It's a Green New Year!

We all know that sticking to a New Year’s resolution can be difficult, but if you start small, that resolution may not seem so daunting. Once you have mastered that small resolution, you can then work your way up to something bigger. Here are a few small resolutions you can begin implementing to have a green and eco-friendly New Year, and ultimately a sustainable life!

1. Stop using straws (or at least use the paper ones). According to Good Housekeeping, plastic is not biodegradable, so many straws end up in landfills and sometimes even the ocean. When they enter the ocean, sea creatures can confuse straws for food, which can cause them to choke. You can make a simple life change to help prevent this from happening. When you order your drink at any restaurant, tell your waiter that you would like to forgo the straw with your beverage. As an added bonus, according to The Washington Post, skipping straws can also help prevent wrinkles in the future. So, consider saving the environment and saying no to early wrinkles by avoiding straw usage!

2. Start cooking from scratch and eating at home. Now this one may be slightly more difficult since it can be time consuming. However, consider just doing this once a week and evaluate from there. Not only will cooking from scratch and eating at home help your waistline and wallet, cooking at home can give you more time to spend in the kitchen with family and friends. It can also help you introduce locally grown foods into your diet and help you avoid processed foods that take a lot of wasted resources to make. So, go ahead and visit your neighborhood farmers market and pick up some leafy greens.

3. Compost, Compost, Compost! Composting uneaten food can help enrich the soil, reduce the need for fertilizers, and lower your carbon footprint. So, there is not any reason why you should not compost. With the right information, it is an easy idea to add to your daily life. The EPA provides great tips on how to compost right at home quickly and easily.

4. Take your reusable cups and bottles with you. Ditch the paper cups and plastic bottles when drinking coffee and water. If you like to go out to get your coffee fix in the morning, Starbucks gives you a discount if you bring any reusable cup with you. It does not even have to be a Starbucks branded cup. There are also some great reusable water bottle options on the market as well. In the end, you save more money by buying one reusable water bottle than you do when continuously buying plastic water bottles. We even have our own reusable bottles to give to the public for free. If you are interested in one please contact airnorthtexas@nctcog.org with your name and address.

These are just a few simple tips you can implement right at home to begin your journey in creating a green New Year for yourself. Executing them can even help improve air quality by lessoning the amount of chemicals and pollutants in the air when you ditch straws, plastic bottles, waste, and eat locally. You may think these may be too small to make an impact on the environment, but that is not true. Every little change counts, so start now!