Who is getting ready to make some New Year's resolutions? Turning the page on a fresh year gives us a brand new opportunity to be a better version of ourselves. That's pretty exciting, and it is the perfect opportunity to start making some eco-friendly changes. It's the kind of thing we all want to do, especially after we have faced truly terrifying Climate Change news and ecological disasters this year.

There is a lot of bad news that can make us feel helpless. We got the news that efforts need to be TRIPLED by 2030 to avoid catastrophic Climate Change. Plastics are choking are oceans to death and have entered our bodies through our food (and its packaging), potentially causing cancer, endocrine problems, and hormonal changes. When we need change the most, leaders are cutting help to the environment to benefit fossil fuel companies.

No one can single handedly solve our planet's problems, but we can all contribute to the shift in momentum we desperately need. Now is the perfect time, and there are so many ways we can help.

Like every post on this website, this post is absolutely overflowing with ideas and suggestions. This is not a to do list that I expect ANYONE could check every item off. It's a grab bag and a starting point. You know your life, your worries, and your priorities- make changes that fit your life. Whatever you choose will make a difference, especially if you keep going and trying to get better. We need to go bigger and push harder, because we are in big trouble, but we also need exactly what you bring to the table, so have faith your efforts matter.

Ok, this list is epic- let's get to it!

1. Get Political

If you care about the environment, you have to vote. Have to. But that is only the tip of the iceberg of what you can do to get involved in choosing environmentally-minded leaders.

How it Helps the Earth: 

Have you seen the gigantic lists of environmental rollbacks that have taken place since Trump came into office? Can any of us even keep up with the terrible news about how they are dismantling and abusing the EPA?

The information is clear- those in power are not on the side of the planet. We have to change that. The UN talks on Climate essentially failed, and not nearly enough is being done. You may think you have no power in this, but you do. The corporations have the money, but we have the people. You can help build up that voice. 

How it Helps You:

You get to be Leslie Knope, for goodness sakes! Getting involved politically has a bad reputation, but it can be an amazing way to make connections and build up community. Also, if the last three years have taught us anything, it's just how much damage bad leadership can do. If you are in the US, this is THE year to get involved. Nothing else matters more.

How to Do It:

Vote. Talk about how you are voting with others. When someone is voting the other way, ask respectfully about their views on the environment, even if it is frustrating or hard. Volunteer for a campaign. Keep an eye on all of your local elections. Write and call your officials. Participate in marches. Run for office yourself. It all matters.

2. Eat WAY Less Meat (Take a Year Off of Beef)

Environmentalists fight about personal changes and whether they have much difference, but all will universally agree that cutting meat consumption has major environmental benefits. What you eat IS that big a deal.

How it Helps the Earth: 

Cutting meat from your diet is the single fastest way to cut your CO2 emissions. Meat production also wastes a tremendous amount of water and is responsible for polluting the water as well (the dead zones you read about are mostly due to meat production). If you stop funding large-scale meat production, you help the Earth heal. This is true of fish as well: fishing nets are the #1 source of plastic pollution in our oceans, and fish populations are having major problems.

This is particularly true for beef, which has a huge methane footprint as well. If you aren't ready to say goodbye to all meat, try to introduce more meatless meals and cut beef completely until 2021. I know you like your burger, but do you like it more than a livable planet?

How it Helps You: 

Meat, it turns out, is not particularly great for you, and nutritionists point out  that we eat too much. Less meat + more veggies = happier body. It can also be a great way to save money and to learn all about foods you may have been overlooking all this time.

How to Do It: 

Check this post for tons of ideas on cutting down meat, from cutting all hamburgers out to Meatless Mondays to just cutting your portion sizes down. If you feel ready (and you can stick with it), take the leap and go vegan. Remember, we need to triple our efforts to make a real impact, so go big, and remember you can always bring things back next year.

3. Quit Fast Fashion

Fast fashion is another major culprit in pollution, climate crisis, and waste. Is it worth participating in the newest, hottest trend if your grandchildren won't even survive to laugh at you about it?

How it Helps the Earth: 

Fast fashion is a major source of pollution and greenhouse gases. It also uses tons of resources. But that is just the beginning. To try to keep up with the constant churn of the seasons, and working off the assumption that cheaper is always better, companies have resorted to a number of extremely unethical short cuts:

- First, they use synthetic fabrics, plastic fibers that are shedding off of all of our clothes, into our water, and back into our bodies.
- Second, and this is the one that keeps me up at night, cheap fashion absolutely guarantees cheap labor. That means for you to have that t-shirt from Target, at best someone was working in unsafe conditions. At worst, that person was a child, a slave, or actively abused. That person is just as much a person as I am, and no shirt is cute enough for that.

In other words, fast fashion is one of the most toxic forces in our lives and our world. It needs to stop to save resources, keep our water clean, and to stop climate crisis.

How it Helps You:

I think a lot about how many people are walking around, thinking they are doing the best they can to be ethical, moral, or good, but they are literally wearing the mistreatment of others everywhere they go. Changing our approach to fashion means letting go of certain expectations about who we should be and how we have to "keep up." In short, quitting fast fashion frees us from things that don't matter so we can focus on the things that do.

And it will save you from cropped super high cut jeans, which looks good on like 4 people.

How to Do It: 

The best thing you can do is embrace all of the clothes you already own. Learn to sew and repair things. Go to a tailor and get what you already have fitted. Resolve to buy no more than one new clothing item a month. Resolve to buy all your clothes secondhand in 2020 (SO EASY with thred up, ebay, rent the runway and more). Stop buying clothes that aren't made where you live or fair trade. Try a capsule wardrobe. Take a no shopping challenge for the year.

There are so many cool ideas for this one and so many inspirational people out there thinking through this problem. Truly, no reason to stick with fast fashion.

4. Change your Travel (And your Stuff's Travel)

How it Helps the Earth:

Travel accounts for a huge percentage of fossil fuel usage. Air travel actually makes up a shocking amount of this- it creates way less greenhouse gas to drive than to fly. For us to solve the climate crisis, we need better options for car travel, plane travel, and energy sources. There are expensive solutions out there (most of us aren't going to be buying a Tesla any time soon), but taking public transit, biking and walking, carpooling, and taking trains can all cut down on emissions.

This isn't just your personal problem, it's absolutely systemic. When we consider a third of all air travel is business travel or look at the emissions of shipping things across the planet, we can see that where we spend our money also really matters.

How it Helps You: 

Some of these options are so much healthier for our bodies, and exploring where we are can be a total unexpected treat as well. We have been flying less, and it honestly has been really fun to do more little trips around where we live.

