The new year is officially upon us, which means it's time to start deciding on your resolutions. One resolution we encourage everyone to try out is to be more eco-friendly in the coming year.
Starting out with one small thing can end up making a big impact when it comes to treading more lightly on Planet Earth. The new year is a great time to make a commitment to reduce, reuse, unplug and conserve. Photo courtesy of bay.org
By Mallory Johnson
Published: January, 2017
The new year is officially upon us, which means it’s time to start deciding on your resolutions. One resolution we encourage everyone to try out is to be more eco-friendly in the coming year.
Don’t worry—being green doesn’t mean changing your whole lifestyle. As we like to say at Aquarium of the Bay, do one thing. Focus on one small thing that you can alter for a greener lifestyle, then practice it until it becomes second nature! Once that new earth-friendly habit sticks, try doing another.
Not sure where to start? Here are some effortless steps anyone can take to be more environmentally friendly at home:
• REDUCE – One of the easiest things you can do to benefit the earth and the Bay is to reduce your use of plastic! Think of all the plastic you’ve used in your life—it’s now simply taking up room in landfills. Everyone can make the choice to use less plastic. Just identify durable products that fit your everyday lifestyle to replace disposable plastics, like reusable water bottles over plastic bottles, Tupperware instead of Ziplock bags to store leftovers, and canvas grocery bags for shopping. These small actions make a big difference in keeping unnecessary plastic out of our landfills.
• CONSERVE – Despite some recent rainfall, California is still in a drought. Continue to conserve water whenever and wherever you can. Wash your clothes and run your dishwasher in full loads only; use a broom instead of water to clean off your deck or driveway; or finally get around to planting that drought-tolerant lawn you’ve been putting off.
• UNPLUG – Get into the habit of unplugging and turning off electronics when they’re not in use, as these can suck up a lot of energy. Simply turning off a switch or unplugging many of these items can save a lot of energy—and money! Here’s a great tip to make it even easier on yourself: plug your electronics into a single power strip. When you go to bed or leave the house, simply switch the power strip off. Oh, and don’t forget to turn the lights off when you leave the room.
These tips are just a starting point. There’s so much more you can do in your everyday life to be more eco-friendly. The best part? These are easy things to do. So even if other resolutions to eat better or exercise more don’t pan out, you can still be proud for sticking to your resolution to be kinder to our planet.
Learn even more ways you can be green during daily presentations at Aquarium of the Bay. Find out more at www.aquariumofthebay.org.
Mallory Johnson is the Communications Manager at Aquarium of the Bay, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting, restoring and inspiring the conservation of San Francisco Bay and its watershed.
