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Plus eight other easy, planet-friendly actions that everyone around you will start imitating
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I’m sure I’ve made dozens of New Year’s resolutions in my life. I just can’t remember most of them because they didn’t stick. But one did, and it changed my life.
Six years ago, I swore off all drinks in single-use plastic bottles and my lips have not touched one since. It wasn’t even that hard. I just committed to having my reusable bottle with me at all times or going thirsty until I found a drinking fountain or a joint that would serve me a glass of water. I have yet to perish from dehydration.
Before I knew it, my water bottle became a thing I never leave home without, just like my wallet, sunglasses, phone, and keys. (Pro tip: I also keep one filled in my car’s cup holder, so if I do forget my bottle, I have a backup.)
The following year, I added single-use coffee cups. That meant no Starbucks for me unless I had my refillable mug. (I use the same insulated bottle for both coffee and water, so I’m still only carrying one vessel.)
Great, you’re probably thinking, but how did it change your life?
This small habit blossomed into a greater awareness in my day-to-day life. I began to notice—and refuse—all of the single-use items that we only use for a few minutes and then toss, like cutlery, bags, napkins, and packets of condiments. I stopped buying paper towels and plastic wrap. That led me to opt for package-free fruits and veggies, and to buy other grocery items in glass rather than plastic, so that I could reuse the jars. I started phasing out plastic containers all over my house–the shampoo bottles, the laundry soap, the dish soap, the milk jugs. Which led me to making my own non-toxic cleaning spray.
There’s more, too, like growing my own food, reducing food waste and composting, shopping second hand, and making presents rather than buying them. My journey is ongoing. None of this happened overnight, but slowly over time, as my eyes began to open about all the convenience items I’ve relied on that are junking up our planet. When we buy things like Ziploc bags and polyester t-shirts, we’re encouraging manufacturers to make more of them, which requires oil companies to keep drilling for those damn fossil fuels. It feels good to opt out of that cycle.
If you can’t tell already, I’m fired up about this lifestyle, and when I find a solution, like soap nuts to replace laundry pods, I can’t wait to tell my family and friends, as if I’ve just discovered a new planet or found a cure for the sniffles.
“If you’re interested in helping curb global warming, that means becoming a mirror for others to see themselves,” says Washington Post Climate Advice columnist Michael J. Coren. (Sign up for his excellent newsletter here.) “We can all take these individual actions, but the true impact we have is driven by the fact that we have the most profound influence on people around us. We act as billboards for taking climate action. The point is to move the transition that needs to happen from the abstract to the personal. And the best way to do that is to show people in your own life.”
What Coren describes has happened to me. My mom and son now always have their water bottles. My husband brings his own bags to the store. My brother is re-evaluating packaging at the restaurant and market he owns and operates. My sister-in-law started composting. My friend signed up for a milk delivery service with refillable glass bottles.
My plea to everyone: start with one small, simple, attainable thing. Hold yourself to it. Talk about it! And watch it spark beautiful actions and awareness all around you. I’ve compiled a list of easy eco-friendly New Year’s resolutions you can commit to come January 1st.
Doing right by the planet can make you happier, healthier, and—yes—wealthier. Outside’s head of sustainability, Kristin Hostetter, explores small lifestyle tweaks that can make a big impact. Write to her at climateneutral-ish@outsideinc.com.
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