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12 easiest eco resolutions

Considering some new habits? Polishing your halo has never been so simple with these easy tips for a better life.

Buy new clothes
But look for natural fibres such as silk, merino and Fairtrade or organic cotton. If exercise is a resolution of yours, invest in new gear made of merino – it’s highly breathable, great at wicking sweat, and best of all, doesn’t smell bad after a serious gym session. 

Get more staff
Pick up a Hungry Bin (www.hungrybin.co.nz) or worm farm to deal with your food scraps and you’ll have around 300 small, pink, skinny employees working around the clock making free compost for your garden.

Spend time online
Use sites like Workflowy (www.workflowy.com) or TeuxDeux (www.teuxdeux.com) to make to-do lists. Satisfyingly, you can tick off items once you’ve completed them, plus because they’re online, you can access them from your phone on the go. No more losing the shopping list!

Walk yourself happier
Walking with friends is a cost-effective and sociable way to get the blood pumping, check out your neighbourhood’s gardens and de-brief about the things that are stressing you out. 

Be a hero
Pick one charity or cause to get behind in 2016. Studies show that giving or volunteering is a great source of happiness – plus if you’ve got kids, it’s a good way of getting them to think of others. Allocate your time and money to one or two chosen charities, and then don’t feel guilty about turning down donation requests from others. 

Enjoy more real food
Find your nearest farmer’s market and buy your honey, fruit and veggies from the folks down the road. Embrace farm to fork and meet a few people involved in the food that you enjoy eating. Click here for more information on local food box services.

Drink more
Coffee, red wine and tea – both green and black – all have proven health benefits, from lengthening your life to lowering your risk of heart disease. Choose a Fairtrade option while you’re about it.

Get new stationery
If your workplace’s paper recycling is overflowing (or doesn’t have one at all), try Lovenotes’ service – they’ll take all your one-sided scraps and turn them into stylish notebooks for you to use (www.lovenotes.co.nz). All for less than it would cost your office to buy brand-new stationery.

Be the best friend ever
Buy gorgeous handmade gifts for friends, family or children from your city’s talented artisans. Or, you could have a go at making a wonderful craft yourself, see some our projects here. 

Don’t clean
Over the summer holidays, that is. But when you do, swap to plant-based spray-and-wipes and laundry detergents – you’ll stop harsh chemicals coming into contact with your skin and with your family, as well as being washed down the drain into our waterways. Experiment in the holidays with washing your hair only in water or just with a little baking soda. Click here for more. 

Splurge on yourself
Take stock of your makeup and skincare and use up anything that’s nearing its use-by date. Find a natural one to use instead. Check out for our recommendations here.

Do one money-smart thing
Want to be heading towards a future that has more – rather than fewer – options? Take a step towards a more financially secure future by reading our finance features here. 

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