Eco-friendly New Year's Resolutions

There has never been a better time to start your eco-friendly journey. This year, and every year, we’re passionate about making changes to help improve the condition of our planet, and we want to help you make those changes too.

From reducing your plastic consumption to growing your own produce, there are plenty of small ways that you can make a big difference. Discover our 16 eco-friendly New Year’s resolutions that you can try out in 2020 to make our earth a little bit greener.

1. Bring your own shopping bags

We’re in the middle of the war on plastic, and we all know that one of the biggest culprits is single-use plastic bags. Billions of these bags get thrown away every year, leading to our rivers, beaches and oceans getting clogged up. And as well as our natural surroundings, millions of wild animals are also suffering the consequences of our refusal to go reusable.

The solution? Take reusable bags with you whenever you go shopping. Getting into this habit ensures you never have to buy another single-use bag again.

2. Start making meals from scratch

Picking up a ready meal on the way home is good for convenience, but not so good on your wallet, health or the environment. Did you know that processed foods contain very little nutrients and are often enhanced with artificial flavours and unnecessary chemicals to give them taste and a longer shelf life?

The packaging from ready made, convenience meals leave a high plastic and environmental footprint, and the worst part is that the film from these meals is usually not even recyclable.

So instead, put down that microwave meal and start cooking homemade meals from scratch. It is easier said than done, so ease yourself into a routine of cooking one or two days a week. Even the smallest of changes can make a difference.

3. Opt for organic

All of that money you’re saving on not buying plastic bags or convenience meals can go into saving the planet by opting for organic produce.

Organic food is healthier for you, and the ecosystem that it was grown in. After all, who doesn't want to ensure their food is grown with as little interference as possible? GMOs and pesticides are a no-no for organic, so you can rest assured. Why not go one step further and shop for locally grown produce too as it will help to support your local economy and cut down on air miles?

4. Eat less meat and dairy

Around half of all food-related greenhouse gases produced in the UK are due to the beef and dairy industry. It also takes over 15,000 litres of water to create a single kilogram of beef.

With all of the research that we have on the consuming effects of raising meat and making dairy, it is unquestionable that cutting down on these foods in our diet is beneficial for the environment.

Start small by eliminating meat from your diet one day each week. There are also plenty of substitutes that you can try instead, for example, non-dairy milks are now readily available everywhere.

5. Search for sustainable fashion

Many of us are fashion conscious, but are we also environmentally conscious when it comes to our outfit choices? These days it is no secret that the fashion production industry is hugely destructive. The growing of crops, production of waste water, the dying process and shedding of man-made fibres is polluting our ecosystems on a huge scale.

That’s why it is becoming more and more important that we shop sustainably and slow our spending. By buying higher quality, economically made clothing from natural fabrics, we can help the environment. Cutting down on the amount of clothing that we buy is also an important step in becoming more sustainable.

6. Donate your old clothes instead of throwing them away

As well as changing the way we shop, the way we dispose of our old, unwanted clothing can also be an eco-friendly change to make in 2020.

Donate your unwanted clothing to the charity shop to give them a new lease of life. If you struggle to limit the quantity of clothing that you buy, balance it out by donating the unused items in your wardrobe.

7. Wash your clothes on a lower heat

Many of our household appliances eat up a lot of energy, but none more so than our washing machines and tumble driers. Reduce your consumption, and electricity bill, by washing on a lower heat setting.

Studies have shown that washing on 30 degrees instead of 40 degrees is still effective in cleaning your clothes, and can be up to one third cheaper on energy. Buy a clothes rack and allow non-urgent items to air dry instead of relying on the dryer. Your delicates will last longer too.

8. Swap to natural makeup and skincare products

We don’t want chemicals in our food, so we definitely don’t want to be putting them on our skin. A quick check of the labels on your beauty products shows how many of them are being absorbed into your body.

This year, try to cut down on these chemicals and use more natural personal care products. Look for eco-friendly and non-toxic makeup and skincare products wherever you can.

Here at Fushi, we use only the purest, fresh pressed oils and ground herbs to create award-winning health and beauty products. Discover our range of face, body and hair products that are hand-blended, freshly made and ethically produced for skincare that’s pure and clean.

