3...2...1... In 2021, How Sustainable can your Life Become?

The Ancient Babylonians are said to have been the first to make New Year’s Resolutions over 4,000 years ago. Back then, these resolutions looked like pledges of loyalty to the king, or even promises to the gods to pay their outstanding debts. To date, New Years Resolutions take on quite a different form. However, the aim behind them has remained. New Year’s Resolutions revolve around this whole concept of using the start of a new year as a marker to implement changes that ultimately improve the quality of our lives. As we look to 2021, in hopes of better times, our resolutions present the opportunity for us to work towards a more sustainable future by laying out some personal sustainability goals for the year ahead. Here are ten realistic changes you can implement this year to help make 2021 your most sustainable year yet.

1. Swap out disposable household and personal care items for reusable alternatives. In the interim, this could take the form of replacing paper towels with one or two cotton dish towels.

2. Invest in a reusable water bottle. Even though these are highly recycled, only about 9% of all plastic water bottles will be spared from taking a trip to the landfill. Switching to a reusable plastic bottle not only saves you money but reduces your carbon footprint and the overall burden that is placed on landfills, oceans, and all the other places where our waste ends up.

3. Carry your own shopping bags to the supermarket. Because it’s the 21st century..why are you not already taking your own shopping bag to the supermarket?!

4. Keep that thang on you! - By ‘thang’, we mean a metal straw, of course.

5. Watch your meat. 18% of all human-produced greenhouse gas emissions are caused by food production, but mostly, meat production. Another way that we can produce our carbon footprint is by eating better meat by choosing to eat pasture-raised as opposed to farm-raised (check your labels) or by cutting out meat altogether.

6. Choose the air dryer. While this may perhaps be up there with the loudest and most annoying pieces of technology ever, air dryers have proven to be more eco-friendly than recycled paper towels.

7. Turn the water off while brushing your teeth and showering. Save your water, we grown!

8. Embrace new modes of transportation. If possible, instead of driving to your next location, try taking public transportation, cycling, or even walking. This too will help to reduce your carbon footprint and air pollution.

9. Become a plant-parent. What better way is there to let your tree-hugging self out than to plant to start a garden? Yes, it’s true that not everyone has a green thumb. Still, even being a proper plant-parent comes with practice.

Best Advice: Start with something low maintenance, like a cactus or a snake plant.

10. Reuse, Repurpose, Upcycle - These are practical ways that allow us to turn waste, that would have otherwise been thrown away, into new materials and products. Check out https://www.personalcreations.com/blog/50-new-uses-for-old-things for cool and creative ways to reuse, repurpose, and upcycle your waste.

What other sustainable resolutions you have decided to implement for the year 2021? Get in touch with us. We at Yugen Stories would love to hear from you!