If you are looking to live a more natural life – for yourself, your family and the planet – here are some simple resolutions to make for 2017.
1. Use less plastic. Plastic items are so convenient and are pretty much everywhere you turn. From food containers to kids toys, toothbrushes to shopping bags, there are better alternatives. For example bamboo toothbrushes are a fantastic alternative to plastic, choose wooden toys over plastic whenever possible or opt for previously loved toys so they don’t wind up in a landfill. And while many of us own reusable bags, how often do you forget to bring them? We are certainly guilty of this. And for the grocery store, we are also committing to bring reusable produce bags to use instead of the plastic ones.
2. Drink more water. If you are drinking more water, you are drinking less of other things – pop, juice, coffee, etc. We all know water is good for our health but many of us are not getting enough. Start each day with a glass of water and commit to drinking more throughout the day; but make sure it is from a cup or reusable container and not one-time use, disposable plastic bottles.
3. Walk more. Walking is great exercise, it’s good for your health and can provide an instant mood boost. Get out in nature, enjoy your community, and whenever possible ditch the car and walk instead. It will take longer, but you will be accomplishing two things at once – exercising and getting an errand done. More than that, you will save money on gas, and emit less car pollution. It’s a win, win, win! And notice how quickly you exceed those 10,000 daily steps.
4. Cook at home. There is nothing as nutritious and delicious as a home-cooked meal. Yes, it is more work, but it is worth the task. This is because you have control over the ingredients you use, how your food is cooked, and how it was produced (organic, free range, etc.). You can tweak recipes to your taste preferences, and you will find that it is much less expensive. By cooking at home you will also reduce waste from all that fast-food packaging, excess food, and fuel used to pick up the food, travel to the restaurant or have a meal delivered.
5. Live simpler. Get rid of clutter, buy less stuff, use natural products, grow your own food, take pleasure from the little things. Everything is connected and when you take the time to connect with yourself, the people around you and the earth, life becomes much more relaxed. This year resolve to disconnect from technology more often, spend more time with friends and family, and make the conscious choice to do better for the planet.
