It’s no surprise that the world’s meat industry is unsustainable. Industrial livestock production contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, consumes a lot of land and resources, and creates a waste-disposal problem. Eating a lot of meat is also unhealthy.
(Representational Image: iStock)
Each year people set New Year’s resolutions with the goal of improving in some area of their life. According to Statista, the most common New Year’s resolutions of 2021 were to:
While all of these are great opportunities to make a positive change in your life, for 2022 why not go a step further and do something good for yourself and the environment? If you’re interested in a sustainable New Year’s resolution for 2022, we’ve got a few unique New Year’s resolutions for you to consider. Check out these New Year’s resolutions that are great for both your health and the environment.
1. Buy Less, Reuse More
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Western consumer culture encourages people to refresh wardrobes, redecorate houses, and buy new household items as often as financially possible. But these revivals take a huge toll on the planet. The construction industry is polluting. The fashion industry has long been criticized for its heavy environmental footprint. It uses a lot of water and relies on petrochemical-derived dyes, which are polluting to produce and dispose of. It also literally fills our landfills—Americans dispose of about 12.8 million tons of textiles annually—80 pounds for each man, woman, and child. In 1999, studies found that an average American consumer produces twice their weight per day in household, hazardous, and industrial waste, and an additional half-ton per week when gaseous wastes such as carbon dioxide are included. It was also estimated that every American consumed about 36 pounds of resources a week, while 2,0
2. Try More Plant-Based Food
It’s no surprise that the world’s meat industry is unsustainable. Industrial livestock production contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, consumes a lot of land and resources, and creates a waste-disposal problem. Eating a lot of meat is also unhealthy. Medical studies linked high meat–particularly red and/or processed–consumption with increased risks of colon, breast, and other cancers, heart disease, and atherosclerosis. And once the planet’s population reaches 10 billion, these issues will only get worse. At the same time, diets that include fruit, seeds, vegetables, and legumes lead to healthier and longer lives. Experts have long suggested that humans start adding more plant-based food to their plates.
3. Consider Composting
Think starting composting in the city is an impossible undertaking? It’s not that hard. Composting is a natural decay process of organic matter; Mother Nature does most of the work.
If you have a reasonably big yard, a compost pile in a far corner would help decompose grass clippings, and turn dry leaves and plant remains into nutrient-rich fertilizer. For smaller yards, compost bins will do the trick. Adding worms to compost improves its quality and allows repurposing food waste that otherwise ends up in landfills. Worms eat almost anything organic, including fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, crushed eggshells, and even vacuum cleaner dust! Moistened cardboard is also a favorite—they love the starch in the glues that bind the cardboard together. They will even eat dogs’ droppings—and they seem to consider it a treat!
Have you laid out your New Year’s resolutions? Are any of these on your list? You know….January 1st, 2022 is only a few days away! I would love to hear what resolutions you have decided upon to help you and the environment around you – Happy New Year!
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