Top 12 sustainable new year’s resolutions
By Roslynn Brain, and Paige Gardner
To make 2019 a great new year, challenge yourself to try these simple lifestyle changes each month. Each aspect of sustainable living presented is not only good for the environment but good for your health and wallet as well. Whether it is dusting off your bike, exploring vermicomposting, or simply changing a light bulb, each small change you make will have lasting impacts. Consider these month-by-month tips for sustainable new year’s resolutions.
January
Lose paper weight this year. Go paperless with your bills, and unsubscribe from junk mail through Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service.
February
Be a cool Valentine. Save on your heating bill and turn your thermostat down while your house is empty during the day. See if you can sleep better with the thermostat down a few degrees at night as well. For other energy saving tips, click here.
March
Start your natural spring cleaning. Make your own cleaning products to minimize toxin exposure, save money, and be healthy. Click here for tips and recipes.
April
Let rain showers water your flowers. Build garden swales instead of mounds to capture natural water flow. Find pictures, explanations, and books on how to do it here.
May
Be bright with LED and natural light. Switch the light bulbs in your home to more efficient LED lights and use natural light to brighten your home and office. Energy tips can be found here.
June
Avoid June bugs with natural pest control. Create your own garlic and dish detergent mixture for aphids, or experiment with other natural pest control recipes to improve your family’s health and your landscape. Click here for tips on natural pest control.
July
Beat the heat with a native garden. Plant drought and heat-tolerant native edibles and ornamentals this year to add natural Utah beauty to your landscape. Browse extension.usu.edu/htm/horticulture for helpful information.
August
Be thrift chic. Prepare your “new” work or school wardrobe with a visit to your local thrift store. While there, drop off clothes you no longer wear to keep the cycle going. Learn more about how to give clothes a second chance here.
September
Head back to school or work with alternative transportation. Opt to bike, walk, or ride the bus as your primary mode of daily transportation. Find out more by viewing the fact sheet.
October
Happy Halloworms! Start your own household vermicompost system with red wigglers, a container, bedding, dirt, moisture, and your daily food scraps. See USU Extension’s vermicomposting fact sheet.
November
Give thanks through local giving! Sign up for a community-supported agriculture program, and buy a Thanksgiving meal from local sources to reduce your family’s food print, the carbon footprint associated with how the food was produced and the miles it has traveled between production and consumption. Find out more about the local food movement here.
December
Give more while consuming less. Reuse newspaper and other paper scraps to make homemade upcycled gifts for friends and family, converting used materials into new items. Opt to draw names with family and friends to reduce the quantity and increase the quality of gifts. Host creative craft nights with friends and catch up while repurposing products that are typically thrown away. See USU Extension’s reuse fact sheet.
For more information on sustainability and to learn more about how to incorporate sustainability into your life, visit extensionsustainability.usu.edu.
Roslynn Brain is a USU Extension sustainable communities specialist, and Paige Gardner, is a former USU Extension sustainable communities specialist.
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