You've had a wonderful New Year's Eve, January has already begun, and the new year is upon us. Have you made any New Year's resolutions yet? Today, I'd like to share with you a few ideas on how to easily set sustainable New Year's resolutions and ultimately achieve them!
Of course, I also have a few ideas you can add to your list and implement step by step. I'll provide instructions on how to best implement them at the end.
Let's go!
1. Stop wasting electricity
A good topic for one of your New Year's resolutions is the topic of electricity waste . We Germans waste vast amounts of electricity. This causes approximately 18 million tons of unnecessary CO2 emissions. It's all about you and me! You can put a stop to this by doing simple things, and you'll not only be doing something for the environment but also for your wallet.
💡 A huge amount of energy is saved just by plugging in devices. Even in standby mode ! When you're no longer using your devices, unplug them! This saves energy and also prevents any potential fire hazards from your electrical devices.
💡How efficient are the appliances you use? Whether it's household appliances or electrical devices, the energy efficiency label tells you whether you're using unnecessary energy guzzlers! You've probably come across the designations "A+," "A++," or "A+++" before. Time to pay a little more attention to them. By the way: There's a new regulation here starting in March 2021! You can get all the information from the Consumer Advice Center .
💡Are you a cold person? Fan heaters are comfortable – but they don't save energy! Have you ever considered programmable heating thermostats ? You're away from home all day, but want to be comfortably warm after work? That doesn't mean you have to leave the heating on all day. Thermostats allow you to program individual radiators differently. They cost approximately €30-100, depending on the type of thermostat.
2. New Year's resolutions for your wardrobe
Fast fashion is on everyone's lips and has now become quite discredited. Time for a New Year's resolution regarding your wardrobe. It's no longer "cool" to shop for the cheapest clothes possible. Before you even think about buying new clothes, ask yourself about each item of clothing: Do I really need this?
What else you can do:
Shop more secondhand 👋! If the coronavirus allows, feel free to shop at your local store. Great secondhand shops are now available in so many areas. Alternatively, you can also purchase your favorite item online—whether it's a designer piece or an H&M sweater. Perhaps you'll find what you're looking for on one of the following sites?
Swap clothes with friends, and look forfair fashion labels and high-quality materials when buying new clothes. There's now a huge range of truly beautiful and sustainable fashion. The dusty image of fair fashion is long gone.
3. Sustainable New Year's resolutions regarding nutrition
🛒 How about giving up meat and animal products for a while? Vegan participation campaigns are constantly popping up on popular social media platforms, for example, "veganistungesund" on Instagram, which I recently saw.
🛒 Make sure you use up the groceries you buy and don't throw them away unnecessarily. Only buy what you really need , and ideally, never go shopping when you're hungry! It's best to think about what you really need beforehand, make a list, and then go shopping according to that list. This way, only what you'll actually use ends up in your shopping cart.
🛒 Even leftovers in your fridge can often be used to create unexpectedly delicious dishes. Get creative!
🛒 When shopping, pay attention to seasonal and regional products . There are calendars that show you what's in season for each month, for example. Found particularly pretty.
We have the Pia Kraftfutter calendar. One glance and you'll know exactly what should be on your shopping list for each season.
4. Sustainability intention in terms of mobility
🚘 Get your bike out or walk – you don't always have to use the car! Often, bike routes are much more scenic, and you get a breath of fresh air and some physical activity included.
🚘 Try to avoid unnecessary trips and plan your day in advance so that you can get as much done as possible in one trip.
🚘 Use public transport such as buses or trains and carpool when possible.
5. Sustainability resolution for your finances
💸 You can also keep an eye on sustainability when it comes to finances. Planning to save in 2021? Then switch directly to an ethical bank to invest your money there. These banks essentially operate just like conventional banks, with one important difference: how they invest your money!
Instead of using your money to support arms deals and child labor, for example, ethical banks invest in renewable energy, social projects, or support organic farming.
In addition, you transparently disclose where the money goes! Deposit protection is available at ethical banks just like at conventional banks.
Ethical banks include, for example, Ethik Bank, GLS Bank, Triodos Bank, and Tomorrow Bank.
You can find a direct comparison of the banks here !
How to achieve your New Year's resolutions
🏁 Define clear goals in the form of a number (1 goal per month / 1 goal per week etc.).
🏁 Write them down! There's nothing like handwritten goals! If you're feeling creative, create a collage of your goals on a larger poster and write them down there.
You can have fun and make them a little more beautiful with pictures, colorful pens, etc.
🏁 Also, write down the individual steps you need to take to achieve your goals. Alternatively, instead of creating a collage of goals on a poster, you can use a calendar and note these intermediate steps under each day.
🏁 Reward yourself for achieving your goals! Regularly reflect on how close you are to your goal and celebrate your successes.
Example
- New Year’s resolution: consume less meat and animal products
- Specific goal: Cooking vegan 3 times a week
- Set vegan days (Monday/Wednesday/Friday)
- Finished a week? Cook your favorite meal on Sunday to reward yourself.
