If you want to be more sustainable in 2021, these changes that I incorporated last year & before make for great sustainable resolutions!
2020 was quite the year! Despite all that happened, I was still able to learn about, test, and share so many sustainable and natural innovations and lifestyle changes with y’all here at Old World New. This community means so much to me, and it is fun to continue to learn and grow right alongside y’all. Remember: Living sustainably isn’t a destination; it is a journey.
For those looking for sustainable changes to make in this New Year, I encourage you to use these a starting point for your personal sustainable resolutions. I don’t stick to resolutions, so I’m not going to burden myself with anxiety over that verbiage. No matter what you call it, these are some sustainable changes that can make a real difference.
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Everyday Sustainable Resolutions
1. Renewable Energy
I switched to a renewable energy company in 2020, and I’m not looking back. The prices are better, and the source is sustainable. Making the switch only took like 5 minutes total. If you are in Texas, I recommend changing your electricity provider to Iberdrola Texas if it is available in your area. If you’re not in Texas, please research and find out if a renewable energy electricity company is available for you to use.
Read: 3 Benefits of Wind Energy – Iberdrola Texas
2. Sustainable Web Hosting
GreenGeeks is the platform that I use to host all of my websites. When I was professionally designing websites for small business owners, it was the platform that I recommended. Simply put, it’s because it works the best! Equally matching how well it works is the fact that it is a sustainable web host. GreenGeeks puts back 3xs amperage of renewable energy back into the grid for every one amperage that they pull from it, creating a surplus of available renewable energy.
Read: How to Start a Self-Hosted Blog (Powered by GreenGeeks)
3. Composting
I am not a pro at composting, and the pandemic shut down my chance to take the composting class that my city offers, but I am still trying my hand at it. There were moments in the heat of summer and throughout fall that I stopped paying attention to my compost, so we shall see what becomes of it this year now that I’ve started it again.
Read: How To Compost with Home Depot Eco-Options
4. Gardening & Being a Plant Mom
My houseplants are looking pretty good, I’ve only completely lost one (I think? It lost all of it’s leaves) during this cold weather. I no longer have room to add more plants, but I’ll be starting some seeds inside soon so that I can hopefully create a thriving garden this year. Here are the books I’ll be using to help with that:
- The Old Farmer’s Almanac 2021 – Amazon | Bookshop | ThriftBooks
- Doug Welsh’s Texas Garden Almanac – Amazon | Bookshop | ThriftBooks
Food & Drinks
5. Daily Harvest
Daily Harvest was so kind to send me some of their fall dishes and smoothies, and I really loved the following items, get them while they’re available!
- Carrot + Cinnamon Smoothie
- Sweet Potato + Wild Rice Hash
6. Eating Less Meat
Meat has made me feel sick when I overindulge in it for a while now, but this has been one of the sustainable resolutions that I’ve had the most trouble accomplishing. Learning to eat meals without meat has been difficult. However, I am growing in my confidence to successfully feed myself with less meat. I have actually gone without eating much some days because this has been a difficult transition for me Pre-made meals, like the Daily Harvest meals and smoothies, are my saving grace.
7. My Favorite Tea Brands (+More)
Y’all really loved the 16 Black-Owned Organic Loose Leaf Tea Brands post that I wrote last year, and that makes me so happy because I truly love my tea and supporting Black-owned businesses. I’ll be happily sipping from my favorite tea brands this year, plus adding new brands to my pantry by purchasing from each of those 16 brands throughout this year. I’m excited to try more of them. Let me know if you have tried any of them yet!
Tea brands that I’m currently loving:
8. “No straw, please!” – Using More Reusables
We are eating out quite a bit, and still saying “no straw and no utensils, please!” We don’t go out often, of course, but even in the house, I see a need to use our reusables more consistently.
My current favorite reusables:
- Lotus Trolley Bags – reusable bags that fit on shopping carts
- BiggieStraw – the collapsible Final Straw that is just right for smoothies
Health
9. Seed Synbiotic
Seed is more than the run of the mill probiotic – it is a probiotic and a prebiotic combined to make a synbiotic. I really appreciate the effort they take to create educational content to help people better understand probiotics and the micro biome in their body. The packaging is so innovative, sustainable, and easily broken down in a home compost bin.
10. Pure Synergy B-Complex
Pure Synergy B-Complex is an energy boosting supplement that is a regular for both myself and now my husband. This supplement is plant-based, and the B vitamin has been shown to be helpful for balance for those with a stressful lifestyle.
11. Ashwaganda
Himalaya Organic Ashwaganda is a plant-based anti-anxiety, stress, and energy support supplement. I love Himalaya USA overall, we use their toothpaste, as well. I can see myself trying more of their products this year.
