4 Ways To Keep Your Resolution To Go Green Before Next Year!
If your resolve to go green and be more sustainable this year has been neglected, here are 4 ways you can keep your resolution to go green before next year begins…
A new year is a perfect time for new beginnings and new goals, like making the Earth a better place. During the last couple of years, many of us have started aiming for a greener earth, whether it’s eating less meat, using less plastic, or recycling more at the start of the year. The new year comes with new ambitions, so it’s the perfect time for taking action for the environment, but life can get in the way as the year progresses.
So, if your resolve to go green this year has been neglected, here are 4 ways you can keep your resolution to go green before next year!
1. Wash Your Clothes The Right Way
We need to change the way we’re washing our clothes. 90% of clothing is gotten rid of before it needs to be disposed of because of the rise of cheap, poor quality fast fashion and laundry being done the wrong way. Believe it or not, jeans can be worn 10 times before they need to be washed. This way, you will make your jeans last longer and you’ll save money and reduce your waste.
Other ways to go green when it comes to laundry include using eco friendly laundry detergent that is paraben free, phosphate free, and vegan. Detergents like this that come in zero-waste packaging is equivalent to keeping 700,000,000 plastic jugs out of landfill. Green laundry detergent can dissolve completely in hot and cold water, so there is no need for the water temperature to be high.
Another sustainable laundry tip is when drying your clothes, use a drying rack instead of the dryer, especially when it’s sunny outside. All of these alternative ways of washing your clothes will help your clothes last longer and make the earth a cleaner place.
2. Learn to Sew A Button
…or any other clothes mending methods! By learning how to sew a button, and other clothing repair techniques, not only will you be able to continue wearing clothing items for longer, you will also reduce the amount of clothing in landfill. How many blouses or jeans do you not wear or have you tossed out simply because a button has fallen off or it needs some other form of repair?
Finding online tutorials is quite easy and you will learn a new mending skill in a matter of an hour. By learning how to sew a button, you will reduce textile waste in the world. Get creative and make a shirt or dress into something new!
3. buy less & Reduce Single-use
One of the most important green resolutions, especially during the holidays, is to buy less and reduce single-use waste. Holidays are times when we love to surprise our loved ones and exchange gifts, however, this can produce a big amount of waste which is not good for our planet.
To avoid this, try making eco-friendly gifts and reducing the use of single-use items, like cling film or wrapping papers. Instead, choose long-lasting reusable alternatives, like beeswax wraps. There are many other ways you can reduce living costs and waste by buying less and reducing single-use, like repairing and buying from second-hand shops, reusing what you already have, or buying eco products in bulk sizes.
Another idea for replacing single-use is replacing disposable face wipes with a washable cloth, which is actually better for your skin. When buying new products, try to buy local as much as possible. This will result in less packaging and is more environmentally friendly.
4. Donate
One of the easiest green new year’s resolutions is to simply donate - either money or time - to a local grassroots organisation or sustainability group or project. You can also donate goods to be reused - whether it’s the clothes you never wear, the books you have already read, toys your children don’t play with anymore, the couch you want to change, or anything else, you can donate to those in need or pass them on to others via a local charity, second hand store, Little Library, clothes swap, or toy library, for instance. By doing so, not only will you help someone and make them happy, as well as build community, you will also reduce waste and unnecessary consumption the burden it places on the planet.
What ways have you gone green this year? We’d love to hear about your progress and projects!
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