HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Still looking for a resolution to start the new year on the right foot?

Here’s one idea: Create green habits. The new year offers a great opportunity to live more sustainably and, as HNN’s “Repairing Earth” podcast recently made clear, you can do just that by following some of easy tips.

You can listen to the conversation here plus read a lot more below:

1) Reduce food waste

One way to reduce food waste is to take inventory associated with what a person already have before heading out in order to the grocery store.

According to the Department of Environmental Services , Hawaii residents throw away about 25% of all meals and beverage purchases, which equals to a loss of about $700 per person every year.

By buying more responsibly, you reduce your chances of letting food sit and expire, and it saves you money.

2) Shop local

Shopping at local businesses has many benefits. It not only cuts down on carbon emissions by not buying shipped goods, it also supports Hawaii artists and bolsters the economy by keeping those dollars in our state.

On top of that, some eco-friendly businesses also donate part of their sales in order to environmental organizations working in conservation.

Just look for that “Made in Hawaii” tag.

3) Use eco-friendly cleaning products

With many cleaning items sold in plastic containers that take years to decompose, some companies are starting to switch to greener formulas.

For example, instead of liquid detergent, that will usually consists of mostly water, one company has created sheets associated with detergent that dissolve inside the wash.

Other companies have also produced dissolvable cleansing tablets exactly where you can fill up a squeeze bottle you already own with water.

There are also brick-and-mortar stores in Hawaii where you can refill on soap, shampoo and other hygiene products — you simply have to bring your own container or even a mason jar in order to fill.

4) Cut out single-use plastics

You’ve heard it time and time again, but bringing your personal water bottler or flask can tremendously cut plastic waste within Hawaii and around the world.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, it can take up to 450 years for one plastic water bottle to decompose — plus when a person add upon plastic utensils, that’s hundreds of more years.

While there are usually plastic bans in effect in Hawaii — for plastic material grocery bags and a movement to implement compostable cutlery and take-out containers — the best way to cut down on single-use items is to carry around items we currently own at home, whether that will be metal utensils and reusable drinking water bottles.

5) Eat less meat

Now, we aren’t saying you have to be vegetarian or vegan to live a lot more sustainably, yet a great way to think about eating less meat is in order to live simply by the saying: “everything in moderation. ”

Based on the United Nations’ Food plus Agriculture Organization, 14. 5% of most human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to livestock farming, which usually produces co2 dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide — all leading causes to global warming and climate change.

Because of these statistics, when it’s possible, try to cut away meat in some of your meals. There’s a lot of alternatives out there, from using just veggies, tofu and maybe even dabbling inside plant-based meats.

6) Start your own personal little home garden

Whilst starting the garden may be daunting, the key is beginning small. Even if you don’t have a big backyard or maybe live in an apartment, there are actually some foods that are usually easy to grow.

For example , green onions develop rather well indoors, a person can often replant the root end after chopping up the top. Growing herbs are also a great option to provide in fresh flavors, and if you are up for the challenge you could also try planting lettuce plus carrots.

Plus, community gardens are growing in popularity where you can grow more fruits and veggies in a shared space.

7) Make use of electricity wisely

The best way to do this is to unplug your own devices and wires from electrical outlets when not in use. If you don’t, you could be losing your money to phantom electricity.

An easy way in order to reduce the cost and environmental impact would be to make it a habit of unplugging, using smart power strips and completely shutting off devices such as TVs plus computers rather than leaving them on standby mode.

And if you haven’t yet, switch out those incandescent light bulbs to LEDs.

8) Going on the trail or to the beach? Pick up your trash

In The hawaiian islands, locals and visitors alike enjoy relaxing at beautiful beaches plus walking together picturesque hiking trails, but to keep these places looking like this, we furthermore have to malama the particular land.

This why it is crucial to pick up what you pack in. Leaving behind trash doesn’t only impact people, this affects the animals and plants that live plus grow right now there too.

Even if it isn’t your garbage — and it’s safe to pick up — throw that will out too. It will be all our kuleana in order to care for the particular places all of us visit plus call home.

9) Volunteer on community work days

One of the best methods to give back to your community is volunteering.

There are tons associated with organizations across Hawaii that host offer days where people can participate in beach cleanups, kalo planting, invasive species removal and so many other important tasks.

Doing events such as these are extremely rewarding and a person go home knowing that you had an active role within combatting environment issues upon a local level.

For a list of some companies, click here .

10) Vote: Your voice matters

While there’s many things we all can do on the particular individual level to reduce our own impact on the environment, bigger change comes from government action.

By voting in leaders who put climate and people as top priorities, we will be able to safe guard native ecosystems, create more resilient infrastructure and work to help underserved communities who often get the brunt of climate catastrophes.

At it’s core, the fight against weather change is not only an environmental problem, it affects people too.

For more on the particular conversation, listen to Episode 13 of Repairing Earth, “Creating Green Habits, ” on the HNN web site or anywhere you get your podcasts.

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