New Year Resolutions for the Environment
by: Sara Clegg, St. Andrew Green Team
Here we are again facing a hopeful, wonderful new year, 2026. Your Green Team would like to welcome you to the new year, and add some exciting new resolutions to your already full list of resolutions. We are suggesting some small things that we all can do to make God’s earth a little less polluted and safer for everyone including wildlife.
No. 1: Purchase a non-plastic reusable water bottle. These ubiquitous disposable plastic water bottles make up at least 5% of all plastic waste.
No. 2: Switch back to bar soap, thus eliminating the plastic container that the foam soap is packaged in.
No. 3: Use more aluminum foil or silicone reusable bags for leftovers and storage of food. Also, I use a net bag when I’m grocery shopping in the produce section instead of their plastic bags. Plastic wrap is another petroleum product that does not breakdown for years in our landfills.
No. 4: Inventory your cleaning products to see if you can switch from using numerous cleaning products to maybe just one or two, thus eliminating more plastic bottles. We suggest white vinegar and water for cleaning almost anything in your kitchen. I use 1-1/2 cups of vinegar to 5 cups of water and it cleans everything in my kitchen very nicely.
No. 5: In the laundry room there are many choices, from refilling your existing container, to switching to laundry soap sheets that are very convenient and have no container.
These five resolutions are probably enough to start out the new year in great shape. Remember whatever we do is a help to the environment and therefore, helping God’s creation with less plastic pollution in 2026. Thank you for considering these options, and good luck with your resolutions!
