Happy new year and welcome back to campus!! Hopefully your semester is off to a good start and you’re keeping warm. Here are 10 sustainable new year resolutions (with some extra motivation at the end). Happy studies and remember to think warm thoughts!

1.) Air dry clothes

Now hear me out, clothes lines outside aren’t the only option. You can hang clothes inside as well. Try hanging things up for now, and in a few months you can utilize the warm air outside.

2.) Educate yourself

At least once a month, read a book or keep up with a blog about sustainability. You could even watch a documentary or just google something about the environment that you’re curious about. Either way, educating yourself is very important.

3.) Drive less

Whether it be through taking the Bearline, biking or walking, try to cut back on driving your car. Think warm thoughts to make the journey easier!

4.) Don’t throw away clothes

This is something a lot of us can be guilty of. I recommend keeping a trash bag in your room for clothes you no longer want that are in good condition. Once it’s full, take it to a local thrift store or yellow bin to donate.

5.) Buy local first

One of the big resolutions I personally have this year is to shop more local. My goal is to reduce going to big stores (the mall, walmart, etc.) as well as fast food restaurants. Try the farmer’s market and local businesses downtown! Thrift stores are also a great place to buy clothes.

6.) Eat less meat

If you’re able, eating less meat can go a long way both physically and environmentally. Try cutting out specific meats first, then move on to white meat and fish. If that’s a bit too much for your taste, then try not eating meat one day a week. Meatless Monday has a catchy ring to it, just saying.

7.) Cut out one disposable item per month

If you’re like me and have problems sticking to your resolutions, try cutting out one disposable item per month. You could replace plastic straws with metal ones, use reusable dishes instead of paper plates/bowls, and buy reusable bottles.

8.) Challenge yourself to buy used items

This sort of falls into the same category as number 5. Don’t be afraid to go to thrift stores! Not only that, resale sites are pretty big as well. There are several apps you can shop and sell from.

9.) Eat more fruits and vegetables

This pears (haha) nicely with Meatless Mondays. Just like eating less meat, consuming more fruits and vegetables can be very helpful as well! Don’t be afraid to get the ones that don’t look picture perfect!

10.) Buy things you can reuse

Again, whether it be metal straws, reusable water bottles, a thermos, or glassware, buying reusable items can reduce a lot of waste, saves a lot of money, and lasts a lot longer.

Now that you have 10 sustainable new year resolutions, here’s some motivational tips that I learned from this helpful article:

1.) Don’t take on too much

Remember not to take on too many things at once. We’re all human and we can only do so much.

2.) Ease into it

Some resolutions don’t happen overnight. Remember to take things on one at a time and pace yourself so you can stick to it.

3.) Track your improvement

I personally like to log my improvement in a bullet journal, since it’s a physical reminder of what I’ve been doing. Seeing how far you’ve come can be a great motivator to continue!