New Year, New You.
How to set small, achievable resolutions that help the environment by reducing and reusing.
Every year as midnight comes closer and the year comes to an end, we make our resolutions, our lists of things to change or do and we promise that we will stick to them… this year.
We can all say that we make resolutions and then we forget about them or feel too overwhelmed to complete them, but what if this we make promises that are small and easy to do without any pressure? And none of these have to do with changing who you are.
In 2022 what if we promised to change our daily practices to ones that are kinder for our planet?
Whether it be our cleaning products, our clothes, or the way we re-decorate our homes– all things that we might want to change or become better at them over the next year.
When it comes to change the easiest place to implement them is in our home and in our daily routines so that they stick and do not just become fads for us after January.
Next time you go to buy kitchen cleaner or bathroom cleaner look at alternatives whether they are homemade like in this article from Better Home & Gardens showing with two or three ingredients, you can make cleaners for all around the home or even a small business that is actively trying to get people to switch to more eco-friendly and conscious cleaners. If that all feels like too much though a great place to start is at your local supermarket where there are more options than ever before to suit homes trying to be more eco-conscious products and can be a great gateway into bringing products that are less harmful to the planet with the ingredient that they use or what they come in, like metal that is refillable or recycled plastic. All these small swaps can be easy and long-lasting changes in your home that mean you are doing a little bit for the environment and our planet.
Or if you are looking to re-decorate and freshen your home up that way, this year why not look at more eco-conscious choices in paints like a brand called Coat, who are thinking smarter in their solutions such as their Peel&Stick swatches leading to less waste that traditional tester pots and their cleaner paints with zero-waste production and solvent free paint.
When it comes to furniture look at second hand and charity shops where you can customise it to your taste and have money go into helping a charity or cause. When it comes to accessorising the home look at brands like us, at Maemara, where our products like our cushions and beanbag chairs are made of recycled plastic that would have been in landfill or oceans otherwise.
Refreshing your wardrobe for the springtime after sitting in jumpers for the last few months is something we all like to do, but if we looking in charity shops for items ready to wear or clothes that we can alter, if they need them is a great way to stop contributing fast-fashion and over production of clothes, which is huge problem at the moment with around ‘350,000 tonnes, around £140 million worth of used but still wearable clothing going to landfill in the UK every year’(Clothes Aid).
These are just a few of the ways that we can start in the new year to be more conscious of what we are buying and we are using in our homes and the impact that they have on the environment and our planet – it isn’t about a complete upheaval of what we do currently do, it is just about small swaps that are sustainable past the new year for you and for the planet.