Are you worried about your health? Or maybe you’re worried about the health of our planet? Or maybe you just want to be more conscious of your spending and lifestyle habits. No matter what it is, boosting your eco-friendliness is crucial today. This article will most definitely help you make 2023 your year of change, green habits and sustainability. Here’s where to start:
Visit second-hand stores
Many of us are addicted to fast fashion and change almost our entire closet every season. Fast fashion might be trendy and cheap, but it produces tons of waste in the form of materials, energy and pollution. It creates toxins, wastes water, produces greenhouse gases and underpays its workers. For 2023, ditch fast fashion and adopt more pre-loved items. Instead of visiting your nearest retailer, hit your local second-hand shop and you’ll find many fantastic, unique and high-quality items you’ll love for years.
Save paper and electricity
In 2023, it’s crucial to spread sustainability into your office, home office and school. What you can do to save paper and ink is to digitalize your notes, books and documents. Many schools and offices are going completely paperless, and so can you. The paper you do use can be recycled and given a new life in someone else’s office or home. Also, switch off your devices while not in use and make sure even to unplug them to prevent passive electricity waste.
Take a reusable path
Single-use items might be very practical, but most of them end up in the landfill, never to be recycled and useful again. To reduce the amount of waste you’re producing in 2023, try to ditch single-use items and start walking the reusable path. For instance, you can bring your reusable coffee mug with you to Starbucks, carry a reusable water bottle instead of buying plastic bottles and pack your own metal straw instead of a plastic one. And reusability can be present in beauty as well. Consider buying reusable tape hair extensions you can take off and put on whenever you want and keep them beautiful and practical for years. If you take good care of these reusable products, they can stay with you for a long time and reduce your waste production manifold.
Go vegan
Or at least try being vegan for one or two days a week. More than 30% of all carbon emission comes from the human diet, and animal-based products account for 80% of that number. The production of animal-based foods requires a lot of water, fertilizers that pollutes groundwater, and valuable land, contributing to pollution and deforestation. Also, let’s not talk about animal cruelty and working conditions in the meat industry—it’s all very questionable on the ethical front. If you just try to reduce your consumption of animal products, you’ll notice that it’s much easier than you thought.
Buy local
Let’s say you live in Norway and want to buy a mango. Obviously, this plant needs to be imported from somewhere far away, which contributes to your big carbon footprint. What you can do to reduce this senseless pollution is to buy less exotic fruits for your location and generally avoid imported things. Regional fruits and veggies require much shorter transport and less pollution, as well as less packaging and labeling. It’s best to hit your local farmer’s market and buy from small, organic growers.
Walk or hop on your bike
Driving today is not only super expensive due to astronomical fuel prices, but it’s also bad for the environment and your health. Less driving can create a much greener future with cleaner air, healthier soil, less traffic and fitter people. Instead of taking your car for every trip you make, you can resort to walking or cycling. Longer trips can be made on the bus or, even better, by train. Walking and cycling through 2023 will help you reduce your carbon footprint, get more physical activity, soak up more sun and fresh air, support your local transportation companies and even meet new people.
You might think that what you do as an individual doesn’t have any effect on the environment. Sure, big companies produce the most pollution (and that’s a story for another article), but what you do at home, at school and office does make a difference. Make 2023 your year of health, environment protection and green living to make a difference!
