Whether it be to exercise regularly or spend more time with family, there are plenty of ideas for a New Year’s resolution.
Here is a list of four New Year’s resolutions that you can make for a more sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle. Mother Nature will thank you.
Quit smoking
According to the Cigarette Butt Pollution Project, roughly 5 trillion cigarettes with filters are sold globally every year, with one out of every three cigarettes being discarded irresponsibly in the environment.
Made from a plastic called cellulose acetate, cigarette butts are non-biodegradable and are noted as being the number one littered item in the world.
“Tossing a cigarette butt on the ground has since become one of the most accepted forms of littering globally and borders on a social norm for many smokers,” said the World Health Organization in a report.
Kick your nicotine habit for the sake of your health and the environment.
Start commuting on your bicycle
The transportation sector is attributed to 28.9 percent of total US greenhouse gas emissions, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. This is due in part to over 90 percent of the fuel used being petroleum-based, which includes primarily gasoline and diesel.
Rather than driving the car to work, consider taking the bicycle. In addition to being a much more eco-friendly and cheaper alternative to vehicles, cyclying provide a wide varity of health benefits.
Eat vegan
Meat has been described by the United Nations Environment Programme as being “the world’s most urgent problem”. With over 70 billion animals raised annually for consumption, 16 percent of global freshwater and a third of global grain production is used to feed the livestock. Most shockingly, a third of the Earth’s ice-free land surface is used for animal agriculture.
By eating vegan, not only do you help reduce greenhouse gas emissions attributed to animal agriculture, but you also stand up against the cruel practice of factory farming.
Stop using plastic bags
This resolution is by far the easiest on the list. Tote bags are relatively inexpensive, so please do the environment a favour by only using reusable bags from now on. Be part of the solution, not the problem.
