3 New Year’s Resolutions to Save the World in 2021

It’s That Time Again,

It’s that moment of year when we think about what we can improve on, what we want to change – when we look ahead and earnestly make a list of resolutions for the coming year.

If there is a silver lining to tumultuous 2020, I think it’s that this year has made it so clear that living in our personal bubbles isn’t sustainable. 2020 has shown us over and over that we’re all connected, and that concepts like health and prosperity only endure when they’re shared. The global pandemic, which to date has killed more than 1,800,000 people on the planet; the racial justice protests which started in Minneapolis and quickly spread across the United States, then inspired similar protests in countries around the world; to the fires in California and flooding in the South of France – these events touch all of us in some way or another and make the adage that we are all one human family feel more true than ever.

The following Resolutions are ideas which can help each of us, and all of us, live a healthier life. They’re not listed in any particular order, I hope one or all three help inspire your own resolutions as you plan to make 2021 a better year for you, and for the rest of us too.

1. Reduce the Plastic in Your Life: Look around you and you’ll probably see a lot of plastic that will eventually end up in a landfill, or river, lake or ocean. And while a fraction of plastic is recycled, most of it isn’t. As more people become aware of the global plastic problem there are more options to change our plastic habits and reduce how much we pollute every day. Try a bar shampoo for example, if you like it you could save the planet six plastic shampoo and conditioner bottles a year! Replace your plastic bottles for dish soap, laundry detergent and household cleaners with reusable glass. Or, replace your disposable razors with an antique stainless steel razor, or start using wax wrappers instead of zip locks. Whatever you choose will be empowering because you can count your impact (a box of 60 plastic zip-locks that did not end up in the ocean, whoot!). For more ideas on easy swaps check out the blog post Replacing Single Use Plastic in Your Home.
2. Cook Organic: Eating organic helps you and our planet – a sure-fire way to to make 2021 a better year! Choosing organic food is the easiest, don’t-have-to-worry-about-it way to insure that we’re not eating pesticides or high doses of synthetic hormones and antibiotics. Commonly used pesticides like Glyphosate, Chlorpyrifos and Atrazine are used in conventional agriculture in the United States and scientific studies (and law suits) have shown that eating pesticides carries serious health risks (above pesticides are hyperlinked for more information on risks). Organic food is produced without conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bio-engineering; or ionizing radiation. It also means your food won’t have artificial flavorings or coloring and that your baking flour won’t be laced with chlorine, bromates or peroxides (yuck!). In addition, organic meat, poultry, eggs and dairy come from animals that are not given antibiotics or growth hormones. All those chemicals in conventionally produced food aren’t only dangerous for your body, they contaminate our soil, water and air. Every time we choose organic we’re choosing to help organic farming grow and encouraging conventional farmers to give up the pesticides. You can hear more about why farmers choose organic and how it’s possible to thrive without toxic pesticides in the podcast Pesticide Free Farming and Legislation to Ban Chlorpyrifos . And, it’s possible to shop organic on a budget, check out the blog post Revamp Your Diet with Organic Food and Save Money. If you need inspiration for what to cook at home, this home-cook has been blogging for you! Here are five blogs of my favorite recipes for healthy, easy and quickly prepared meals:
   • Colorful Meals to Nurture Yourself and Your Family
   • 5 Flexitarian Recipes that are Good for Your Health and Good for the Planet
   • Immune Boosting Recipes to Try at Home
   • 5 Pasta Recipes to Make in Less Than 30 Minutes
   • 30-Minute Soups for Dinner
3. Be Conscientious with Every Purchase: This resolution has transformed how I shop and how I invest. The fact is that each of us makes an impact, either negative or positive with virtually every purchase, every investment we make in life. Whether I buy used clothing or new clothing, or cotton clothing or polyester clothing, impacts my personal footprint in our landfills and the pollution of our water. If I buy a locally made greeting card over a card made in China I’m both supporting a local artist and I’ve reduced the environmental footprint of my purchase with reduced transport and manufacturing pollution. If I invest in a fracking company or I invest in a solar panel company , I’m contributing to either a problem or a solution. If I shop with a black owned business and dine at an immigrant owned restaurant, I’m contributing to their success and investing in the diversity of my community, and If I don’t then I’m not. Shopping and investments have taken on an entirely new meaning for me now that I look at each transaction as an opportunity to try to save the world in some way. I explore the idea of conscientious shopping/investments in the following posts:
   • When Ethics Is The Brand – Save the World in a Variety of Ways with a Single Purchase
   • Shop Used – It’s Sustainable, Affordable and Fun for Fashion Lovers
   • Socially Responsible and Green Investments – Is this a Fad or a Smart Choice for our Retirement?

Let’s Bring Joy, Connection and Accountability back in 2021!

I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts the other day ( shout out for Pod Save America!) and one of the commentators said in passing, “Accountability is back in style“, and the phrase resonated with me. If I think about what I’ve missed deeply in 2020, it’s about uninhibited joy, human connection, and accountability . When we’re at our best we are accountable to ourselves and to each other.

The pandemic isn’t over on January 1 2021, not even close. We have months ahead when we still need to social distance, we still need to wear masks, and hopefully, we’ll all have the opportunity to receive the vaccine. But the light at the end of the tunnel is there, we can see it and we know what we need to do to get there. And when we do, oh how we will celebrate! Personally I”ll be rejoicing with a new appreciation for what joy, human connection and accountability mean in my life.

Thank you for following along with this blog over such a challenging year – If you have New Year’s resolution ideas for 2021 that you’d like to share, that may help us all live healthier lives, please share!

Best wishes for a wonderful 2021!

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