New Year Environmental Resolutions

In our culture, the ethos of “new year, new me” is very powerful and all over the country there are countless individuals who choose to implement any number of new year's resolutions. For some, it may be to cut out soda or alcohol, for others it may be saving money or practicing mindfulness. However, particularly because our collective society has begun to truly understand a fraction of the importance nature provides to us, there are quite a few unique and environmentally-conscious resolutions that can be implemented in your own life. 

1. Start composting: Composting has a number of huge benefits for the environment and overall soil health. Through the natural process of recycling organic material back into the environment, compost is a valuable resource for plants and other microorganisms in the soil. Not only does composting contribute to soil health at a local level, it also reduces the amount of human waste which enters landfills. Of course, much of the organic material we put into landfills does not ever reach a point where it becomes compost and is recycled back into the environment, which is why the focus on individual composting is very important. There are main approaches to composting, either doing it at home in the backyard or having a local municipality pick it up, similar to trash collection. For more information on composting, check out the MCSWCD page. 
2. Start a garden: There are numerous ways that starting and maintaining a garden can lead to better outcomes for both physical and mental health as well as the health of the environment. Many gardens, particularly community gardens, work to help address some of the environmental concerns facing local communities. Some of these steps include the implementation of sustainable agricultural practices, limiting stormwater runoff and reducing the number of miles certain food travels before it reaches the plate. Many gardens provide fresh and healthy food and there is a certain level of satisfaction when enjoying food which plays an active role. Gardens also play an important role in providing many of the different pollinators like bees and wasps a place to find a source of pollination. As a result of the many different food deserts throughout the United States, starting a garden can help address many of the problems of low accessibility to nutritious foods. There are a number of community gardens throughout Monroe County and Bloomington.
3. Introduce reusable products: There are countless single-use products which permeate throughout our lives. While these objects may only be in our lives for some limited time and may leave our focus as easy as it entered, they certainly do not leave the planet as easily. Many times, these products may not break down easily and continue to affect the environment in many different ways. Sometimes, single-use products may impact wildlife and interfere with their ability to live free from human interference. Other times, particularly plastic, finds its way into a number of different places it should never be—notably the ocean. While the onus of single-use items and plastics should never be placed on any single individual, there is certainly room for an individual to forgo these objects in their own life. Some popular products to find reusable substitutes include shopping bags, water bottles, straws, and even some less obvious products like parchment paper, k-cup filters and dryer sheets. While we have created a global system which relies on single-use objects and plastics, there is still the opportunity to detract from landfills on a personal level through rejecting single-use items.
4. Recycle better: Without a doubt, our collective society has begun the push toward recycling many of the discarded items we come into contact with on a daily basis. However, there has also been an introduction of the phenomenon of “wishcycling” where we may try to recycle something which cannot be recycled. Normally, wishcycling only contaminants other materials which otherwise would be recycled. While many of us will make the attempt to recycle, there is not a consistent and widespread flow of information when it comes to recycling correctly. There are a myriad of different rules to follow and many municipalities and other recycling organizations have different rules for different objects. However, while there are many opposing rules for different jurisdictions, there are a few key takeaways which seem to be universal. 
   1. Plastic bags cannot be recycled in the curbside bin. While plastic bags may be recycled in specific drop-off areas, they cannot be recycled with other types of plastic. In fact, plastic bags are one of the top contaminants to recycling and often get caught in machinery.
   2. Don’t recycle anything smaller than a credit card: Whether it be straws, K-cups or other small plastic bits, these objects are too small to successfully be sorted and may jam recycling equipment. Bottlecaps, while on their own would likely wreck havoc on recycling machines, may be reattached to the bottle. 
   3. Empty, dry, and clean: In order for objects to be truly recyclable, they must not be contaminated with food or any other type of waste. For many plastics, taking the extra few seconds to ensure that it is free from food waste and relatively clean ensures that it will not wind up in a landfill. Pizza boxes may be recycled in the instance they are not covered with cheese and grease—if they are, recycle the clean parts. 

These suggested resolutions are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ways to become involved with environmental conservation action. Without individual action and support, there is no possibility for collective action and support when it comes to environmental conservation and sustainability. While the shift away from plastics is incredibly important, the continued diligence to recycle (and to recycle correctly) on our current planet is absolutely necessary. The same is true for soil health and composting our waste, which also works to avoid unnecessary items in already overflowing landfills.