Any long-term habit stems from an idea, the decision to implement the idea and the commitment to make it an ongoing routine. The New Year is the perfect time to reassess your sustainability habits and find out where you can make improvements. Here are a few eco resolutions to consider adding to your action plan:
Start using glass water bottles
Ditch the plastic habit and invest in a few glass water bottles. Not only do these look more sleek and elegant, but they are reusable and limit the amount of waste that will end up in your dustbin and ultimately on landfills. According to myownbottle.com, roughly 2.7 million tons of plastic are used each year worldwide for disposable drinking bottles. Less than 1% of all plastic is recycled, meaning 99% of plastics are incinerated or end up in a landfill.
Half your carbon footprint by eating less meat
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the production of livestock is the source of 14.5% of the world’s carbon emissions. The Worldwatch Institute has estimated that it could be responsible for just over half of the world’s carbon emissions. You could reduce your carbon footprint by simply leaving meat off your plate.
Consider your transport
If you’re not able to invest in a more eco-friendly car, draw up a plan to carpool with colleagues or use public transport on a regular basis. The EcoMobility World Festival plan that was implemented in Sandton in 2015 highlighted just how dependent we are on private transport and what can be achieved when cyclists, pedestrians and public transport are given preference to use the roads. Sometimes it’s good to be forced into alternative transport methods, but you don’t have to wait until you’re inconvenienced by road closures to come up with a workable plan to start a greener transport plan.
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