2020 Eco Intentions

Photo: Outlookindia

Looking back to our actions and achievements throughout the year is a common practice for many of us. Regardless of fulfilling our intentions, the idea is to establish goals for the New Year coming up. With a new decade around the corner, we are motivated to share our intentions in favor of our environment, and hopefully inspire others to also consider their personal actions towards our planet.

Sue:

Not only is it a new year, it’s a whole new decade! That’s a lot to think about. On a personal level, I have to find a good option to replace all the bottles (plastic) of seltzer water I get through in a week. Living in an apartment in NYC means very limited kitchen space, and a SodaStream is just too big. I’ve been on the hunt for smaller options, but as of yet, I have not found the perfect solution. By the New Year, I will!!  Very few apartment buildings in the city do a good job when it comes to recycling and getting the tenants to sort their garbage. So, I’m thinking the only way I can influence that is to become a member of the tenant association, get voted onto the board and make some noise about it. As for eco18, we are ending 2019 with a website re-launch and starting 2020 with a renewed commitment to change – for our climate, our ecosystem, our government, our advocacy, and our activism. Change that will collectively make the difference to healing the health of our planet and every living creature on it.

Rachel:

For 2020, my focus is finally to get rid of all the plastics in my life that are unnecessary. We bought reusable shopping bags, but getting metal straws, switching out any old plastic Tupperware, and switching once and for all to reusable plastic bags for snacks are my next goals for 2020! I recently switched out our traditional laundry detergent to Dropps, and our dryer sheets to wool dryer balls. This is to eliminate the tons of plastic bottles from detergents that get tossed each year.  We do try to hang dry as much as possible, but for those items we do dry, we got the dryer balls as an eco-alternative. I also want to switch to cleaning products that come in reusable containers, v. those that come in plastic. If I can, 2020 will be as plastic-free as it can be!

Giselle:

With 2020 approaching, this is the perfect timing to reflect on 2019 and how to improve our eco habits for the new decade! In 2019, I learned a few things that I would like to incorporate into my daily life like choosing the right trash bags for my kitchen & bathrooms. Keeping in mind that there’s controversy around the right type of bags to use, you can start by choosing between compostable and biodegradable, which is not the same thing: compostable bags break down easier than the biodegradable ones since they are made of different kinds of plastics and not always reached the conditions to decompose. I also hope to switch all my supplements and medicines to glass bottles, find better options for the gloves I use to wash dishes and be a little bit more consistent about the clothing I get while making sure they offer the best sustainable options.

Rolaika:

Wow, I can’t believe that 2019 is coming to an end and the start of a new decade is weeks away! It feels like just yesterday I celebrated the start of 2019 surrounded by friends and family. As I sit back and reflect upon what a crazy year (and decade) this has been, it’s donned on me that I have way too many personals goals that I’ve left behind. Mostly due to fear of taking risks and trying something new that is out of my comfort zone. With that being said, my intention for the New Year is to set goals and actually stick to them. Too many times I’ve created excuses as to why I’m unable to do something without actually trying first. On an eco-friendly note, my 2020 intention is to be more aware of how the products that I purchase affect the environment. Particularly with clothing, as I often find myself buying from fast-fashion retailers who contribute the most waste. On a positive end, it’s great to know that some of my favorite places to shop such as H&M and Zara offer eco-conscious collections that I can buy clothes from and be mindful of the environment at the same time. From cozy cashmere to up-cycled outerwear, it’s good to know that I have many eco-friendly fashion options to choose from in the new year. So here’s to 2020, a year filled with goals that we will stick to and being mindful of our environment. Cheers!

Sara:

My 2020 vision starts with reflection. In reflecting on my day-to-day habits and understanding what I can change and improve on, my number one intention for the new year is to adopt a more zero-waste mentality and lifestyle. After attending the eco-summit Raise the Green Bar, where I learned about functional ways to do this from Lauren Singer, Founder of Package Free and The Simply Co., who can impressively fit all of her trash over the past 8 years into a 16oz mason jar, I realized there is so much more I can be doing to reduce my footprint than by just using a stainless steel water bottle, reusable grocery bag and ridding my life of straws. I hope to take a step further by investing in more sustainable homeware products like swapping wasteful paper towels for sustainable dishcloths and using eco-friendly concentrate cleaning products with reusable spray bottles. I also intend to continue religiously checking product labels and doing my homework on what ingredients are clean and which to be wary of. I’ve found that the app ‘Think Dirty,’ which evaluates household, personal and cosmetic products, really helps with this! Here’s to a new decade of living sustainably, mindfully and always with lots of gratitude.

Jessica:

Becoming an eco-conscious consumer was something I started developing in 2019. Whether it was purchasing recyclable makeup products or carrying a metal straw, it was important for me to understand the global effects of my actions and to help prevent further damages. For 2020 I want to adopt more eco-friendly habits such as using reusable shopping bags. Often times, I forget to bring shopping bags for my grocery trips and end up with way more plastic bags than what’s needed. I also want to stop indulging in fast fashion. While it’s extremely accessible and super affordable, fast fashion companies produce clothes at such a fast rate that it harms the environment through water pollution and toxic chemicals. It will definitely be a challenge, but doable in 2020. 

Catie:

My eco intentions for next year include doing a zero waste challenge for a week. Also, I want to completely cut out my use of plastic silverware, research the places I shop at to see what they are doing to help the environment and while studying in Argentina, I want to volunteer with an environmental organization. 

Michael:

My 2020 goals include walking more whenever possible. Walking improves blood flow, sleep, weight loss, and mental clarity. Every step is cumulative throughout the day, and tracking devices can be a big help.