Resolving to Be Eco-Friendly Throughout the Year

Image by Waldemar Merger via Flickr Creative Commons license

Now that 2016 has come and gone and we are a few days into the new year, I figured it would be a good time to discuss your eco-friendly resolutions. Although many New Year’s resolutions are tossed by the wayside almost as fast as they are made, I don’t expect you’ll have much trouble resolving to keep your eco-friendly ones intact the whole year though. Most won’t take much effort, but each serves a purpose and is helpful to both you and the environment. Even if you have a few already checked off on your list, resolve to maintain your eco-friendly actions throughout the new year (2017) and you’ll be better for it.

Eco-Friendly New Year’s Resolutions

Many of the actions we take each and every day will have an impact on the environment around us. To minimize our environmental footprint, it is important we adopt more eco-friendly actions into our daily routines. While you may have some eco-friendly resolutions already in place, we’ve also got a few ideas to get you started:

Be sure to only run your dishwasher and washing machine with a full load, and on the cold water setting.
Operate these types of appliances at night or early morning during off-peak hours.
Use nature to help regulate the temperature in your home. In other words, open your windows and doors. At the very least, make good use of your blinds to bring in or block heat and light.
Air out your home regularly to minimize indoor air pollution.
Add one or more of these 15 plants to help further improve indoor air quality in your home.
Turn off the faucet when brushing your teeth or soaping up your hands.
Take shorter or fewer showers – the key here is to conserve water.
Collect gray water in your shower (while the water warms up) which can be used later to water plants.
Eating less meat can also help reduce water usage and allow you to be a bit more eco-friendly. You may be surprised at how much water is used to produce many of the products we use on a daily basis. Take this quiz to find out.
Opt for reusable cups, plates and dinnerware rather than one-use. This applies to other items as well.
Bring your own bags when grocery shopping – here in So Cal, this is a must nowadays.
Eat at home, using organic and local foods, as much as possible. This will help keep you healthy, save money and minimize food waste.
Try to use every part of your fruit and veggies. This concept is often referred to as going from “root to stem” or “root to stalk”. Here are a few food scrap uses you might not have considered. Even if you can’t find an edible use for your produce, you can always incorporate it into some natural air fresheners, DIY spa products and such.
Go outside daily. Getting outdoors connects you with nature, as well as gives you some fresh air.
Be aware of the products you purchase, particularly the chemicals or toxins those products may contain. Buy green and eco-friendly products whenever possible.
Buy less. If you don’t have to buy something, don’t buy it.
Reduce, re-use, re-purpose and recycle. Keep those in mind throughout the year and you’ll do well.
Take public transportation as often as you can.
Choose a proven liquid fuel catalyst and use it when driving your own vehicle. Biofriendly Corporation has developed and patented green technology, Green Plus®, that significantly reduces the carbon footprint of those operating gasoline or diesel-powered vehicles.
Use your bike or walk when going places around town.

What is a Resolution?

We all hear the term resolution being thrown around loosely, particularly at the end of one year or beginning of another, but what is a resolution? A resolution is a firm and unwavering decision to do (or not do) something. When you resolve to get something done, you are making a choice to make it happen regardless of any obstacles you may encounter. A resolution is not just a few spoken words, it is a commitment. It is a goal or objective requiring work and sincere resolve.