Resolving to be Greener!

Happy New Year!

It is a new year, a fresh start, a chance to reset or set new priorities. But it can also be a time of great pressure to remake yourself or make things be different, be better in some way.

But honestly, the last few years have worn me out, and while there are lots of things I want to add to my list to make some big changes, this year I am trying some "good enough" resolutions. Not lazy ones, like flossing more (which I really need to do!) but goals that make sense, can be accomplished, and yet can make an impact in our lives. This is particularly important when setting green resolutions, putting the earth and the community ahead of ourselves through a personal commitment to simple things.

Here are my personal green goals for 2022

1. Create less food waste ( this means planning more, cooking more, and learning how to remake leftovers)

2. Remember my Reusable Bag! ( I have so many and yet there are still times I forget one)

3. Practice my breathing exercises (it is the cheapest and greenest way to destress and nourish ourselves and yet it is the hardest to remember to do!)

Hopefully, for many, trying to be more "green" will be on their list this year. There are a couple of ways to do this, without driving yourself crazy. Plan to make one change or choose one area of your home or life to make it more sustainable.

Make One Change

Choosing one small change that you can do easily until it becomes a habit, is a great way to start. Such as;

• Always bring a reusable bag

• Use more reusable product bags

• Switch one product to a low waste version

• Refuse (bags, utensils, condiments)

• REFILL!

Chose an area to make more green

Making your home and life more sustainable is a daunting task! But feeling overwhelmed with having to make all the changes is not good for your mental health, it even has its own clinical term now, Climate Anxiety. So this year just pick one room or area to work towards making being more sustainable.

Kitchen

This room has lots of greening potential, from food purchases and storage, washing dishes, and waste. Consider making a change to one aspect of your kitchen, for example switching to solid dish soap or reusable cloths and towels,

Laundry and Cleaning

How we clean our clothes and home can have a great impact on our daily life and the environment. This year consider using a concentrated cleaning solution (which can be refilled) or making your own cleaning products with natural ingredients. Switch detergents to one that can be refilled and use wool dryer balls to replace synthetic sheets.

Body Care and Bathroom

Sustainable self-care could be your ticket to wellness and greener living this year, Making the change to solid shampoo bars, or locally made natural bar soaps. Look for the plastic that takes over the bathroom and try to reduce it this year, from razors to menstrual products, or consider installing a bidet on your toilet or making the switch to bamboo toilet paper.

Home and Living

One big thing that our family is hoping to continue into 2022 is decluttering and rehoming our unused possessions. This helps us keep our home cleaner and more organized (helping my stress levels), and gives a great entryway for the kids to think about how to live more sustainably and to avoid some of the traps of consumerism that can lead to great harm for them and our planet.

Make 2022 the year you remember to bring your water bottle with you (or get better about keeping it clean and available for use!) And as things need replacing in your home this year, seek out more durable or repairable products (subscribing to sites like Buy Me Once for ideas).

Resolved to just be

In saying all of this, I really hope it is on all our lists this year to just be! One of the more impactful philosophical tidbits I picked up years ago is to remember that Being is an action verb. To be a Human Being involves growing, changing, moving, living, loving, resting, breathing, and hoping, it is an active state. So whatever you are resolved to do this year. I hope that Trove can help you do it, that is, after all, our resolution for the year. Help more people live sustainably.

Tell us how we can help you in the comments.