New Year’s Eve Resolutions for Eco-Conscious Parents

New Year’s resolutions are notorious for being broken before February. One way to minimize back-sliding is to involve others in your resolutions. Elicit your family’s help and come up with a list of resolutions that everyone can participate in and remind each other about. Here are some suggestions for green resolutions that will change your lifestyle for the better.

1. Eat organic food

You may already be doing this. But if not, this is a relatively easy eco-conscious resolution. Your family can remind you to buy organic food, and you will be the healthier for it. You could combine this with commitments to eat out less often, or to buy locally grown, seasonal food whenever possible.

2. Creative recycling

You probably already recycle your plastic, glass, metal, and paper items by taking them to the recycling center or having them picked up. There is another way to re-use “disposable” items – make things out of them. You could commit yourself to a twice-monthly creative project that involves making something out of recyclable materials. There are entire magazines dedicated to this, so it should not be difficult to find ideas.

3. Commit to less waste

Get the kids on board with this one. Children’s school lunches and tendency to accumulate plastic trinkets are key areas you can address, as well as your own wasteful habits. For example, you might commit to using stainless steel, using refillable water bottles instead of disposable plastic ones, or packing your child’s lunch in a reusable bag.

4. Resolve to lower your carbon emissions

This could take the form of walking to more destinations, carpooling with friends, taking public transportation, or simply staying home a bit more. This can be integrated into a resolution to spend more time with your family – instead of going out, you could have a family game night. You’ll save fuel and spend more time with your family.

5. Resolve to borrow and share before buying

Do you need a tool for a specific job? See if you can borrow it from your neighbor, co-worker, or other acquaintance before you spend money on a piece of equipment you are only going to use once. And offer to share your tools and other items with others.

6. Eco-friendly cleaning for a less toxic New Year

Properly dispose of the chemical cleaners you use to clean your house and opt for home-made, simple cleaning recipes. Baking soda and vinegar can be used in various combinations to clean just about anything. This will change the way your family does things, but isn’t that the point?

It can be difficult to stick with your New Year’s resolutions. But with the whole family participating, it can be an enjoyable experience that actually changes your lifestyle for the better.

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