10 Sustainable Resolutions You Can Make in 2019
The start of a new year is a perfect time to commit to making a change for the better. If you're planning on making a resolution why not make it around the idea of improving our world. If you're not sure how to make more sustainable choices, I've included some really simple practices that make a positive difference.
1. Commit to using modern cloth nappies in some way
Using modern cloth nappies doesn't have to be all or nothing. 1 nappy a day is enough to make a difference. We offer modern cloth nappies for individual sale if adding a few reusable nappies into your routine seems the most realistic. Or you can commit to really reducing your carbon footprint by utilising one of our Nappy Service Packages.
2. Start composting ALL food scraps
Composting food scraps will reduce your waste considerably and remove the need for lining your bin or using yet another plastic bag. If you don't have access to chooks, we recommend a Bokashi system. Since switching to a Bokashi our compost is broken down really quickly and the compost itself no longer smells or attracts those little flying bugs around your kitchen.
3. Pledge to use only reusable swim nappies on your baby
Disposable swim nappies are only ever used for short periods of time, making this single use product particularly wasteful. A reusable swim nappy dries quickly and is swimming pool approved because it enclosed any surprises your baby might throw at you. For as little as $29.95 a reusable swim nappy is a really easy (and cute) sustainable switch.
4. Promise to recycle all your soft plastics
Soft plastics are our family's bugbear! Nearly all of our pantry supplies come in some sort of soft plastic. Soft plastics cannot be recycled via your council's yellow recycling bin, but it can be recycled through REDcycle Bins found at Woolworths and Coles supermarkets. To collect and recycle all your soft plastics is a commitment, I can attest to that. The plastics add up quickly and no sooner have you emptied a bin it seems full to the brim again. But it's a very achievable resolution and one that will prevent plastics sitting in landfill for hundreds of years.
5. Invest in washable baby wipes
Another really really easy one, but a switch that so many have never considered. Ditch disposable baby wipes for reusable ones. It saves you thousands of $$, reduces landfill, removes toxins on your baby's skin and works SO much better.
6. Commit to shopping locally and buying in season
Shopping locally reduces carbon emissions in transportation and will always be a greener shopping option. It is more likely that most of the produce has had a short field-to-fork journey. Along with supporting business, buying local food means it is likely to contain more nutrients and have less packaging.
7. Vow to always skip the plastic bag
Using reusable shopping bags is another simple switch that most of us have already made. But it's the incidental plastic bag here or there that I put to you to ditch. The plastic bag that you've put your sunscreen in that might leak or your child's hat and goggles. There are the cutest wetbags available which were initially made for holding dirty nappies, but are also the best for things like storing wet clothes or organising make up. There is a sustainable alternative now to most things so if you want to, you can achieve your sustainable resolution.
8. Refuse prepackaged fruit and vegetables
While our oceans and coastlines are drowning in plastic, refusing plastic wrapped fruit and vegetables is an easy way to make a difference. In most cases you can nearly always find the loose fruit and vegetable option if you just take the time to look, but if not, and you find yourself contemplating that plastic wrapped banana because you're feeling like a smoothie, what about re thinking your recipe, or even shopping at a farmers market to keep your options open in the first place. Not bringing the soft plastics home in the first place reduces the need to even recycle it.
9. If you do use disposable nappies promise to ensure they are eco disposables
For whatever reason, if you are never going to try modern cloth nappies or you use both disposable and reusable nappies. Making a pledge to only ever use eco disposables is a really positive resolution. Eco disposables take 20 years rather than 500 years to decompose in landfill and they are usually not made from any plastic material, making them a much more sustainable choice.
10. Pledge to include meat free meals in your weekly routine
Food is a major factor in sustainability. What you eat can be the single largest contributor to your personal carbon footprint, mostly because of where that food might come from and how’s been produced. Animal products have an especially high carbon footprint. Approximately 60% of greenhouse gases produced from food are generated from animal products. So if you can pledge to Meat Free Monday or something similar you will be most definitely making a positive green contribution.
Further Reading:
https://www.biome.com.au/bokashi/105-bokashi-compost-bin.html
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