10 Eco-Resolutions

There’s always New Year’s resolutions out there around diet, mental health, finances, etc… but you know what they say, if there’s no planet to live on, what good are all those things? Here are our 10 eco-resolutions for 2021; may we continue to inspire one another (and push governments and corporations) to do better this year… 

1. Re-use as many items as possible and overall reduce the amount of stuff we buy. For the purchases we do make, we’re shopping Second-Hand, Handmade, and Rentals. Favorites are Poshmark, Etsy, Ebay, ThredUp, OfferUp, & Nextdoor for general goods and clothing. And brands you already love like REI, Patagonia, and Levi’s, to name a few, now have regenerative assortments thanks to the innovative start-up Trove.co, who specializes in creating circular economies. 

*For more information on definitions of circular & regenerative economies, check this out.

2. Say no to Plastic. PLEASE. Buy glass, aluminum, or sustainable natural materials. Check out our previous blog post why plastic is literally the worst here. 

3. Learn to recycle properly. It is imperative to understand that such a small amount we throw in the blue bin actually gets recycled. Check your local government’s waste management sites or earth911.com to get the facts. Familiarize yourself with retail store’s recycling programs, mostly in partnership with Terracycle. (Like Credo & Nordstrom for your beauty supplies and Staples for office supplies.)

4. Divest from financial institutions and mutual funds that invest in Fossil Fuels. Chase and Wells Fargo are the worst offenders, while Bank of the West is one that actually donates 1% of their profits towards Climate Action. A ranking of banks are listed here.

5. Shop local. When shopping online, first try using Sook, a Chrome extension that helps find local businesses with the same product instead of going to Amazon.

6. Choose platforms & companies that give back - like switching from Google to the 3rd party browser tools like Ecosia and OceanHero, that generate revenue from online activities to fund climate projects. 

7. Provide companies, (retailers, hotels, restaurants, etc) with eco-feedback via Remark.eco. By signing up on their site, they send feedback on your behalf by a simple text. Plus, their app is arriving in Spring of 2021.

8. Make more of our own food to reduce food packaging (& plastic) waste. On the goal sheet are tortillas, oat milk, & salad dressings. Also, we’re pledging to shop at farmer’s markets more - this supports local businesses, reduces transportation emissions, and there aren’t those stupid produce stickers!

9. Reduce or eliminate  your animal-products intake. Period. 

10. Follow low-waste, sustainability, and climate blogs and social media accounts for inspiration, information, and reminders. (We love @going.zero.waste, @reducewastenow, @cnnclimate, @greenmatters… there’s so many!) Heck, join or start a movement in your neighborhood! Share tips with friends! Get crazy and share this blog with friends too!

10+. And our very personal resolution this year is to help no  fewer than 3 brands to reduce their environmental footprints with more sustainable products and packaging. If your company (or one you may know) needs help in reducing its environmental footprint, please contact us for a free consultation and share this post!