A new year always brings with it all sorts of aspirations, goals and dreams for the months ahead and it’s a brilliant opportunity to take stock and see what positive changes you could potentially make, both big and small.

If you’re keen to make a difference in some way or other, what about focusing your new year’s resolutions on the environment and Mother Earth for 2022? 

What’s great about becoming more eco-friendly is that you’ll benefit yourself at the same time as helping out the planet, learning how to lead a healthier, happier life while reducing your carbon footprint at the same time. So, with that in mind, here are some suggestions for resolutions that could help get you started this year. Good luck!

Reduce waste

This is a great first step to take if you want to be more environmentally conscious as you can get started immediately! Starting off small is wise so you can do some research and find out ways in which you can scale up, so what about reducing your energy consumption initially? 

Start by turning off all appliances you usually leave on standby, turning off all lights when they’re not in use or even moving to an energy company that specialises in renewables.

From there, you can start to think about avoiding single-use items like cling film, plastic bags and coffee cups. It couldn’t be easier these days to eliminate these products from your life, thanks to all the myriad different items like reusable straws, water bottles, bamboo products and other such ethical goods.

Grow your own

Growing your own food can be incredibly rewarding as a pastime and represents an excellent learning opportunity, all while helping to save the planet at the same time! 

Have you ever considered what the carbon footprint of your diet actually is? You might be surprised by just how big it could be, so why not calculate it to see if you need to make some urgent changes in this regard?

Eating seasonally is a brilliant way to reduce food waste and growing your own produce can help facilitate this, as well as helping you to feel more in tune with the planet, living harmoniously together. Because you’ve grown everything in your garden, your food won’t have to travel anywhere in order for you to enjoy it! 

Avoiding meat and dairy products is also a great way to help reduce the carbon footprint of what you put on your plate each day. And don’t forget to compost any scraps you have leftover, important given that approximately a third of all food produced is either lost or wasted, contributing to between eight and ten per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions around the world!

Plant some trees!

Want to get out and about in nature more this year? Why not get some fresh air while planting trees at the same time! 

One of the most powerful weapons in the fight against climate change is trees, as they’re amazing at carbon capture and storage, locking it all up for centuries through the process of photosynthesis. A young wood with mixed native species in it is able to lock up over 400 tonnes of carbon per hectare in its trees, roots and soil!

But that’s not all trees are capable of. They can also help to reduce urban temperatures, prevent flooding, drive down pollution and ensure that the soil remains rich in nutrients - so doing some tree-planting is one of the very best ways you can start to make a difference where climate change is concerned… while getting lots of lovely fresh air at the same time!

Reduce your water usage

One of the biggest climate change threats is the water crisis - but it’s actually one of the least talked about issues of them all. Experts say that if we solve the water crisis, it will help to resolve all the other climate-related issues the world now faces… and there’s a lot you can do to help!

Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth, keeping a reusable water bottle in the fridge so you always have cold water when you want it without having to run the tap, having shorter showers instead of baths, harvesting rainwater for the garden and not using sprinklers or the garden hose on the lawn in summer are all ways in which you can reduce your water consumption very quickly indeed.

Do you have any eco-friendly new year’s resolutions in mind? Get in touch to let us know how you’re getting on with going green in 2022!