Also, shopping local supports local businesses, which means more jobs and a healthier economy where we are. Money you spend on imported goods at Walmart is leaving your community and you are never going to see it again. Money you spend at locally-owned stores or on locally-made projects stays where you live.

How to Do It: 

Try taking the bus or public transit near you. Walk more to where you are going. Carpool. Resolve to take half the flights as you did in 2019. Plan a vacation with train travel. Put fewer things on your schedule so you simply are moving around less.

This could also mean embracing the things made locally to you. You could resolve to not buy anything new and imported for a whole year. It wouldn't be easy, but it's not impossible. Check this post for tons of ideas on doable resolutions right in your own neighborhood!

5. Hold Businesses Accountable

The businesses that make these problems can also stop them. But they won't unless someone makes them. That someone is you.

How it Helps the Earth: 

We know that so much of the power around Climate Change rests in the hands of large businesses. Their goal is to keep grabbing at every bit of money they can, no matter what happens to the Earth. They bank on us not paying attention so they can do as they please. Let this be the year you don't stand for it anymore. By speaking up to businesses (big and small), and the people you love about how important it is to take care of the environment, you shift the culture. And you let them all know that apathy and greed are no longer acceptable. So important at this moment in history.

Business changes have huge impacts, If I give up plastic bags, I will save maybe a few thousand in a lifetime. If Target does it, that number is in the billions. I can stop drinking pop and that is important, but if Coca Cola could solve its plastic problem, it would be a historic victory for the Earth.

We have seen this year that companies can change, that some are changing, and that those changes make a big difference in shifting the norm and preventing waste, This is true of local and small businesses too! My favorite small town pizzaria switched to paper straws- everyone complained at first, but it caught on and other restaurants in their town is following suit.

How it Helps You: 

In the face of the panic and depression that comes with watching Climate Change unfold, nothing feels better than the sense that you are actually doing something. You aren't powerless. Second to that, speaking out means you will find other voices, and no one should be facing this moment alone.

Also, I can say from experience that it is freaking cathartic. It doesn't take that much time, and you kind of get better and better at it as you go. It's amazing how often I hear back and see changes too, especially when I reach out to the local businesses near me.

How to Do It: 

The way to take on the biggest companies making the largest messes is to join in with large groups with TONS of people power like Greenpeace and 350. Both are excellent groups with tons of influence and laser focus on specific issues and businesses. It's another area where we can only fight tremendous wealth with people power, so your membership, involvement, and donations are desperately needed and useful.

Feel too large scale for you? You can find work groups on social media where people share letter writing campaigns and petitions to pool energy, signatures, and resources. My favorite is Stop Plastic- Take Action! I can just go through their feed once a week and help with a bunch of initiatives at once.

Write businesses that do not live up to your standards. Ask to talk to a manager when you get plastic nonsense. When you stop buying from some business, write and tell them so. When an issue is really getting you down, make a list of the businesses that could do something about it, then actually bug them about it.

6. Get Plastics Out of your Life Already

Plastic is poison, and our beautiful Earth is absolutely drowning in it.

How it Helps the Earth:

Plastics are choking our planet's biodiversity, filling our land and water with waste, and poisoning our bodies (in 2019, we learned that we ingest a CREDIT CARD's worth of plastic every week- gross!) At this point, our children's children will be cleaning up the mess we and our parents made. We can make the job easier by stopping our part in the mess! As they say, if the bathtub is overflowing, the first step is to turn off the tap.

Refusing single use plastics and products that use plastic packaging also sends companies the message that we will not tolerate the plastic ridiculousness anymore. We very seriously risk choking out our natural resources with plastic, and every piece we each buy only gets us that much closer.

I was so hopeful that 2019 would be the year that we finally break our addiction to plastics. We are getting closer, but there is still so far to go.

How it Helps You:

The chemicals in plastic, even "food safe" plastic aren't fully understood yet, but this is what we do know: plastics definitely mess with our hormones and our endocrine system. They are also linked again and again with cancer. Look at the rise in plastic packaging next to the rise in many (hormone-related) cancers. This is no a coincidence. Plastic is terrible for our bodies, we just don't even know how terrible yet.

Plastic is the asbestos of our generation- do you really want that on or in your body?

How to Do It: 

There are lots of freaking EASY ways to start cutting our plastic habits. Hundreds of easy options- check this post for 75 of my best ideas (use a menstrual cup, buy less packaged food, bring reusable bags, STOP buying synthetic clothes!).

Most of us can cut our addiction to the big 4- coffee cups, water bottles, plastic bags, and plastic straws. Just be done with them. There are simple green and reusable options for everything you already buy.

Not enough? Start writing companies to tell them to stop already. No restaurant needs to give every customer a plastic straw. Freaking amazon needs to stop with the bubble mailers. Once you start avoiding plastic, you will see the places where you seem to have no choice in the matter. That's where you voice your frustration to them.

7. Get Outside and Plant Something

How it Helps the Earth: 

We learned this year that one of our best defenses against climate crisis is simply by planting way more trees. We may not individually have the power to stop development, but we can get involved in this planting and change our approach to our own yards and spaces to make them greener (literally).

You can't fight for something you don't love. A true connection with nature can inform your environmentalism so you can fight the battles most real to you. We are alienated from nature and see it as a thing "out there." Removing that gap from our thinking (we all live IN nature and we ARE nature) makes us better advocates for the Earth. Nothing encourages this more than embracing gardening and nurturing as part of our lives.

How it Helps You: 

Spending more time outside has proven to improve our physical health, our focus and attention, and even our emotional health (some doctors are prescribing nature for depression). I can vouch for this personally; we spent the last year focusing on more outdoors time, and it made me a better, happier mom. Time outside is magic, and it heals.

Starting our garden is the best thing we ever did as parents. It gives our kids a strong appreciation of the labor and nurture behind what they eat. It also opens their mind to foods I would never have expected.

How to Do It: 

In my dream world, we would all take up big planting goals for 2020. Every household would plant 5 trees. Or every yard would give up the lame lawn and fill it up with native plants and trees. But you can set your own planting goal- how many trees can you plant in a year? Or is there a local planting group you could volunteer for?

Planting is not your thing? No problem, check out this post for ways to make being outdoors a regular part of your 2020 routine.

8. Just Buy Less (And Stop Getting Things New)

Want to make a dramatic change in 2020? Just stop shopping!

How it Helps the Earth:

Overconsumption is another big source of Climate Change. We buy a lot, and everything we buy has to travel (often very far distances), so every thing we buy uses fossil fuels. Most things bought new in stores (or on Amazon) also traveled in plastic, so if you buy 100 non-food items this year, that's 100 extra pieces of plastic trash. Also, to make their stuff cheap, many companies are using more plastics (think about fashion, which is increasingly synthetic materials and shedding millions of microplastics into our water every dang day).

