Sustainable New Year’s Resolutions to Try
Resolutions can be hard to think of and even harder to keep. New year, new me and all that jazz – but maybe the time is right to make a reflection and think about how we can be better this new year…
We’ve come up with plenty of good resolutions over the years, some easier to keep than others, naturally. And as we’re an employee benefits provider, they’re going to be tailored to that – but we’re all employees, so we may as well reap the rewards!
Check out some resolutions we’ve curated below; they’re great steps you can take to become a greener individual and reduce your carbon footprint! Think back over the years, how many resolutions have you kept? Let’s change that and make 2024 YOUR year!
Go Plant-Based for Veganuary
January is the month we focus on lifestyle; this January, the planet and the wallet will be high on people’s priorities. Contrary to popular belief, going plant-based can be extremely beneficial to the wallet when you choose local foods in season. It doesn’t just help your wallet though, meat production AND freight CO2 is reduced too!
Meat and dairy production account for around 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Switching to a vegetarian or vegan diet, or even trying out No Meat Monday helps to reduce emissions overall. Check out this study on The Climate Impact of Eating Meat and Dairy for a really interesting insight.
Get Healthy
It’s January, so naturally, the gyms are absolutely rammed. If you’re anything like me, that’s not ideal for getting my fitness on. Of course, your preferred option may be the dreaded gym… hey, your company benefits package might even offer a gym membership, or maybe your company has its own gym. If not though, don’t worry, there are other ways to exercise without a sweaty gym!
Walking is an obvious one. Not only will walking give you some exercise, they’re also proven to improve mental health, and can save you money on travel expenses (as well as a gym membership! Our Sales team go for regular walks together to get some fresh air or to just have a change of scenery during a meeting!
If you’re slacking on your step count, you could always get a bike/exercise bike, or just do some fitness classes at home! There are plenty of free tutorials to follow on YouTube, what’s stopping you?
Join the Electric Revolution
Walking is the greenest form of transport, but for those longer trips, bikes, public transport, or switching the old diesel for a new electric are all up there.
Over half of our electricity is now produced by renewables. It’s not only cost-effective to move to an electric car, but a great gift for the environment. Plus, if you can persuade your employer to let you fund the car via a salary sacrifice scheme it works out cheaper than running a 5-year-old diesel car.
Have you considered moving your home electricity supply to a renewable supplier?
With energy prices on the rise, it’s a good time to look into switching. When looking at pricing, the cost depends on oil price for most suppliers, unless you choose a supplier who uses mainly renewables. Choose someone like Ecotricity or Eon’s greener tariffs and you can save the planet a ton of pain plus save your wallet too!
You can combine your electric vehicle with electricity from a green supplier, such as Ecotricity, Eon, or Instavolt. Guilt-free charging and guilt-free driving! You can also charge at many places for free. MD Andy claims he parks slightly further from his destination to take advantage of free charging and to get some extra steps in too.
Alternatively, you can charge at your gym, big Tesco, or even at work – 2 birds, truly. Check out where your nearest charge points are on ZapMap.
Get on Top of Your Finances – Reduce Your Motoring Costs
If you’re looking to get on top of your finances this year, reducing your motoring costs is an often overlooked method. For many households, motoring is the second biggest outgoing. With petrol prices fluctuating and remaining high, this looks to be an even larger part of your household budget.
If you have a 5-year-old diesel hatchback, you’re likely spending £400 a month, if not more. Before you even touch the pedal, you have a whole raft of costs:
- £30 a month road tax
- £200 a month depreciation
- £100 a month insurance
The second you press down on the pedal you could be spending up to £130 a month! This is your fuel cost, maintenance, tyres, and recovery. You could easily be losing £500 a month, even more so if you live in or near a clean air zone.
If you have a drive or garage, you have all the infrastructure you need to go electric. Yes, electric cars are slightly more expensive, but you’ll typically recoup the difference after just 18 months! An electric car charging at home costs as little as £20 a month to run if you cover 10,000 miles a year. Or, go through salary sacrifice and the tax and NI savings make an electric car cheaper to run than a 5-year-old diesel car!
For under £400 a month, you could have a brand-new MG4 on your driveway! And yes, this does include insurance and electricity to run! Get in touch with our team if you’re interested or get your login to our quote engine if you have the scheme in place!
Reduce Waste
There might be more that goes into reducing your waste than you think. This includes food, plastic, energy, and even clothes.
You could fuel 250,000 cars with the oil used to manufacture plastic bottles. Ditch temporary plastic for a reusable bottle, even with a water filter system if you want, or a metal one to keep your drink cold. You could a lot of save money and pollution.
Did you know that up to 80% of our waste is recyclable? Just by taking a couple extra minutes to separate your rubbish and out you foil in a big ball, it can make a massive difference!
Avoid Fast Fashion
Fashion trends come and go quicker than Tesla’s speed! The last decade has seen a huge growth in ‘disposable’ fashion. Fast fashion may be a quick and cheap option but it is truly destroying the planet. Huge brands like Shein create massive environmental impacts by pumping out cheap clothes you will probably wear once. Didn’t you know vintage is IN? Get out to your local charity shop and see what’s around; once you get over the ‘pre-loved’ aspect and realise washing machines exist, you might find some real gems! Or -possibly the best method for it- instead of using fast-fashion brands, wear what you like and invest in longer-lasting, ethically made clothing.
Pick Up a New Hobby
Linked to our last point on fast fashion, maybe it’s time to get a new hobby and dabble in slow fashion; thrift, upcycle, maybe even bust out the sewing machine or crochet hooks and get crafty with it. Pick up a new hobby and revamp your wardrobe, all whilst being sustainable and feeling good about it. But, if you’re not much of a crafter, sell or gift your old clothes to a charity that can refurb, re-love, and resell them for a good cause.
Get into Cooking
Eating out or ordering a takeaway can put a strain on your wallet as well as your health. Good food is easily achieved – just follow a recipe or YouTube video. You might discover a hidden talent. Processed foods are a disaster for your waistline and the environment. Batch cooking and slow cookers make great hot meal prep simple, cost-effective, and yummy!
Get into Gardening
You may think gardening is for the retired, but what’s better than sitting in your beautifully kept garden on a sunny day? Exactly. You could even get your parents/grandparents around to help you sort it out.
As we all know, nothing tastes better than homemade, or homegrown! You could start a vegetable patch, or start out small by growing some herbs – they have kits for them!
Get into Chilling
You heard that right – Chill in all senses of the word! Chill by taking more walks and getting lost in the world, or chuck a film on and put your feet up. Have you thought about chilling out with cool showers or even turning the heating down a couple of degrees? Cold showers have unparalleled benefits to our physiology, giving sharp focus and helping reduce body fat – and turning your heating down just saves money, a win really.
This year is set to be our biggest yet, so why not join us on our green journey?
You might not be ready to hop into the electric revolution just yet, but these other resolutions are a great stepping stone! Even using that bag for life you have in the boot is a bigger step than nothing!
When you are ready to make the switch, we’ll be here for you. And if you’re ready now, get in touch with the team here – or download our guide below to learn what you need to know about the scheme.