Beauty & Self-Care
12. Refillable Deodorant by Humankind
Finding a natural deodorant is one of those ongoing research projects for some of us. Living in Texas, I can find the perfect deodorant in the fall, but have to change it completely in the summer. This Deodorant by Humankind is refillable and has been great this fall and winter, so I’m crossing my fingers that it works in the summer, too. It is refillable, so it helps you cut down on waste from everyday products.
Visit By Humankind for more refillable products.
13. Butter + Lye Soap
Butter + Lye makes soaps that feel so luxurious! I loved every bar that I tried, and I’ll be ordering more. It is a Black-owned small business, so I will be doing a happy dance each time I purchase from her, and I know she will, too! Support more amazing businesses like this in 2021 and beyond, please.
14. Clay Hair Cleansers
When I started my natural hair journey, I had no-one to learn from about curly hair. Several years later (somewhere between 6-8 years later) in college, my friends and I were obsessed with YouTube videos about curly hair. Through one of those videos, I learned about Terressentials Organic Hair Wash, which is clay-based. While using that hair wash, my hair was in the best shape it had ever been. Life went on and I stopped ordering and using it. However, in 2020 I started using it again and I was also introduced to a Black-Owned clay wash brand, Naturalicious. Now, I’m sticking to my clay hair wash for the entire family. I use the Moraccan Rhassoul 5-in-1 Clay Treatment, which acts as “shampoo” and “conditioner,” but all natural. There is waste associated with it, but this is one of those moments where I have to choose a natural item in plastic packaging because it works, over package-free items that do not work best for my hair. Note: Black people face decisions like this very often since a lot of sustainable items are not made for us.
15. This Room Spray from The Nice Plant
This Ease Your Mind Room Spray is the truth. I don’t know how else to say it except plainly like that. Follow the instructions to spray before bedtime, and your olfactory system (your nose + brain processing smell) will thank you.
COVID Related
16. Masks by Beya Made
Laurel of Beya Made put a lot of work in designing her masks, and the latest Loss-Proof Earloop Masks are my favorite. I got my family matching masks for Christmas, then turned around and ordered more because the fit and the comfort of these are my absolute favorite.
17. Humankind Hand Sanitizer
Yet another refillable By Humankind product – I love this gel hand sanitizer. It doesn’t leave my hands feeling icky, and it is packaged in an aluminum bottle. The package contains 1 nozzle and three bottles – simply switch the nozzle to the next bottle once the current one is emptied and recycle that bottle! Aluminum is one of the easiest materials to recycle. Love this all around!
Sustainable Kids Items
18. Toycycle
Thrifting for my child is the norm for us, so when I learned about this online curated secondhand shop for kids, I excitedly browsed their listings for a very long time. Partnering with them was fun, and I really enjoy sharing our finds with y’all. Some of Little Boo’s birthday presents came from Toycycle, too. In addition to toys, they resell children’s clothes, educational items, and big gear like strollers if you are local to them.
Style + Fashion
19. Fair Trade Jewelry
I’m slowly falling back in love with jewelry. I was really over the way fast fashion jewelry breaks so fast. Even expensive pieces in boutique shops would fall apart. Throughout 2021, these fair trade jewelry brands have reminded me of how great well-crafted jewelry can be.
- Faire Collection (code ‘oldworldnew15’ for 15% off your first order)
- Ten Thousand Villages
- Sam & Lance
20. Still Thrifting… and Shopping Sustainably
Ain’t nothing changed. I’m still thrifting for dang near everything LOL! I also want to invest in some sustainably-made and well-made clothes this year, starting with sustainable loungewear.
Mindset
21. Small Steps Now = Bigger Changes Overall
This has been my mindset for a while now, and it’s not going anywhere. It should be one of the sustainable resolutions on everyone’s list, even if you also have big sustainability goals. All of the small changes that we make really matter. They make an impact! We learn and continue to grow as we make what seems like “small changes.” So keep making those small changes until one day you look up and realize how they have contributed to a more sustainable lifestyle for you and those around you.
{BONUS} – 22. Listening To + Amplifying BLACK, INDIGENOUS, AND PEOPLE OF COLOR
Bonus! The header says it all. Sustainability needs to be intersectional and needs to highlight the voices of Black and Indigenous People of Color who have been purposefully silenced for so long. Listen to and learn from BIPOC in all areas of interest in your life and put in the work daily towards being anti-racist.
Ok, so this is not so much “sustainable resolutions,” (who needs that type of pressure right now?!), but more so ideas for changes that you can make at any time. If you do have personal sustainable resolutions or changes that have helped you, share them in the comment section below. Someone else could benefit from your ideas!
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I’m trying to get my family to eat less meat too. I agree it’s difficult. We are trying to focus the idea of our main dish around the vegetables instead of making the meat the focus.