New Year’s Resolutions for Yourself and the Earth… 2022 is here and it is time to ‘Turn a Green Leaf’. Mother Earth is looking to YOU to fight for her healing. Here, you will find 3 super cool, easy and meaningful resolutions you can make in 2022 to make an impact!
Resolution #1
Eat Clean & Reduce Water Use
Did you know In the United States, most of the electricity generation is produced from fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and petroleum)? When we use water, we are burning fossil fuels. Now, imagine how much electricity is used to have your water treated, then transported, heated and finally disposed of. Taking shorter showers alone will not cut it. Did you know there is another way to greatly reduce your water use?
Reduce eating or consuming meat all together will reduce your water use.
The most efficient way to reduce your water use is by eating less meat. Nearly half of the water used in the US goes for raising animals for food. Assuming if you eat one pound of meat/dairy/eggs between breakfast, lunch and dinner on a typical weekday- taking only one day off a week will reduce your water footprint by 124,800 gallons of water by year’s end! What an impact!
Call to Action: This year, commit to go meat, dairy and egg free at least one day a week. Better yet, make a massive impact and go full vegan. The planet and the animals will thank you and on top of that, your body will thank you too!
- Awesome article on water and the environment:https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/energy-and-water-use
- Ultimate resource for vegan living: https://vegnews.com
Resolution # 2
Buy Local Produce
Have you ever noticed stickers on fruits and veggies at the grocery store that identifies where it originated? It is maddening to see a sticker that says ‘Chilie’ when you know darn well oranges grow down the street! Instead of financially supporting this mayhem, shop at your local farmer’s market for your produce instead! Many commercial food operations use polluting fossil fuels to power their production. With shipping and packaging facilities, large scale refrigeration systems and shipping, thousands of miles are between the field and your plate.
Call to Action: Create a standard for yourself that your produce will come from the farmer’s market. If you do not have enough time or if there is no farmer’s market available, consider ordering from a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) in your local community or a farm delivery service such as https://www.farmfreshtoyou.com. A weekly trip to the farmer’s market will absolutely get you eating more veg and that is definitely a great way to take better care of yourself!
Fabulous article on buying local: http://www.gogreen.org/blog/the-environmental-benefits-of-buying-locally
Resolution #3
Zero Tolerance for Fast Fashion
Treat Yourself to Quality
As stated earlier, water use exhausts our planet and adds to global warming. Did you know, to create 2.2 pounds of cotton, 2,641 gallons of water is used? To put that into perspective, is around 792 gallons of water to create a cotton shirt. What’s even more scary is to learn about the artificial fibers that are commonly used to create fast fashion collections. Bad actors such as H&M and Forever 21 commonly use plastic microfibers, rayon, polyester and toxic dye. To make matters worse, these companies produce poorly crafted clothing which is designed to be worn for a season or less, they quickly tossed in the dump. Landfills get maxed out and then there is no choice but to burn the trash. This trash incineration sends toxic fumes into the environment that cast poisonous substances into the air. Eventually, these toxins end up in the oceans and streams.
Call to Action: Say NO to fast fashion and always share hand-me-downs with friends or non profits. Buy fewer but cherished, quality garments that are made to last for many seasons.
Only add durable garments to your fashion collection, not trash! Investing in yourself by buying quality items is another fantastic way to take care of yourself. Having less items in your closet but more quality will remind you every day that you are worthy of excellence. You are part of the solution and do not contribute to the problem.
https://psci.princeton.edu/tips/2020/7/20/the-impact-of-fast-fashion-on-the-environment
Share with us which option(s) appeal to you or if you have any other environmental healing ideas to share!!