Green resolutions for 2010
JAYME EMERALD GATBONTON, GMANews.TV
01/01/2010 | 03:39 AM
Have you written your resolutions for the brand new year? Now is a good time to get your paper and pen. Make a list of what you can do to make this year even better. On top of your “I want to lose weight" and “I want be healthier" goals, try to add some green resolutions. They’re not only good for you—but for Mother Earth, too.
If there’s one lesson, albeit a painful one, that we learned in 2009, it can be summed in eight words: “When our environment suffers, we suffer with it." The best our world leaders could do was just to come up with a Copenhagen Accord. But we ourselves can do a lot of things to help save Mother Earth now.
Here are a few suggestions that you can adopt into your 2010 resolutions list. These may seem like simple moves but if we all do them, they may help ensure that we’ll have more “New Years" to celebrate.
1. Walk more.
Redefine “walking distance" and try to walk to wherever you need to go. If you must use transportation, consider taking public transport, using a bike, or carpooling.
When you opt to walk instead of ride a vehicle, you help lessen greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change. After all, your feet don’t emit fumes that add to the pollution and you don’t consume gas derived from fossil fuels.
Your greatest benefit? You get to lose weight and tone your legs in the process. Walking burns calories. The more you walk, the more calories you burn. By choosing to walk, you also get to strengthen and sculpt your leg muscles. Just remember to wear comfortable shoes when you're going for long walks.
2. Eat more veggies and less meat.
Methane, one of the most dangerous greenhouse gases, is produced from animal agriculture. Then, when you add the fossil fuels used in manufacturing different kinds of processed meat (such as hotdogs, bacon, and other cold cuts)—you’ve got yourself a devastating double climate whammy.
Going vegan means you help reduce methane emitted from animal farming and meat production. If you can’t go all out vegetarian, try going pesco-vegetarian which still includes seafood in the diet. If you can’t survive without your favorite steak, at least reduce your meat intake and add more leafy greens and colorful fruits to your meals.
If you’re going for that sexier and leaner body this year, then veggies and fruits are the best bets for your diet since you can eat more of them without packing on the pounds. Greens and fruits are high in fiber, a natural appetite suppressant that makes you feel full long enough to avoid those greasy chips and fat-laden pastries.
3. Get into eco-friendly fashion.
Looking for a new fashion statement? Go for recycled pieces. Instead of going to the mall, you can shop from green–minded organizations and entrepreneurs who make treasures from the trash.
Kilus Foundation makes pretty accessories, fashionable ladies’ bags and even footwear from recycled fruit juice doy packs. When you buy from them, you help reduce trash while increasing the income of women in Barangay Ugong, Pasig City. Meanwhile, the quirky entrepreneurs of Anak ng Kwek Kwek produce what they call wearable junk. They've got funky earrings and necklaces made from things such as chip tins, spiral notebook wires, and old rubber play mats.
Instead of getting new clothes, get creative and deconstruct or reinvent your old ones. Aside from sporting an environment–friendly garb, you're sure that you won’t bump into anyone wearing the same getup.
4. Bring your own reusable bag when shopping.
Plastic pollutes our seas and kills marine animals. Then, when the floods come, all the plastic you threw away will find their way back to your home and to other people’s homes.
So, when you go to the supermarket or shop at the mall, bring your own reusable bag and place your purchases there. Make it a habit to refuse plastic wherever you go and think about the floods you are helping to prevent just by doing so. If you really have to use a plastic bag, make sure that you’re going to use them again and again.
Consider it an exercise in frugality as well. When you only have a few reusable bags in tow, you’ll be forced to shop for less at the store and have more money in your wallet.
5. Be more green–minded.
And by “green," it means you should be more environmentally conscious and aware. Do a search on the term “climate change" and you'll get 68.9 million web pages full of information that are all just a click away.
Learn more about how climate change came about and understand the negative effects it has on the world we live in. Find out what other things you can do to help reduce pollution and slow down the hazards brought about by the crazy climate. Share your knowledge with others and help spread the love for the environment.
Remember that goals and resolutions can only be as powerful as the actions that result from them. So, let’s keep in mind the lessons we learned from 2009 and commit to going green in 2010. - Illustrations by Analyn Perez, GMANews.TV
If there’s one lesson, albeit a painful one, that we learned in 2009, it can be summed in eight words: “When our environment suffers, we suffer with it." The best our world leaders could do was just to come up with a Copenhagen Accord. But we ourselves can do a lot of things to help save Mother Earth now.
Here are a few suggestions that you can adopt into your 2010 resolutions list. These may seem like simple moves but if we all do them, they may help ensure that we’ll have more “New Years" to celebrate.
Leg work. You help Mother Earth and tone your body if you walk more.
Redefine “walking distance" and try to walk to wherever you need to go. If you must use transportation, consider taking public transport, using a bike, or carpooling.
When you opt to walk instead of ride a vehicle, you help lessen greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change. After all, your feet don’t emit fumes that add to the pollution and you don’t consume gas derived from fossil fuels.
Your greatest benefit? You get to lose weight and tone your legs in the process. Walking burns calories. The more you walk, the more calories you burn. By choosing to walk, you also get to strengthen and sculpt your leg muscles. Just remember to wear comfortable shoes when you're going for long walks.
Healthy options. Eating more fruits and vegetables is an eco-friendly move.
Methane, one of the most dangerous greenhouse gases, is produced from animal agriculture. Then, when you add the fossil fuels used in manufacturing different kinds of processed meat (such as hotdogs, bacon, and other cold cuts)—you’ve got yourself a devastating double climate whammy.
Going vegan means you help reduce methane emitted from animal farming and meat production. If you can’t go all out vegetarian, try going pesco-vegetarian which still includes seafood in the diet. If you can’t survive without your favorite steak, at least reduce your meat intake and add more leafy greens and colorful fruits to your meals.
If you’re going for that sexier and leaner body this year, then veggies and fruits are the best bets for your diet since you can eat more of them without packing on the pounds. Greens and fruits are high in fiber, a natural appetite suppressant that makes you feel full long enough to avoid those greasy chips and fat-laden pastries.
Earthy pieces. Wearing a "green" ensemble is a meaningful style statement.
Looking for a new fashion statement? Go for recycled pieces. Instead of going to the mall, you can shop from green–minded organizations and entrepreneurs who make treasures from the trash.
Kilus Foundation makes pretty accessories, fashionable ladies’ bags and even footwear from recycled fruit juice doy packs. When you buy from them, you help reduce trash while increasing the income of women in Barangay Ugong, Pasig City. Meanwhile, the quirky entrepreneurs of Anak ng Kwek Kwek produce what they call wearable junk. They've got funky earrings and necklaces made from things such as chip tins, spiral notebook wires, and old rubber play mats.
Instead of getting new clothes, get creative and deconstruct or reinvent your old ones. Aside from sporting an environment–friendly garb, you're sure that you won’t bump into anyone wearing the same getup.
Fun bags. Refuse to use plastic when you're out shopping.
Plastic pollutes our seas and kills marine animals. Then, when the floods come, all the plastic you threw away will find their way back to your home and to other people’s homes.
So, when you go to the supermarket or shop at the mall, bring your own reusable bag and place your purchases there. Make it a habit to refuse plastic wherever you go and think about the floods you are helping to prevent just by doing so. If you really have to use a plastic bag, make sure that you’re going to use them again and again.
Consider it an exercise in frugality as well. When you only have a few reusable bags in tow, you’ll be forced to shop for less at the store and have more money in your wallet.
Think green. Always prioritize Mother Earth's needs.
And by “green," it means you should be more environmentally conscious and aware. Do a search on the term “climate change" and you'll get 68.9 million web pages full of information that are all just a click away.
Learn more about how climate change came about and understand the negative effects it has on the world we live in. Find out what other things you can do to help reduce pollution and slow down the hazards brought about by the crazy climate. Share your knowledge with others and help spread the love for the environment.
Remember that goals and resolutions can only be as powerful as the actions that result from them. So, let’s keep in mind the lessons we learned from 2009 and commit to going green in 2010. - Illustrations by Analyn Perez, GMANews.TV