In other words, the less you buy, the better for the Earth. Buying it once instead of over and over is better for the Earth. Borrowing from a neighbor is better for the Earth. Fixing what you already have is better for the Earth. Every time you don't buy something, you have done something good for the Earth! You just have to do nothing! So easy!

How it Helps You:

The average American has 300,000 objects in their home. That's a lot to keep cleaning, shopping for, and shifting. And we know that it is making us miserable. Clutter makes it harder for us to focus, and it can even cause depression.

There is also the mental toll of all that shopping. Like so many cheap and easy highs, the good feeling only lasts a minute and then you are left needing another one. Don't believe me? How much shopping have you already done since the holiday? And buying all those objects means we need things cheap, which probably means in was manufactured in poverty and mistreatment. That's a lot to weigh on our psyche with so much dusting to do.

How to Do It:

Sometimes the best start is a really good clean out with LOTS of donating and sharing (throwing away is a last resort). Join a Buy Nothing Group. Stop shopping at stores like Target that are designed to send you out with 100 dollars of stuff you don't need.

Have something you love to shop for? Set a goal number for how many you can buy for the whole year, and stick to it. If you only get one pair of shoes in 2020, you may not be as eager to take advantage of a sale. Stop treating shopping as an activity or accomplishment. Shop secondhand first. Take a picture of the thing you want and see if you think of it again before you buy it. 

9. Waste Less and Worry Less

How it Helps the Earth:

Food waste is a key problem for the planet and our humanity; this wasted food adds to greenhouse gases instead of feeding people who need it. Smarter use of our resources is essential in cutting down the amount of waste on the planet. Restaurants and grocery stores need to be held more accountable for things they waste, but we also need to question how our overconsumption of meat sends so many of our resources to farms instead of people.

But this goes way beyond food waste too- how many pieces of clothing do we throw away that could have been mended and used again? We need to shop less and use what we already have more. How many food containers did we throw away this year? How could we use them another way?

We also know that single-use items are a key source of waste in our world. If we could shift our own lives and family cultures to eliminate that, we could minimize plastics and other waste being created on massive scales every day (seriously, it's a lot).

How it Helps You:

Our culture of overspending and overeating certainly isn't doing us a lot of good. This can be a great place to identify that we just need to slow down and make a plan. When you plan what you eat and use what you have, you will feel better about your life, and your body will feel better too.

And creating less general garbage can free us from a bunch of stuff that is weighing us down that we don't even realize. When you start trying to minimize the waste you make, whether you go zero-waste or just cut a little, your life gets simpler in a very positive way too. And honestly, it just feels good to not have to take out the garbage so much!

How to Do it:

Internalize the saying "there is no away." Everything we throw away, whether it be food, plastic, or other garbage goes SOMEWHERE. Then start thinking about how you personally can cut down on the waste you create. Reuse things. Fix them. Give them away on Buy Nothing or donate them. Do everything you can to make that garbage can less full at the end of the week.

Meal plan! Eat out less.  Learn cool ways to use up your food waste. COMPOST. Seriously, how are any of us not composting? Learn to bring reusable options with you. Reuse containers and t-shirts. Fall in love with upcycling.

10. Keep Talking About It! 

How it Helps the Earth :


Just keep talking about this stuff! Bring up the news, share cool memes, be honest and explain the changes you are making.

In 2019, environmentalism went mainstream in the form of a 16 year old girl and her many youthful followers. We are already seeing major backlash against them, but not nearly enough change has happened. You can help keep this momentum going by being positive and speaking the truth! One of the most important things we can do is talk about it with our friends and family, because that is how culture shifts and minds change.

We need everyone to care. Everyone. So your caring and talking about it plants more seeds. Lots won't grow, but some will. And that caring can only be good for the Earth.

How it Helps You: 

The news about our planet and our future is consistently terrifying and depressing. The only way to stay optimistic, to feel hope, and to KEEP HELPING is to have community with other people. Don't face this stuff alone. If nothing else, if you are having a bad day (or exchange with someone) you can always DM me about it.

Don't be alone  worrying about this stuff. When you talk about it, other people will surprise you and challenge you. It makes life better to do things with others. Be a steward amongst stewards. Caring is deeply and powerfully contagious. Care loudly, and other people will care too.

How to Do It: 

Share (positive) things on facebook. Invite people to come to volunteer with you. Chat with the server after you turn down the straws. Brag about your kickass secondhand finds. Be that person, and bring up reusables at a meeting you are at. If you like concrete goals, post one thing about the environment a week or resolve to have one conversation about it a week.

Resolve to bring up your environmental choices once a week to people you meet or on social media.


Ok, what are you resolving to do in 2020? What have I missed on this list?

Turning the page on a fresh year gives us a brand new opportunity to be a better version of ourselves. That's pretty exciting, and it is the perfect opportunity to start making some eco-friendly changes. It's the kind of thing we all want to do, especially after we have faced truly terrifying Climate Change news and ecological disasters this year.

There is a lot of bad news that can make us feel helpless. We got the news that efforts need to be TRIPLED by 2030 to avoid catastrophic Climate Change. Plastics are choking are oceans to death and have entered our bodies through our food (and its packaging), potentially causing cancer, endocrine problems, and hormonal changes. Leaders are cutting help to the environment to benefit fossil fuel companies.

It doesn't even make sense! And it can feel like we can't make a difference. But we still can, and in huge ways.

Becoming eco-friendly seems like a daunting commitment, but you can actually make a huge POSITIVE impact on the world just by making some easy small changes. If we all resole to make a few sustainable changes this year, 2019 could be a turning point for our world. New Year's Resolutions can be all about changing habits, so why not stick with the junk food and make the world better instead?

The other bonus? I won't suggest anything on this list that doesn't make your life better too. We have all internalized the message that what we want is fast, cheap, and easy. Rejecting that in any decision on any level makes life happier, healthier, and can offer us some peace. So while we are saving the world, we are also saving ourselves. A few years into this, I can say without a doubt this is true.

Let's save the world this year. 

It's a big task but we can make positive steps even when they are small ones. I have split my ideas into 9 categories, but each category has hundreds of ideas of smaller ideas that you can sustain through the year. Giving up meat for a week is nice. Cutting your meat intake in half for the year is way better. Take smaller steps, but make them last.

No one could do all of these things and no single resolution will work for everyone. Climate Change is a big, messy, complex problem; no one solution will be enough. But that also means the things that don't work for you because of cost or culture are never your only option. No one can do everything, but everyone could do something. So let's focus on the positives of what we each CAN do. 

You can do this. So can I. And we have to, because our world depends on it. Let's do this!

