Ok, I know, everyone posts blogs about their New Year Resolutions, but I’m writing this more as a reminder to myself of what I want to achieve this year. I made a lot of changes last year but this year I want to do even more to be eco-friendly.
Things I’ve already done…
- Gone vegan
- Make my own bread (there were no good bakeries near me and I wanted to avoid plastic packaged bread)
- Drastically reduced products bought in single use plastic
- Bought myself a reusable coffee cup
- Carry a reusable water bottle
- Always use cloth shopping bags
- Converted my Mum from cling film to beeswax wraps
- Did a few litter picks
- Started this blog to help spread the word!
My Green New Years Resolutions for 2020
1. Use refill shops more
I’m hoping to start using refill and zero waste shops for pasta, rice, lentils, mixed nuts, dried fruit and hopefully baking soda and flour too.
In a weeks time I move house and after doing a little bit of research I’ve discovered there are lots of refill shops in various locations near my new home. I already have bags I can use for the refills and I’m looking forward to cutting more packaging out of my life.
2. Go Litter Picking at Least Once a Fortnight
Time gets away from me, but after doing a few litter picks by myself last year and feeling so good after doing it I’m determined to do it far more often this year. The best thing about picking up litter is that other people see you doing it and it often encourages others to do the same.
3. Use my car less
This could be a bit tricky as I’m moving to a village on Dartmoor. However I’ll make sure that I plan my time well so that any car journeys are kept to a minimum. Unfortunately one of my elderly cats is diabetic and I have to take him to the vet fairly often, other than those non-negotiable car trips I will definitely be using my car less
4. Start an Allotment
I’ve already started researching and I think I can get an allotment plot in the village I’m moving to. I hope to start a compost heap and grow some of my own food. I also plan on planting some bee friendly plants.
5. Not buy any new clothes
I can’t say I buy a lot of clothes at the moment anyway and I’ve never been someone who’s considered fashionable… however I have more than enough clothes at the moment so I hope to not buy anything new in 2020 at all!
6. Plant trees
Once I’ve moved I’m hoping to get involved in a local tree planting group so I can do my little bit to help capture carbon.
7. Garden Centre Campaigns
There are several things I think garden centres should stop selling. They have a massive responsibility and although I think the farming community should be doing so much more to ensure their practices are sustainable and safe, individual gardeners can make a massive impact by changing the way they ‘look after’ their gardens.
What I’d like garden centres to stop selling:
- Peat based compost
- Deadly slug pellets (they don’t just kill slugs!)
- Harmful pesticides and herbicides.
I’ll be contacting local garden centres and encouraging them to only stock peat free compost and to put up signs explaining to customers why peat based compost is so bad.
8. Contact the local council about mowing verges far less often
Councils have a terrible habit of mowing roadside verges way too much and destroying all the plants that pollinators rely on. Mowing them less means it costs less and hopefully we’ll see an increase in insects which have dramatically reduced in number in the last few years due to over-mowing and the use of pesticides and herbicides.
9. Spread the word
I’m hoping to make the village I move to a bit more eco-friendly. It’ll be a subtle campaign and I’ll share more here at a later date…
Taking more action is certainly on my to-do list this year. What are your New Years Resolutions?
Check out Ideas for Eco-Friendly New Years Resolutions.
