin foil and plastic wrap, and even plastic baggies. When you run out, do not replace them. In my experience, this is the fastest and most effective way to break the habit of relying on them for convenience.

Upon starting out, use what you already have, as that is the most sustainable thing you can do. If you already have some storage containers, use those instead. There are containers to be used all around you if you look hard enough. Wash and reuse grocery containers, jars, takeout containers etc., if you need to build up your connection.

As you continue to do this, it will get easier and more intuitive to store your food in ways that make sense for you and your lifestyle.

Break Up With Fast-Fashion

The Goal: I will support slow fashion by refusing to buy new clothing and instead buy clothes second-hand or from a small business that I am confident aligns with sustainable and fair values.

Why Do It: The fashion industry is the second most polluting industry, behind only oil and gas. With clothing piling up both in our landfills and across other countries across the world, now is more important than ever to slow down our clothing consumption and stop buying into all of the micro-trends these companies produce.

While there are companies trying to do the work and produce sustainably, using discernment is imperative. This is one of those habits that may best be built from the ground up, breaking the habit of spending on new clothes in general first.

What This Looks Like: If the fashion bug is getting to you, or you're looking to upgrade your wardrobe, prioritize shopping second-hand over buying anything new from large retailers. If thrift stores aren't your thing, online reselling is another option and is great for being able to tailor your searches if you are wanting something event-specific. Even better and more cost-effective, shop your own closet and get creative, building new outfits from what you already have or swap clothes with friends.

Reduce Your Exposure to Plastic/Stop Using Plastic Products

The Goal: I will gradually reduce my use of plastic by replacing things as needed with plastic-free alternatives.

Why Do It: 99% of the chemicals used to make plastic are sourced from fossil fuels, meaning the plastic industry and fossil fuel industries are directly linked and contribute to climate change. Plastic is taking over our lives, and cannot be broken down and re-assimilated into our environment. Instead, it is piling up and polluting our oceans, beaches, soil, and even our bodies. In fact, we can breathe in up to a credit card's worth of plastic in a week's time.

Reducing your reliance on this material is a great way to make a difference to both the environment and your health. Collective action has the potential to make huge impacts as it skews the market's supply and demand ratios. We do not yet know the long-term implications of having plastic in our bodies, but we do know that plastic exposure exacerbates existing health risks and can act as endocrine disruptors, impacting our hormones. To learn more about microplastics in the body, check out our recent post here.

What This Looks Like: This goal is admittedly very broad and can be accomplished in a number of ways specific to your lifestyle. At large, this could look like taking inventory of plastic materials in your home that can be replaced with plastic-free alternatives. As these items naturally wear and need replacing over time, swap them out for the plastic-free version.

Using what you already have is the most sustainable thing you can do.

This goal is not intended to convince you to throw out all of your perfectly usable plastic tupperware and buy all new. It is intended to be a mindful practice that enables you to gradually move away from your reliance on plastic over time. So, when a piece cracks, consider buying glass or stainless steel instead.

The same idea ties into the first goal suggestion of working through your cosmetic products. When you finish a product that came in single-use plastic packaging, consider replacing it with one that uses recycled materials or plastic-free alternative packaging.

Another very simple way to reduce the amount of plastic in your life is to pay attention to it at the grocery store and opt to buy loose produce instead of produce wrapped in single-use plastic. Additionally, skip the produce bags and bring your own bags to the store so you can stop contributing to the demand for plastic grocery bags. An easy way to build this habit is to keep them somewhere near the door or your keys to make them easy to grab on the way out. If you get to the store and realize you forgot them at home or in the car, go back and get them. While it is inconvenient, you will build the habit FAST to avoid the seeming inconvenience or embarrassment of having to turn around.

Eat More Plant-Based Meals

The Goal: I will incorporate more plant-based meals in my diet by participating in Meatless Monday and eat plant-based meals for one day a week.

Or

I will eat more plant-based meals by making all of my work lunches either vegan or vegetarian.

Why Do It: The production of livestock accounts for between 14%-18% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, and is one of the leading causes of biodiversity loss. The amount of land, money and resources used to produce livestock for food is astronomical, and becomes even more foolish when you consider that all of these animals require plants for food. Only 8% of all agricultural land is used to grow food for direct human consumption. The rest is used for livestock and feed for livestock.

The vast majority of agricultural resources go towards farming animals for human consumption. Between 30%-40% of the food supply in the United States is wasted. Over a quarter (26%) of meat, poultry, and fish produced is thrown away at the retail and consumer level. While reducing food waste in your home is another fantastic goal to have, taking a step back from the wasteful and polluting practices of the meat industries will also make a huge difference.

Environmental impacts aside, there are plenty of health risks associated with the over consumption of animal products. Red meat is considered a group 2a carcinogen to humans, meaning there is evidence linking its consumption to the development of colorectal cancer. Additionally, high consumption of animal products is linked to higher risks of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, gastritis and other health complications. Eating a diet high in plants, such as a vegetarian diet, is associated with a lower risk of developing coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and increased longevity.

What This Looks Like: This is another highly customizable goal, though participating in something objective like Meatless Mondays can be a great place to start.

Trying out plant-based eating is also a great way to try new recipes and explore food of other cultures, as many do not place the same emphasis on animal products as the Western diet does. You could pack all plant-based lunches to work or school during the week, or make one meal a day across the board plant-based. Trying out plant-based restaurants or small businesses is another fun way to mix things up if you are able to. Following plant-based food creators is another easy way to get some cooking inspiration.

It is important to consult your doctor when making any health-related decisions or changes, including to your diet. This is not prescriptive advice, but educational content to bring awareness to the environmental impacts of the meat industry.

In Summary

Living a sustainable lifestyle is not about being perfect. It is about doing what you can, and taking ownership of how your actions impact our environment. While we all know the billionaires and gas companies have massive impacts on our Earth, our collective voice should not be forgotten.

Hopefully, this short list inspired you to see that living sustainably does not have to be complicated, but should be simple and celebrated. Thank you for wanting to make the world a better place and for taking responsibility of your place in it. Check out our other posts to learn even more about sustainable living and climate science.

Thank you for being here.