1.  Love Everything Local to You

How it Helps the Earth- Living local isn't the most discussed green living change, but it packs so much punch. Eating locally (seasonal food and local grocers) cuts thousands of miles of travel out of your emissions. Shopping locally (made in America brands, local stores) minimizes fossil fuels, protests poverty manufacturing, AND supports your neighbors.

Finally, no one is better suited to solve the problems of your community than you are. You can see plastic bags need banned or waterways need cleaned up? Join a group or start one yourself. Even the smallest action can have huge positive ripples!

How it Helps You- If you make where you live awesome, you get to live somewhere awesome. Every time you spend your money and time where you are, you can help the Earth as a whole, but it also just makes local life better.

How to Do it- Check this post for tons of ideas on doable resolutions right in your own neighborhood!

2. Make your Voice Heard 

How it Helps the Earth- We know that so much of the power around Climate Change rests in the hands of political leaders and large businesses. Their goal is to keep grabbing at every bit of money they can, no matter what happens to the Earth. They bank on us not paying attention so they can do as they please. Let this be the year you don't stand for it anymore. By speaking up to politicians, businesses (big and small), and the people you love about how important it is to take care of the environment, you shift the culture. And you let them all know that apathy and greed are no longer acceptable. So important at this moment in history.

How it Helps You- In the face of the panic and depression that comes with watching Climate Change unfold, nothing feels better than the sense that you are actually doing something. You aren't powerless. Second to that, speaking out means you will find other voices, and no one should be facing this moment alone.

How to Do it- Call your representatives. Watch the news and when the environment is on the docket, put more pressure on. Join environmental groups with a political component so you can connect your voice to others.

Write businesses that do not live up to your standards. Ask to talk to a manager when you get plastic nonsense. When you stop buying from some business, write and tell them so. When an issue is really getting you down, make a list of the businesses that could do something about it, then actually bug them about it.

3. Quit Plastics

How it Helps the Earth- Plastic is poison, and our beautiful Earth is absolutely drowning in it. Microplastics from our clothes are filling the water and all of our food sources. At this point, our children's children will be cleaning up the mess we and our parents made. We can make the job easier by stopping our part in the mess! It also sends companies the message that we will not tolerate the plastic ridiculousness anymore. We very seriously risk choking out our natural resources with plastic, and every piece we each buy only gets us that much closer.

Please God, let this be the year we break our addiction to plastic. This change is urgent and needed.

How it Helps You- The chemicals in plastic, even "food safe" plastic aren't fully understood yet, but this is what we do know: plastics definitely mess with our hormones and our endocrine system. They are also linked again and again with cancer. Look at the rise in plastic packaging next to the rise in many (hormone-related) cancers. This is no a coincidence. Plastic is terrible for our bodies, we just don't even know how terrible yet. It is the asbestos of our generation- do you really want that on or in your body?

How to Do it- There are lots of freaking EASY ways to start cutting our plastic habits. Hundreds of easy options- check this post for 75 of my best ideas (use a menstrual cup, buy less packaged food, bring reusable bags, STOP buying synthetic clothes!).

Most of us can cut our addiction to the big 4- coffee cups, water bottles, plastic bags, and plastic straws. Just be done with them. There are simple green and reusable options for everything you already buy.

Not enough? Start writing companies to tell them to stop already. No restaurant needs to give every customer a plastic straw. Freaking amazon needs to stop with the bubble mailers. Once you start avoiding plastic, you will see the places where you seem to have no choice in the matter. That's where you voice your frustration to them.

4. Get Outside 

How it Helps the Earth- You can't fight for something you don't love. A true connection with nature can inform your environmentalism so you can fight the battles most real to you. We are alienated from nature and see it as a thing "out there." Removing that gap from our thinking (we all live IN nature and we ARE nature) makes us better advocates for the Earth.

How it Helps You- Spending more time outside has proven to improve our physical health, our focus and attention, and even our emotional health (some doctors are prescribing nature for depression). I can vouch for this personally; we spent the last year focusing on more outdoors time, and it made me a better, happier mom. Time outside is magic, and it heals.

How to Do it- Check out this post for ways to make being outdoors a regular part of your 2019 routine.

5. Just Buy Fewer Things

How it Helps the Earth- Overconsumption is another big source of Climate Change. We buy a lot, and everything we buy has to travel (often very far distances), so every thing we buy uses fossil fuels. Most things bought new in stores (or on Amazon) also traveled in plastic, so if you buy 100 non-food items this year, that's 100 extra pieces of plastic trash. Also, to make their stuff cheap, many companies are using more plastics (think about fashion, which is increasingly synthetic materials and shedding millions of microplastics into our water every dang day).

In other words, the less you buy, the better for the Earth. Buying it once instead of over and over is better for the Earth. Borrowing from a neighbor is better for the Earth. Fixing what you already have is better for the Earth. Every time you don't buy something, you have done something good for the Earth! You just have to do nothing! So easy!

How it Helps You- The average American has 300,000 objects in their home. That's a lot to keep cleaning, shopping for, and shifting. And we know that it is making us miserable. Clutter makes it harder for us to focus, and it can even cause depression.

There is also the mental toll of all that shopping. Like so many cheap and easy highs, the good feeling only lasts a minute and then you are left needing another one. And buying all those objects means we need things cheap, which probably means in was manufactured in poverty and mistreatment. That's a lot to weigh on our psyche with so much dusting to do.

How to Do it- Sometimes the best start is a really good clean out with LOTS of donating and sharing (throwing away is a last resort). Join a Buy Nothing Group. Stop shopping Fast Fashion. Have something you love to shop for? Set a goal number for how many you can buy for the whole year, and stick to it. If you only get one pair of shoes in 2019, you may not be as eager to take advantage of a sale. Stop treating shopping as an activity or accomplishment. Shop secondhand first. Take a picture of the thing you want and see if you think of it again before you buy it.

6. Less Waste, Less Worries

How it Helps the Earth- Food waste is a key problem for the planet and our humanity; this wasted food adds to greenhouse gases instead of feeding people who need it. Smarter use of our resources is essential in cutting down the amount of waste on the planet. Restaurants and grocery stores need to be held more accountable for things they waste, but we also need to question how our overconsumption of meat sends so many of our resources to farms instead of people.

But this goes way beyond food waste too- how many pieces of clothing do we throw away that could have been mended and used again? We need to shop less and use what we already have more. How many food containers did we throw away this year? How could we use them another way?

We also know that single-use items are a key source of waste in our world. If we could shift our own lives and family cultures to eliminate that, we could minimize plastics and other waste being created on massive scales every day (seriously, it's a lot).