9. Use a bamboo toothbrush

As a part of reducing your plastic consumption, switch out your regular plastic toothbrush with an eco-friendly, bamboo alternative instead. Unlike traditional plastic toothbrushes, bamboo brushes have a considerably smaller ecological footprint as they are biodegradable. This means that they can be broken down naturally, causing a lot less damage to our environment.

10. Ditch the wet wipes

Want to know something that’s not biodegradable? Wet wipes. Whether you use them to clean your home, remove your makeup or on your baby, they’re still just as damaging to the environment.

Flush them, they clog our sewers, bin them and they end up in a landfill site. The only remedy? Stop using them. There are plenty of reusable cloth options available as environmentally friendly alternatives.

11. Swap chemical cleaners for natural options

Household cleaning products are amongst some of the most toxic substances that we expose ourselves to. And while you might think that you’re safe if you don’t come into direct contact with these substances, think again. These cleaners give off toxic fumes that sometimes we can’t help but inhale.

Look for green cleaning products as a replacement. These can be just as effective, and much kinder to our health and the environment. You can even try to DIY your own cleaners with common household ingredients for a low-cost and safer alternative.

12. Replace your shower heads and taps

An easy resolution that you only have to action once, but can continuously reap the benefits of, is to replace the shower heads and taps in your home.

Low-flow taps reduce the amount of water flow coming out of your tap, without affecting the pressure. This saves water, energy and the environment.

13. Install eco-friendly light bulbs

Swap your regular light bulbs to LED lights. In comparison to regular incandescent bulbs, LED bulbs offer the same quality of light but use 40% less energy. They also last a lot longer, meaning that they are actually more cost efficient than regular light bulbs. LED bulbs have come a long way, and you can now get all different types of LED lights so you don’t have to compromise on the ambience.

14. Make a conscious effort to recycle more

On average, a household in the UK produces around a tonne of waste each year. That number can be cut down drastically if we all put in the effort to recycle. From separating your glass from your paper to starting your own compost in your garden, there are so many different ways we can recycle.

Recycling doesn’t start and end at home either. Encourage a greener way of reusing waste paper and other materials at your workplace, or at your child’s school. Lots of restaurants and public bins have recycling options, but they only work if you actually use them!

15. Take more public transport

Reducing our carbon footprint is essential in making our planet eco-friendly. Roughly a quarter of all UK greenhouse gas emissions come from the transport sector, and while emission targets to reduce this figure are being put into place, we’re not currently doing enough to reach these goals on time.

Replacing your current mode of transport with walking or cycling isn’t always realistic, so reducing your carbon footprint by taking more public transport or car-sharing is a great way to start. Even doing this one day a week can have a beneficial effect on the environment.

Offsetting your carbon footprint, the process of counteracting your carbon production by supporting projects that remove the same amount of emissions, has become popular over the past few years. Try it today by donating to plant a tree.

16. Start using a reusable water bottle, coffee cup and metal straws

Curate your own personal kit of everyday items that you can take with you to use on-the-go.

Put down the single-use plastic water bottle and swap it out for a BPA free bottle that you can refill and reuse. The same goes for your morning tea or coffee. Bring your own travel cup to cut down on unnecessary waste products when you next visit a coffee shop.

Plastic straws can really damage our environment, harming wildlife and polluting our landscapes. Try keeping a metal straw in your bag to use whenever you’re out and about, and say no to regular straws if possible.

You can also make the switch to reusable in your personal care products too. Our Go For Zero collection aims to phase out the amount of plastic consumption by encouraging people to pick up our products in recyclable glass bottles. Not only is this glass fully recyclable, but these containers can be refilled at stations across the country. Save on waste by trying our Go For Zero range today.

It’s time to start making a change. Discover our natural and organic beauty and skincare collection that’s completely free from parabens, petrochemicals, SLS, PEGs and artificial perfumes. Here at Fushi, we are committed to reducing environmental waste, pollution, animal testing, child labour and unfair trade practices. Help us be kinder to our planet and shop with us today.