Ring In The New Year With Changes To Help Mother Earth!
A new year, a new beginning. Now is the time of year we begin thinking of our new year’s resolutions. Will you lose weight? Stop smoking? You may be surprised that making these changes in your lifestyle can not only help you, but mother earth too.
Here are some of the familiar New Year’s resolutions people make each year. We think they may surprise you as to the impact they can have on your health and the environment.
Lose weight
Many classic weight loss tips—eat fresh vegetables, skip the processed food aisle, cut out red meat—line up perfectly with a green lifestyle.
The bad-for-you foods that are so high in calories also pack a production wallop that uses lots of energy; the packaging just creates more waste. And trading even one meat-based meal each week for a vegetarian option can help curb the effects of global warming. If you’re going less than one mile, trade driving for walking; for longer distances, brush off your old 10-speed and hit the bike lane-then watch the pounds fall off.
Quit smoking
Cigarettes are a huge source of litter—plus there’s nothing eco-friendly about the pesticides, deforestation, paper use, and waste output of cigarette production. If you’re ready to quit, replace the habit with exercise, or snacks of fresh organic veggies.
Eat more veggies and less meat.
Methane, one of the most dangerous greenhouse gases, is produced from animal agriculture. Then, when you add the fossil fuels used in manufacturing different kinds of processed meat (such as hotdogs, bacon, and other cold cuts)—you’ve got yourself a devastating double climate whammy.
Going vegan means you help reduce methane emitted from animal farming and meat production. If you can’t go all out vegetarian, try going pesco-vegetarian which still includes seafood in the diet. If you can’t survive without your favorite steak, at least reduce your meat intake and add more leafy greens and colorful fruits to your meals.
If you’re going for that leaner body this year, then veggies and fruits are the best bets for your diet since you can eat more of them without packing on the pounds. Greens and fruits are high in fiber, a natural appetite suppressant that makes you feel full long enough to avoid those greasy chips and fat-laden pastries.
Get involved
There’s a lot to be said for getting out of your house and focusing your energy on others-or on the environment. Join a community supported agriculture program and, in exchange for a few hours work, or a few bucks per week, you’ll have fresh vegetables all summer; volunteer at an animal shelter or for an environmental charity and you can feel good about making a difference.
The key is matching your interests and talents with the right organization, and sometimes that could be as simple as starting at home and greening your community.
Aspire to be more green-minded
And by “green,” it means you should be more environmentally conscious and aware. Do a search on the term “climate change” and you’ll get 68.9 million web pages full of information that are all just a click away.
Learn more about how climate change came about and understand the negative effects it has on the world we live in. Find out what other things you can do to help reduce pollution and slow down the hazards brought about by the crazy climate.
Share your knowledge
Help spread the love for the environment in 2018!