How it Helps You- Our culture of overspending and overeating certainly isn't doing us a lot of good. This can be a great place to identify that we just need to slow down and make a plan. When you plan what you eat and use what you have, you will feel better about your life, and your body will feel better too.

And creating less general garbage can free us from a bunch of stuff that is weighing us down that we don't even realize. When you start trying to minimize the waste you make, whether you go zero-waste or just cut a little, your life gets simpler in a very positive way too. And honestly, it just feels good to not have to take out the garbage so much!

How to Do it- Internalize the saying "there is no away." Everything we throw away, whether it be food, plastic, or other garbage goes SOMEWHERE. Then start thinking about how you personally can cut down on the waste you create. Reuse things. Fix them. Give them away on Buy Nothing or donate them. Do everything you can to make that garbage can less full at the end of the week.

Meal plan! Eat out less.  Learn cool ways to use up your food waste. COMPOST. Seriously, how are any of us not composting? Learn to bring reusable options with you. Reuse containers and t-shirts. Fall in love with upcycling.

7.  Eat Less Meat 

How it Helps the Earth- Cutting meat from your diet is the single fastest way to cut your CO2 emissions. Meat production also wastes a tremendous amount of water and is responsible for polluting the water as well (the dead zones you read about are mostly due to meat production). If you stop funding large-scale meat production, you help the Earth heal.

How it Helps You- Meat, it turns out, is not particularly great for you, and nutritionists point out  that we eat too much. Less meat + more veggies = happier body.

How to Do it- Check this post for tons of ideas on cutting down meat, from hamburgers out to Meatless Mondays to just cutting your portion sizes down.

8. Get Involved and Join a Group 

How it Helps the Earth- So many people are out there fighting this battle, but they need your help. They can target politics or conservation, planting trees or demanding justice. Your manpower, voice or even money can help them have more successes. The narrative sold to us about climate change is that we are individually responsible to fix it (turn your lights off, take the bus, etc). Those things can help, but our power only becomes remarkable when we work together. You can be a part of that.

How it Helps You- You can just do more. You can meet people who care about the things you do. You can learn from others and share skills with someone who has a totally different set than you. You don't have to be alone, because that is no fun.

How to Do it- Do your research! What is going on near you? Get on Facebook and join a group there to watch they do for a while. Bring a friend and just show up to a meeting. Donate money. Join a mailing list.

9. Actually Talk About It 

How it Helps the Earth- One of my heroes, Katherine Hayhoe, says that one of the biggest things we can do about Climate Change is to just talk about it. It's a dark topic (no one wants to chit chat about the apocalypse) and one that makes people uncomfortable and even defensive. But talking about it anyway makes it something that can't be ignored. It also makes it less scary to see someone talking about it and doing something about it.

We need everyone to care. Everyone. So your caring and talking about it plants more seeds. Lots won't grow, but some will. And that caring can only be good for the Earth.

How it Helps You- Don't be alone  worrying about this stuff. When you talk about it, other people will surprise you and challenge you. It makes life better to do things with others. Be a steward amongst stewards. Caring is deeply and powerfully contagious. Care loudly, and other people will care too.

This may be my biggest takeaway from writing this blog. I have someone I care about send me a link or tell me their latest little victory almost everyday. Someone sees something and thinks I will like it. But even to do that, they have to have read it or internalized it too. And truly nothing brings me more joy than when a friend texts me to brag about their reusable sponges or my brother-in-law stops using straws at his restaurant or an acquaintance tells me they are using an idea from my blog. Want to feel your impact? See others.

How to Do it- Share (positive) things on facebook. Invite people to come to volunteer with you. Chat with the server after you turn down the straws. Brag about your kickass secondhand finds.



Alright friends, what are you resolving to do in 2019?

Turning the page on a fresh year gives us a brand new opportunity to be a better version of ourselves. That's pretty exciting, and it is the perfect opportunity to start making some eco-friendly changes. It's the kind of thing we all want to do, especially after we have faced truly terrifying Climate Change news and ecological disasters this year. 

Becoming eco-friendly seems like a daunting commitment, but you can actually make a huge POSITIVE impact on the world just by making some easy small changes. If we all resole to make a few SUSTAINABLE changes this year, 2019 could be a turning point for our world. New Year's Resolutions can be all about changing habits, so why not stick with the junk food and make the world better instead?

No one could do all of these things and no single resolution will work for everyone. Climate Change is a big, messy, complex problem; no one solution will be enough. But that also means the things that don't work for you because of cost or culture are never your only option. No one can do everything, but everyone could do something. So let's focus on the positives of what we each CAN do. 

How It Helps You

When talking resolutions and diets, we mostly think of cutting down on treats or snacks. Meat generally looks "healthy" because we need protein, but if you want to turn around your health, meat might actually be the PERFECT place to moderate. Cutting down on meat can help you lose weight, be more active, and protect you from heart disease, cancer, even impotence (unless you are Ron Swanson, obviously)!

Meat has more and more connections to health issue, so most doctors and organizations suggest cutting back. The American Institute for Cancer Research says you should eat no more than 18 ounces of meat a week. Most other sources I could find said 10-12 ounces. Lots of us eat WAY more than that, though it has been going down.

Want more evidence that eating less meat is better for you? Here, Harvard will tell you all about it.

from npr

How it Helps the Earth

Meat, especially beef and lamb, have absolutely terrible environmental impact, so eating less can really lessen your footprint. Red meats have extremely high CO2 emissions, use tons of fossil fuels and water, and are one of the top contributors to climate change. Top US nutrition panels are advising we all eat less for the environment and for ourselves.

Skipping that burger turns out to be a pretty kickass solution to all sorts of nonsense.
Have a drought? Forget the 3 minute shower- eat less beef.
Driving way more this month? Offset it by eating less beef.
See a pattern? We all need to eat less beef. Vegetables use less water, less land, and creates less CO2 and waste. There is no downside here.

There are other benefits as well. Meats at supermarkets come wrapped in plastic and styrofoam. Mushrooms and beans? Not so much. Changing your approach can cut down on your waste as well.

Eating less meat means you can eat more ethical meat as well. If you are an animal lover and a meat lover at the same time, you might ask yourself whether the meat you buy actually upholds your respect for animals. I personally believe that farm animals can be treated humanely and with dignity, but I know that is nearly never the case with the meat you can get at the grocery store, and you have to know what you are paying (more) for.

Local farms, butchers, and farmers' markets are a way better source for meat if you want the animals to be treated with respect. And even if it is twice as expensive, if you are eating half the meat, it comes out to the same amount. The less meat you buy, the more money you save.

from Research on Global Markets

So, Let's Make A Change

This week, keep track of how many servings of meat you eat. If it actually feels like more than you need, maybe this is the perfect place to make a resolution.

