5 Sustainable New Year's Resolutions For 2022
5 Sustainable New Year's Resolutions For 2022
Another year is wrapping to a close, which means there’s a new start on the horizon.
At Wild & Rust, we adore a new year! It’s a fresh calendar full of opportunities and surprises, and a chance to put your best foot forward for the months ahead. No matter what’s happened in 2021, we’re looking at a new chapter - and we’re excited to get going!
One brilliant way to kick-start your new year is by making resolutions. But, we’re not talking about promising to go to the gym or cutting out chocolate, we’re talking about sustainable New Year’s resolutions. These help us all to think beyond our own goals and look at how we can help the planet.
What better way to start a new year than by helping to save the world?
What Are Sustainable New Year’s Resolutions?
When we talk about sustainable New Year’s resolutions, we’re talking about goals that are related to lowering your negative impact on the planet. That could be reducing your carbon footprint, cutting down on plastic waste, or anything else that’s going to make your life greener! Creating eco-friendly resolutions is a fantastic way to set out clear goals that you can work towards, turning “I’d like to cut down my impact” to “I will cut down my impact, and here’s how”.
To inspire your sustainable goals for 2022, here are seven resolutions that are guaranteed to help the planet.
1. Switch to Loose Leaf Tea
Did you know that over 100 million cups of tea are drunk in the UK every day? There’s no doubt that the Brits love a brew, and we certainly live up to the stereotype.
But, a lot of teabags contain plastic, making our tea-drinking habits a strain on the planet. In 2022, one of your sustainable New Year’s resolutions could be to switch to loose leaf tea instead, ditching the unnecessary teabag altogether. You’ll produce less waste, your tea will consume less energy when produced, and you’ll still have a delicious mug of herbal goodness ready to warm you up.
Take a peep at our wide range of loose leaf teas to make the switch. Don’t forget to purchase a tea strainer if you haven’t already got one, too! Our Antique Brass Strainer is handmade from sustainable materials, making it the perfect addition to your new eco-friendly tea-making ritual.
2. Never Forget Your Reusable Bag
How many times do you forget to bring your reusable bag?
Bringing a reusable bag with you when you go shopping is such a fantastic way to reduce needless waste, but so often people forget to bring theirs. To err is human, so it’s no surprise that we’re not perfect! Though this is an area that we really should work hard to get better at.
If you struggle to remember your reusable bag, try to always have one spare in your handbag, coat pocket, car, or wherever else it’ll be the most useful. Make a spot near your door where you keep reusable bags, too, and get in the habit of pausing for a moment before you leave to think if you’ll need one.
We have beautiful Organic Cotton Totes at Wild & Rust. Their bold, bright design makes them hard to forget, and they’re lightweight enough to bring with you wherever you go!
3. Shop Locally to Reduce Your Footprint
Global shipping emits a very scary 1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year. But, why buy something that’s going to have to be transported thousands of miles when you can find most of what you need in the UK?
We’re big believers in buying local at Wild & Rust. We always try to stock products made (usually by hand) here in the UK to cut down on emissions caused by shipping, helping all of our customers lower their carbon footprint. If you want to join in, make it a resolution to shop more locally!
That doesn’t mean you always have to shop from your town or city - although if you’re in Henley-on-Thames our sustainable shop has you covered. But, when you buy something, try and look for an option that’s made here in our country and your shopping will instantly be greener.
4. Create a Plastic-Free Bathroom
There’s no doubt that the world has a plastic pollution problem, but things are changing. Zero-waste and sustainable shops like ours are popping up all over the place, and 8 out of 10 consumers in England are trying to reduce their plastic waste. If you want to join them, a great sustainable New Year’s resolution for 2022 is to start creating a plastic-free bathroom!
It’s a little less daunting than turning your whole home plastic-free, and there’s a wealth of fantastic products out there to help you get started. Switch from shower gels and hand soaps in plastic bottles to our gorgeous UK-made soap bars. We also have lots of bath and shower products in glass bottles, like this naturally scented Geranium & Orange Hand and Body Wash, and matching Bath Salts.
Other great swaps include:
- Using bamboo toothbrushes
- Buying toilet tissue wrapped in paper rather than plastic
- Using dissolvable bathroom cleaning tablets in a reusable bottle
- Trying shampoo bars and conditioners
Over the coming months, you can transform your bathroom into a peaceful haven full of beautiful, locally produced products, all made without plastic.
5. Reduce Waste Around Your Home
Reducing waste is a brilliant eco-friendly New Year’s resolution. By cutting down on wasted materials around your home, you can create a much more sustainable household - and life! There are plenty of areas to focus on here, too, and you can keep working on reducing waste throughout the year.
First of all, try to buy fewer products with packaging designed to be thrown away, opting instead for recyclable or - even better - reusable packaging. If you have a zero-waste food shop you can buy from, that’s an easy way to quickly down on packaging waste - We love The Willow basket in Henley-on-Thames .
You should also try to keep food waste to a minimum. Only buy and cook what you know you’ll eat, freeze leftovers so nothing goes to waste, and compost any peelings and rubbish.
Finally, at all costs avoid single-use products wherever possible. If you can do that in 2022, you’re on your way to a much more eco-conscious year!
