New Years resolutions to help you and the planet

The start of a new year is a time of hope and renewal, but it can also come with a lot of pressure. From social media to advertising, there are messages from all sides that are telling us to do more, travel more, buy more, work more, spend more, exercise more…and more and more and more. It’s not sustainable, and can make us feel worse.So if you don’t feel like putting the pressure of goals and resolutions on yourself, that’s totally okay. Or if you feel like some gentle suggestions that are gentle, easy, don’t cost anything, and can help your mental and physical health as well as the environment, then read on.

Go for a walk

It doesn’t have to be far, it doesn’t have to be hard, and it doesn’t have to be to anywhere in particular. Just getting outside, feeling the sun and wind on your skin, breathing in fresh air, being out in brighter daylight, and using your legs and body to move around gently can make you feel good physically and mentally.While you walk, why not focus on your senses one at a time. What can you see, what does the air smell like, what can you feel on your skin or touch.And you can use this time to engage more deeply with the nature you can find around you. You don’t need to live in the countryside to do this; nature is just as present in our cities. Can you spot any insects, birds, animals or plants? If you can, stop and watch them for a bit; see what they do, notice the details of their features or fur or leaves, their colour, their life. Appreciate what’s around you, and what you’re part of.

Grow a plant

There’s something about growing and nurturing an organism that isn’t ourselves that’s intrinsically rewarding and can boost your mood.You don’t need to splurge on expensive plants; seeds are all around us, and often for free. Take the stone from an avacado, the seeds from a tomato or strawberry, or a conker from a chestnut tree. You can make plant pots from empty toilet paper rolls or yoghurt pots, jars or other food containers, and scoop some soil up from outside. There are lots of handy guides online to help you find out how to grow different types of plants and prepare the seeds.Then just pop your planted seed somewhere sunny, water it regularly (but not too much) and before you know it there’ll be a green shoot popping up. Once you’ve grown your plant up from a seedling, you can either repot it into a bigger pot and help it grow further, or if it’s something like a chestnut tree, plant it outside once it’s big enough - after all, you probably don’t want to try and grow a full tree inside your house!

Listen to the rain

Rain gets a bad reputation; in the winter, rainy days can make us feel sad. But rain is also beautiful and precious; it waters the plants, it soaks into the soil and down into the rocks below, eventually becoming the water we drink. The water in the rain has had an incredible journey; it’s formed from water that’s evaporated from the oceans or from far away lands, and been transported in clouds for hundreds or even thousands of miles, before falling from the sky onto us.The next time it rains, turn off all the lights or close your eyes, and just listen to it. Hear the raindrops pattering on the windows and roof and ground. Listen to the sound they make; it can be very relaxing.Smell the special smell that comes when rain hits dry soil. Its called petrichor, and caused by the water interacting with a type of microscopic fungus.

Organise a community litter pick

Human connection is important, but in our busy lives it can be hard to make time for the people around us. But one thing that is good at forging connections is a common cause. A community litter pick is a great way to encourage people from a community to come together, meet, and take positive action.You could put up a notice on a community notice board or social media groups, set a time and a date and meeting place, and encourage people to bring bags and gloves. Once everyone is together, introduce yourself and explain what to do, then set off as a group. At the end, celebrate all the litter you’ve picked, and how much nicer the space you’ve cleaned is.Not only will this have a positive, practical effect on the environment, you may find you help people make new connections or even friends, strengthening the community and helping people who might be feeling lonely.

Try some of our resources

If you’re looking for an activity to do or a simple action you can take to make a positive difference to the world, why not take a look at some of the resources we have listed on the Roots & Shoots website.They’re free, and will guide you step-by-step through the process, whether that’s doing an energy audit at home to help reduce your energy consumption to finding out how many food miles your dinner has travelled to reach you, or from writing letters to your local politician or business calling for positive change to creating a beautiful reusable bag you can use instead of single-use plastic bags.