A More Sustainable New Year

I always enjoyed New Year's Resolutions although they seem to have a bad rep with many. It gives me a chance to reevaluate habits, failures, and achievements from the year prior and find ways to keep improving them. It wasn't until college, though, that I started to reconsider my carbon footprint and began incorporating more sustainable strategies into my new year goals.

If there is anything that I have learned along this journey, it is that small steps are more effective when attempting to change habits. It is a lifestyle adjustment after all. Sometimes making too many changes in your life can become too overwhelming and can cause you to give up.

Being green is more than just buying ‘eco’.

It is an unshakable commitment to a sustainable lifestyle.

– Jennifer Nini

Obviously, I'm no expert, just a gal trying to be more mindful of her impact on the planet. So here are the top things that I will be focusing on changing this year that maybe you can too!

1. Good Food = Good Mood

This goal could mean a lot of different things. To me, it could mean the quality ingredients used in food, incorporating more fresh fruits and vegetables into my diet, or it could also mean quality time with a group of friends over a quality meal. Either way, I am here for more to all of these!

This year I am specifically focusing on incorporating more fresh fruits and vegetables into my diet. I started off really strong at the beginning of 2019 when I still lived in a townhouse with a full kitchen, but then that spring semester ended and at the start of the fall semester I was back in the dorms with a mini fridge and a small kitchen with no counter space down the hall. I found it really hard to adjust back to the dorms and the small fridge and resorted to eating unhealthy snacks and cafeteria food as a result. But not this time!

I personally love veggies and always try to incorporate some into my meals whether that is finely chopping zucchini and bell peppers into my pasta or making curried chickpeas with spinach. I haven't quite mastered the small space yet, but the most obvious solutions are to buy frozen veggies so there are always some on hand, cut up fresh veggies and store them in Tupperware to make room in the fridge, and lastly, if the veggies look like they are going to go bad soon, use them up in a dish or save them for a later time by freezing them.

I also love cooking, and since I have had the time to do more of it myself, I have found it to be very therapeutic. So even if I don't have a lot of time during the week and maybe dinners are a bit rushed, I will at least try to make a nice relaxing meal on the weekends where I can take in all the aromas and fully let them take over my senses.

I would also like to make a note that cooking with friends sounds like the most magical thing ever (if you know the right people). Having a good time, cooking a nice meal, and bonding over deliciousness is actually my idea of heaven. Unfortunately, this isn't quite an option just yet in my dorm, but I will certainly love to explore this whenever I get an apartment.

Resources I follow for inspiration:

Well + Good Eats (@wellandgoodeats)
Healthyish (@healthy_ish)

2. Prep Ahead Meals

When you have a busy lifestyle, and especially if you are a college student with a busy lifestyle, then you know all too well the struggle of relying on take-out food or eating from the school's cafeteria to get your fuel for the day.

Although take-out is great on occasion, it isn't the best for your body and it certainly isn't the best for our planet either (imagine how many plastic containers and utensils you would be saving if you cooked from home). The same goes for the school cafeteria food that is slathered and drenched in oil and has minimal to no flavor. I mean the later is just disappointing, and yet, there are moments in my life when I get caught up in this dilemma too. I feel like I don't have time to cook or I simply don't want to and I find myself reaching for either of these two options or eating some quick-filling junk food lying around at home. I am guilty of eating dry cereal for a "dinner" far too many times that I would like to admit.

What did I learn from this? That I feel absolutely miserable afterward, especially if this behavior continues for a while. This is where this goal goes hand in hand with the good food = good mood goal because the less I eat unhealthy and overindulgent food the more satisfying, healthy, and confident I will feel.

Also, having food prepared is just all-around super convenient. I use the Eco Lunch box above when I have small meals, but Tupperware works just as well.

I should also note that I don't go full out on meal prepping just because I still enjoy cooking when I have the time (and I haven't quite figured out how to do it yet). If anything, after I go grocery shopping, I cut up the veggies so they are easy and ready to throw in a pan. I prep breakfast the night before (usually overnight oats if I have an early morning) and cook dinner with leftover lunch in mind for the next day.

Resources I follow for inspiration:

From My Bowl (@frommybowl)
What's Gaby Cooking (@whatsgabycooking)

3. Eliminate Food Waste

One of my biggest struggles is dealing with food waste, so this will definitely be a challenge this year. Most of my food waste comes in two forms: food scraps (like veggie and fruit skins, etc.) and the food that goes bad in my fridge (which sometimes results from a busy week when I don't cook at all).

As far as the food scraps are concerned, there is not much that I can do about it at this time, although this is something that I would like to improve on in the future. Right now, it seems challenging to hold on to the food scraps because as I have mentioned, I have a mini-fridge and don't have the space to store them for a nice vegetable broth (although maybe this is something you can try). The other solution would be to compost. Although I can't make my own compost bin while living in the dorm, I know that the local community has a food drop off site but unfortunately, I haven't been able to find it yet. So, that's on hold for right now.

The other issue is food going bad, which is an issue that I have full responsibility for. The best way I figured I could go about this is to simply keep track of what I buy at the grocery store and trying to incorporate a veggie or two into every meal I eat for the next week or two. Also, I realized over the past 3 years that I tend to overestimate how much food to buy for the week. Maybe it's just me, but I honestly find it really hard to cook for one.

Also note to self: Don't buy a big cabbage from the farmer's market even if it looks amazing and you love cabbage because you will be eating that cabbage for the next 3 months.

Resources I follow for inspiration:

Zero Waste Chef (@zerowastechef)
Waste Free Planet (@wastefreeplanet)

4. Low Waste Kit

This is something that has been relatively new to my rotation. Of course, I have been using a reusable stainless steel water bottle since high school and using reusable bags (when I don't forget them), but I am trying to make a bigger commitment to saying no to plastic this year.

Last year, I invested in a bamboo utensil kit that I could carry around with me if I pack a lunch or eat take-out. I should also mention that these are super easy to make on your own with a little cloth and some utensils laying around at home. I have found it super useful, but also sometimes inconvenient because I find myself in situations where I can't clean the utensils right away after I eat. Like what do you do with a dirty fork?! The reality is that I could rinse it off in a bathroom (if available) or rinse with water from my bottle and clean them thoroughly when I get home. If anyone has a better solution, please feel free to share!

This year, I would also like to bring my own tea with me more often. I love tea and enjoy drinking it in the morning while I'm on the go. I will definitely be doing a lot more of this with my travel mug. But sometimes, I find myself going out to cafes and buying tea or lattes. I'm not saying that this is a bad thing, by all means feel free to indulge, but I want to be smarter about it by bringing my own travel mug and having the baristas pour the order inside.

Fun fact: I'm personally not a big fan of Starbucks but I did find out that you can save 10 cents when you use a reusable mug. If you drink out a lot, this can certainly add up to nice savings!

Resources I follow for inspiration: