New Year, New Habits

New Year, New Habits: Building Sustainable Routines

As the calendar turns, let's channel our energies into cultivating habits that nurture both our well-being and the environment. Every New Year comes a renewed opportunity to reflect on our habits and make meaningful changes. Here are five conscious habits to infuse sustainability into your daily rhythm and improve your lifestyle in the coming year.

Habit 1: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

The triple Rs, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle are no longer just a catchy phrase, with overconsumption continuing to rise, they have become a lifestyle. Start by scrutinizing your consumption patterns, try to choose to acquire less but choose wisely. Question whether you really need an item before buying it. Reuse comes next, for example, turning old t-shirts into cleaning rags or as simple as repurposing old glass jars as food storage containers. Recycling can be as simple as starting in the kitchen, and turning your kitchen waste into compost. Sorting those recyclables like paper, glass, and plastics is also part of the process, making sure they're properly sorted and disposed of.

Habit 2: Smart Shopping  

Smart shopping—and no, we don’t mean looking for deals—is about the thought that goes into monitoring your purchase behavior and taking a moment to pause for sustainability. Choosing to shop locally means reducing carbon footprints and supporting community businesses directly, from you to them. Investigate the backstory of products—where they’re made, who made your clothes, and what materials they’re made from.

Pause Before You Purchase: Here's a mindful tip from Jia Singh, featured on our Rethink with Refash podcast, where she shares a valuable shopping strategy - "When you add items to your cart, pause, come back to it later after a few days, and reflect to consider their necessity before purchasing, rather than impulse buying." This practice encourages a deeper contemplation of our consumer habits, helping us make more intentional and sustainable choices.

Habit 3: Digital Detox

A digital detox might be the refresh your mind needs. Social media and digital consumption subtly shape our perceptions and behaviours more than we might realize. Unplug to recharge. Our digital entanglements often shape and dictate our desires and reduce our attention. Slow your digital consumption to rediscover the textures of real-world interactions. Designate hours of digital silence each day with 'screen-free' hours for more meaningful offline interactions and watch as your creativity and interpersonal relationships blossom in new, unexpected ways.

Habit 4: Minimalism 

Minimalism is an invitation to value quality over quantity. As minimalist designer Brian Gardner eloquently puts it, "Minimalism isn't about what you own, it's about why you own it." This philosophy encourages us to find beauty and satisfaction in fewer, more meaningful possessions. Begin this journey by making a simple checklist of your belongings of What items do you buy? Which ones do you truly use? And what do you really, really need? This process declutters your physical space and clarifies your priorities. As you peel away the unnecessary layers, you'll notice a profound impact on your living spaces, mental clarity, and financial freedom. The cleared space is a step towards a life filled with intention and purpose.

Habit 5: Supporting Ethical Businesses

Every penny you spend is a vote cast for the type of world you want to inhabit. Supporting ethical businesses means choosing sustainable production that involves fair pay, responsible use of materials, and a low footprint, like the use of already existing materials, like upcycling. Even choices that seem small, like picking a local coffee shop over a multinational chain, or selecting farm-fresh produce instead of large-scale commercial suppliers, can contribute to local sustainability. Paying attention to the packaging and supporting brands that use eco-friendly materials also create a  movement for a circular economy, which can make a difference and propel the momentum.

This New Year, let’s begin small with sustainable habits, actions that you take now, becoming a routine in your daily lives. Habits, choices, and decisions that help people and the environment create a more thoughtful and fulfilling existence. Let’s make this year a time for impactful living. Cheers to a greener, more fulfilling year ahead!