Am I telling you to become a vegetarian? You can, and that would be great, but you should choose a commitment that you can realistically continue. Being a vegetarian for one week is not nearly as effective as cutting your meat intake in half for the rest of your life. We all need to curb our diets, and we can make a huge impact on our environment and our waistlines by cutting back in 2019. Here are some ideas of how-

Meatless Mondays

Have one day a week with absolutely no meat in it. Think of it as a fun challenge, because there are so many great recipes and ideas out there. I share Meatless Monday recipe roundups with vegetarian options every week to help you out. You could do all vegetarian lunches also- whatever works for you, but just make it part of your routine.

Plan Around Veggies

We have learned to love veggies one at a time this year, but I wouldn't have ever seen that coming. It's as simple as changing how you talk about food. Usually, when someone asks what you are having for dinner, you reply "Chicken with..." why not say "Veggie pasta with chicken?" Less meat and more focus on stuff we relegate to sides can TOTALLY change how we think about food.

One fun way to do this is to look at what veggies are seasonal where you live, and pick a veggie of the week. So much fun!

Make Beef a Special Occasion, not a Routine

Cut Down Portion Sizes

Make up the difference with vegetables or beans. You will be healthier, and eating 2 fewer ounces a portion will add up over the course of a year. Do a regular cheeseburger, not a double. You don't have to go cold turkey, just always make the smaller choice. We make a whole lasagna with two sausages or stretch 4 chicken breasts over 3 meals. It saves money and the Earth!

Know Where Your Meat Comes From

 Maybe you are thinking of how beef is important for your local economy. Sure that might be true, but is your beef actually coming from there? When you eat at a fast food restaurant, it has traveled. At many grocery stores, it has traveled. Buy less, buy local, and you can put that money to use where you live and get better quality meat.

If You Want to Do More

Already pretty light on meat? Been a vegetarian for years? It might be time to dive into less dairy. I haven't eaten red meat for years, but I love milk, so this year my goal was to stop drinking it. I did it, and I miss it less than I expected.

Another option is to write your favorite restaurants and ask for more meat-free options or to know where their meat came from. They can't respond to the need for more vegetarian/ vegan food if they don't know people want it. Leave them a note on yelp or their facebook page pushing them to be more transparent or to have better veggie options.

Read up on the farming industry and join groups that are already fighting for better treatment of animals (and all the waste they create). Vegans and environmentalists have been fighting this battle for years, and they need our help to advocate for animals and our planet.

Do you love eating meat but are super concerned about the environment? Commit to being a vegetarian for a year, a month, or a season. Don't make it a lifelong commitment, but just try it with a real end date to see how you feel.

Turning the page on a fresh year gives us a brand new opportunity to be a better version of ourselves. That's pretty exciting, and it is the perfect opportunity to start making some eco-friendly changes. It's the kind of thing we all want to do, especially after we have faced truly terrifying Climate Change news and ecological disasters this year. 

Becoming eco-friendly seems like a daunting commitment, but you can actually make a huge POSITIVE impact on the world just by making some easy small changes. If we all resole to make a few SUSTAINABLE changes this year, 2019 could be a turning point for our world. New Year's Resolutions can be all about changing habits, so why not stick with the junk food and make the world better instead?

Want to do something that will make the Earth cleaner and your life better? Resolve to spend more time outside this year! I'm going to tell you why it's worth it and how to start some habits that will actually keep.

This isn't the time of year we usually want to get outside, but we can do it, and once you start, it is pretty addictive!

How It's Good for You

It is well-proven that spending our time outside is one of the healthiest things we all aren't doing. This article breaks down the benefits pretty well, but here are some boiling points:
 - Nature can help us restore our mental and physical energy. It's proven to be especially good for easing depression.
- It boosts our immune system, upholds our eyesight, can reduce inflammation, and might even prevent cancer according to this article.
- Time in nature reduces stress and increases short term memory and creative thinking.
- Nature makes us happier- the same activities done outdoors makes us happier than doing them inside.

For goodness sake,  is there anything that being in nature doesn't do?

That's the good news. The bad news is that our generation is less outdoorsy than any in history. We spend too much time on screens, in urbanized spaces, and not enough outside and in the wild. You know the schtick. We all know we SHOULD go outside more, but it certainly shook me to see just how extensive and awesome the benefits are.

We also know that being outside is even more important for children. The effects of being outside greatly benefit their brain development and has shown to be helpful to kids with ADHD and other attention problems.

Last year, I read How to Raise a Wild Child by Scott Samson. I think it should be required reading for every parent, as it shows just how important nature and unstructured time are for kids. Plus, his chapters on how to mentor are just so good. If you are a parent, read this book. The key point is that getting kids out into nature is as simple as using local natural spaces and engaging with nature ourselves.

Now, in all honesty, I may be the world's least outdoorsy environmentalist. I have never been an animal lover (I don't hate them, but I don't really get the big deal. I like things that can talk). I have never felt any sublime peace looking at a leaf or a tree- I would rather observe in an art museum. I find relaxing and quiet times very stressful (hence, writing an informational blog as my hobby). I grew up in the country, but I just saw the outside as the space to stage my imaginary tales. I do LOVE to garden, weirdly enough (haha! Unweed this garden, chaos monster toddlers!), but I am certainly not the poster child for enjoying the great outdoors.

That said, we set this as a goal last year (one hour outside a day) and actually did well enough at it that now when I don't take my kids outside for a few days in a row, I am antsy about it. I discovered in 2018 that for whatever reason, I am a better mom outdoors.

 I say this because I want you to believe that you don't have to be Gaia Earth Mother to get something out of time outside. Investing that time will make you better at your job, happier, and even improve your brain function! Literally you could be a superhuman if you would just get outside. We are all superheroes waiting to happen.

Why It Is Good for the Earth

Ok, yeah going outside is (REALLY) good for us, but how could I rank it up there with refusing plastic or eating less beef?

It's hard to save something you don't love. Don't believe me? Ask every superhero ever why they have to have some curvy lady watching when they blow things up (for humanity's sake). Love is an essential part of what motivates us. Getting out into nature, taking hikes, growing food, even just sitting and listening to the birds sing can deepen our appreciation for nature.

And not just the nature that is the rain forests, or glaciers in the arctic, or the ocean at sunset. Not just the nature that is far away, that we only see in pictures. But the nature we live in, that we pass everyday, the nature that we are.

We can all suffer from the false belief that nature is out there somewhere, so when we throw things away, we can falsely assume that an "away" even exists. When we shop for virgin tree toilet paper, we don't have to face how long it took to grow the tree we are wiping our butt with.

Much like our intentional ignorance around unethical labor, our alienation from nature basically gives us permission to ignore our guilt in mistreating the Earth. It doesn't mean we aren't responsible for this mistreatment, and I think ignoring it (so we can just keep on doing what we want to do) is rotting us from the inside (I see this especially in the Christian church).

So getting out there and really connecting with nature so we feel responsible for it again takes courage, but we NEED to do it if we want to do right by the Earth and future generations.

How to Get to It

30 Minutes a Day of... Anything Outside

We tend to think of being in nature as something we GO to do (like get in the car and drive to, take a long flight, etc), but you live in nature right now, you just have to find it.

 Please, please get out there and visit national parks this year (they certainly need our help more than ever), but think smaller too. You aren't as far from nature as you think. Just head outside everyday or 5 or 3 days a week (what you can keep up with is best). Plant something. Read, even if you are cold. Just rant about how cold it is for 20 minutes and then drag your achey joints inside. Just start living more of your life intentionally outdoors. Walk your dog. Take yourself for a Walk on your Lunch Break.

If you are creative, you could go out and sketch. Keep a journal. Make connecting a priority.

Grow Something

For me, starting a garden turned out to really help me connect with nature. I like having something to do, so I am always ready to run off five minutes into a beach day. But growing something turns out to be really great. We grow some of our own food now, but if you didn't have a lot of space, you could just have a herb garden.

 Get to Know your Parks and Woods

You could try making a list of the State or National parks (or freaking playgrounds if you need to keep it simple) that are near you, maybe that you always mean to go to but never quite make it there, and go on 10 exploration adventures this year. This could be such a fun challenge!

Commit to a Time

Go for a walk every day on your lunch break. Go outside for half an hour every night after dinner, regardless of your weather. We usually go outside when everyone has finished their nap. Sometimes it is as simple as committing to a particular time, because it is easy enough to put it off another day.

Another way to do this might be to sign up for a retreat. I know our church does them, but you can find all sorts of retreats out there.

Join a Group or Program

Joining groups can help you get started and meet other people out to breathe in a little more outdoorsiness. For parents, I love Hike it Baby, which has groups all over the country. So many outdoor groups are already out there, and if you are a socially-motivated person, it might be a great way to get your feet wet.

Rewilding is another program that I have seen raves for. This 30 day program helps you unplug and refocus. Could be perfect for you!

Make some Money, Build some Muscle

Feel like you just can't find the time? Why not kill two birds with one stone (figuratively! You are a bird lover now, right?)? If you are short on cash, why not sign up to be a dog walker. You can make money, get exercise, and spend time outdoors.

Switch Out Your Existing Routine for Something Outside

Other switches? Stop going to the gym and go for runs outside (saves you money too, but then you have to run, which sounds terrible). Walk instead of taking public transit. Have you date night in a park instead of a restaurant. Go for hikes instead of brunch.

Want to Do More? 

Maybe you already spend a lot of time outdoors- awesome! Turn that love into action by supporting the organizations that are fighting to protect the outdoors like the Sierra Club or The Wilderness Society. Check out what is local to your area and take care of the natural world where you live. Even better, volunteer for regreening or highway cleaning or anything else that takes care of the nature you are in. So important- you can make a huge difference!

Want more ideas for resolutions that will take care of the Earth and make your life better? Check out our whole list of resolutions here. 

Turning the page on a fresh year gives us a brand new opportunity to be a better version of ourselves. That's pretty exciting, and it is the perfect opportunity to start making some eco-friendly changes. It's the kind of thing we all want to do, especially after we have faced truly terrifying Climate Change news and ecological disasters this year. 

Becoming eco-friendly seems like a daunting commitment, but you can actually make a huge POSITIVE impact on the world just by making some easy small changes. If we all resole to make a few SUSTAINABLE changes this year, 2019 could be a turning point for our world. New Year's Resolutions can be all about changing habits, so why not stick with the junk food and make the world better instead?



Saving the Earth starts in your own backyard.

We tend to think globally, and that's great, we need some of that thinking too, but you can start by solving the problems that you see most clearly. You can help the businesses that employ your friends. You can help the Earth by cutting down on foolishness right we are.

The first step in this is learning to shop locally, and when you can't shopping American (if you live in America- if not, choose your own country or continent). 

This isn't about xenophobia, hipster cool, or nationalism; it's about the simple fact that the further an object or person travels, the more fossil fuels it/they use. An imported object may cost less, but it comes with all sorts of baggage we have been trained not to see. Something shipped from China wastes so many resources, takes money (and jobs) away from local manufacturers and makers, AND was most likely made in poverty, meaning that the person who made your cheap pens (or baskets or clothes or ANYTHING) was mistreated.


Buying American (if you live in America) and buying local should and can be a totally mainstream way to live life. These simple principles fit all sorts of ideologies and do all kinds of good. It isn't as hard or off the path as you think, you just have to pay attention in a new way.

Want to save the world in 2019? Buy Local. Buy American. Not when it jumps out at you. Not just by accident. But intentionally and often. This can be shopping at local stores, eating at local restaurants, buying from companies that manufacture nearby, or investing in local farming and produce. It might mean taking fewer flights and vacationing closer to where you live. It can be going to the locally-owned coffee place instead of Starbucks. It can be shopping on Etsy instead of Target. It can be so many things, but they are all good for your life

And this is just the start. Every community in the world could be working collectively to minimize their environmental impact, and you can be a part of that. Read on to hear my ideas of how.

How Local Living is Good for You

Living in healthy communities is incredibly important for our health and state of mind. W. H. Auden called it topophilia- love of the place you live in. In this globalized world, we can see places as interchangeable, but your life will be happier if you love and take care of the place where you are. It's such a simple concept, but how much do we put it into action? The wellbeing of your community directly contributes to your own happiness. You can read a great article here about how our cities, communities, and environments directly contributes to our happiness.

Ok, easy enough. Investing in our communities is investing in our own happiness. But what does investing look like? First, we need to get involved and invest our time. Second, we need to stop sending our money away and fiscally invest in our communities.

No one can solve your community's problems like you can, because no one outside of your community can understand those problems like its residents do. 

I don't even want to tell you how often I have heard someone complain how there are no businesses in their small town or neighborhood, then gone on to tell me they didn't buy from a local business because they could get it cheaper at Walmart. I am from a place where business after business has left, and I understand the fear and frustration of living in a community that is dying. But no amount of "Make America Great Again" can help you if you are sending every dollar you make off to some billionaire instead of investing where you live.

Yes, it is cheaper at Walmart, but what is the true cost? When you send your money away to the Waltons, it is NEVER coming back to your community. Ever.

You can say somebody should come and help your local economy, but you screw over your own community every time you choose to send your money elsewhere. 

There is no "somebody should." If you are saying "somebody should" then you should. If somebody should invest in your local economy in 2018, one of those somebodies can be you. That means letting those big chains be last resorts instead of first stops. Enjoy the uniqueness of where you live. Invest that time making things better, but think about how to keep your money where you live (and not in the Walton fleet of yachts or something).

If you have to get it new (or it's food), find it local. If you can't find it local, find it American. If you can't find it American, get it used. It will make you feel happier about what you buy if you are using your money to contribute to the well-being of where you live and support your community members.

So buying local and taking care of your community benefits you, because you are adding to the general greatness of the place you live. And doesn't everyone want to live in a great place?

How Living Locally is Great for the Environment

Now, why is buying local better for the environment? First and foremost, the further you and your stuff travels, the more fossil fuels it burns through. Only 10% of what most Americans buy is made in America. That means 90% of your possessions are world travelers. If you buy 100 things, you have supported 90 trips across the globe. That's a lot of fossil fuel! Maybe someday greener shipping will exist. Until then, it's our job to stop shipping things all over the place.

Secondly, if you invest in companies that are investing in their communities, you are much more likely to be thoughtful about your purchases.  Capitalism is designed to alienate us from the labor (and the waste) of our stuff. The more you prioritize the local, the more you actually know and appreciate about how something was made. You stop buying disposable junk when you know the hands that made your stuff.

If you care about ethics or how other human beings are treated (so hopefully, all Christians at the very least), buying local or American tells companies that you will not support how badly they treat other human beings. This is more important than we can comprehend, because this weight pulls on our Earth and our psyches.We hear again and again how incredibly poor conditions and compensation are for workers who are making our "Made in Elsewhere" clothing or toys or food. These are other human beings, with mothers and families and needs. But they are so far away from us, we just see "Made in China" tag and don't think of the mistreated person behind it. In fact, we kind of know this is true, but choose to ignore that. It's a sin.

So, shopping local makes your community healthier, your life happier, and it cuts down on your fossil fuel usage and overall waste. 

Is it harder to do than just the easiest and fastest trip to the big chain stores? Yes, definitely harder. But it is worth it.

Want more ideas for resolutions that will take care of the Earth and make your life better? Check out our whole list of resolutions here. 

How to Do It

Buying local is anything but mainstream, and it may seem like a pretty big "little" resolution, but trust me. It's doable. If this blog makes one argument with all of its shopping lists and links, it says that most things are still available made in America. No really! It's true!

The good thing is that the more local you are, the bigger a fish you are. So even small efforts can make a big positive splash. I will break it down into some fun and small resolutions that you can actually keep!  Let's do this.

Eat Locally

1. Cook with Local and Seasonal Ingredients Whenever Possible- You can plan your weekly menu around what is in season where you live and what you can get from farmers in your region.  A tomato in summer creates an eighth of the CO2 emissions as one you buy out of season. And our ood, on average, travels thousands of miles from farms to processing to your table. So shrinking that distance can help a lot. Sites like this one give you information on what produce is in season where you live.

2. Give Up your Chains- If you are going to eat out, pick a restaurant that is owned locally, instead of a big chain. Check yelp for what is amazing, and resolve to go to the top 30 locally-owned restaurants. You could also pick one chain restaurant exception to the rule.

3. Explore your Local Grocery Store or CSA Box- Most communities, even the small ones, have local grocers. My hometown of 4,000 has one, and now they have a local butcher and zero-waste shop as well! Start your grocery shopping at your locally-owned spots What is there and how can you use it?

To make it easy, check whether there are CSA or co-op boxes you could subscribe. It turns out to be a pretty fun challenge.

Shop Locally 

1. Do Better than 10%- The average American buys only 10% American goods. Pick a happier, higher percentage. You can buy American-made for SO MANY THINGS. I have List Over List to help you.


2. Pick Three Things- Pick three things, food or otherwise, that you buy the most. Figure out how to buy a greener, more local version. By greening (and localizing) your most common purchases, you can maximize your positive impact without spending your whole life reading about this stuff (though we think that is oodles of fun around here).

3. Do your Research- Before you buy something, do your research. This is really a resolution to quit impulse buys, which feel innocent enough, but come at a high environmental and ethical cost. This blog is all about letting you know other options available, so no one ever has to say "Everything is made in China" again. Seriously, NOT TRUE.

Resolve to always try to find a better option before you buy. Keep a list on your phone of things you want to buy and search them on here. I promise you, you will be surprised.

4. Celebrate your Favorite Local Spots- What are your favorite restaurants in your town? Can you make that list off the top of your head? Then I have a mission for you! Let 2019 be the year. Resolve to explore all the wonderfulness that is near you, and get loud about your favorites.

5.  Embrace your Local Thrift Shop- Your thrift shop is local stuff sorted and schlepped by local people. Your money stays in your community, and it doesn't get sent off to anybody. It also is way cheaper, so while buying American-made is generally more expensive (because they pay people), you can balance it out by thrifting too.

Help Locally

1. Start a Buy Nothing Group-  If you live in a city, joining a Buy Nothing group is one of the best ways to connect with your neighbors, save money, and share with them. If you live in a small town, it is a great way to support each other and save money. If your neighborhood or town doesn't have a Buy Nothing Group, one of the greatest things you could do in 2018 is get one started. If you want to learn more about the Buy Nothing Project (and see whether you have one), check here.

2. Organize and Make a Change- There are still some communities out there that don't realize their natural environment is their greatest asset. And by some, I mean all them. Annoyed that your city doesn't offer recycling? Organize and do something. Frustrated that your horrible state just outlawed outlawing plastics (I'm looking at you Michigan), time to get some grassroots boycotts going NOW. Knowing what is going on is your basic responsibility as a citizen where you are.

Want to make a big impact with your resolution this year? Change something. Start small and make big waves.

3. Clean Things Up- No matter where you live, your land and your waterways are fighting a battle with waste, especially plastic. Check if there are already groups taking care of the environment or cleaning where you live! If there isn't a group working on this already, it could be the perfect way for you to help make a change- start one! Do a clean up day once a month.

4. Start Planting- Another great way to do good right where you are is to grow things! Start a group that focuses on planting more native plants to your area. The greener your neighborhood, the better for morale, for property values, and even for fighting the summer heat! Go plant things. Get a bunch of friends and go plant things. Start a community garden. You don't have to make a lot of fuss on this one to do a lot of good.



Woo! I am excited about this one. What are you going to buy local this year? Want more ideas for resolutions that will take care of the Earth and make your life better? Check out our whole list of resolutions here.