I have mixed feelings about New Year’s Resolutions. There’s been a lot of backlash against the whole ‘New Year, New Me’ mentality, and understandably so. The whole concept can be attached to a lot of guilt and it can be pretty unhealthy. That being said, I love using this time of year as a fresh start to compassionately reassess what I’m doing with my life, and to challenge myself to change those things I keep meaning to get around to. I think the perspective of a Christian faith, which tells us both that we are already enough, and that we can always be helped to do better, gives us a hopeful and healthy way to approach resolutions.
This year, as part of SCM’s campaign focus of Loving the Earth, we’re encouraging people to take on a Green Resolution. I’m using this time of reflection to think about how I can love our planet more in my daily life. I’ve made a half attempt at Veganuary (and apparently annoyed Piers Morgan no end in the process which is always a plus) and started making packed lunches more to reduce both my food waste at home and the single use plastic which comes with buying food on campus and at work. It’s not a huge change but being more mindful about these things is how I’m renewing my commitment to tread lightly on this Earth of ours, and to show love to our brothers and sisters around the world who are affected by climate change.
These things obviously won’t work for everyone – it’s not always practical to bring food with you on your daily routine, and I’m very aware that almond milk in your tea is just not as good as the ‘real stuff’. But I’m sure there are ways we can all work to improve our impact on the planet. Perhaps you use more electricity in your house than you’d like, and getting a smart meter would help you reduce your carbon footprint. Perhaps you drive when you know you really could walk or cycle more. Perhaps you would like to support more locally produced food, so a weekly trip to your local market would be a good place to start. Whatever your situation, I would encourage you to try something new this year to be more green and refresh your commitment to loving the Earth and the people who live here a little better. Let us know what your green resolutions are, and hopefully we can encourage and support each other along the way!