NEW YEAR
NEW CONSYOUMERCONSIDERED LIVING
If you’ve found your way to this page of resources for the first time, I just wanted to say a big (warm and summery) welcome.
Each January here at Sustainability in Style we explore the reoccurring series New Year, New ConsYOUmer. This theme began way back when this site was my personal blog. It was born from my interpretation of the common self-improvement catch cry of ‘New Year, New You’. A slogan that’s founded in a desire for New Year’s resolve to change for the better. As part of my (at the time of inception) personal exploration of Sustainable living, I changed the narrative of the slogan to look at the way I was consuming the world around me, from fashion to waste, to how I was interacting with the natural surroundings on my daily walk. Resources on this page reflect the diversity of this interpretation.
We here at Sustainability in Style believe that you can be a ‘new’ you this year if you choose to do so. However, we think you’re pretty perfect just as you are, and that the resolutions or goals aside, the new year can be harnessed as an opportunity for mindful reflection on how you interact with the world around you.
Welcome the New Year with authenticity and big love.
Katie
NEW YEAR, NEW CONSUMER
Welcome to the New Year, New ConsYOUMer series. This post has been created with ten easy to action ideas to Simplify Sustainability.
If you’ve downloaded our free worksheet, these tips are inspiration for your ‘good’ and ‘go-for-it’ goals for the year ahead. Some of our ten prompts include ideas for each of the Values Motivators so you can work it to suit what you care about most.
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We suggest that you begin your New Year, New ConsYOUmer journey by checking out out Values Motivators Quiz to work out what you really value.
SUSTAINABILITY SIMPLIFIED
Download our free New Year, New ConsYOUmer worksheet to inspire transformative thought processes when making plans for the year ahead. The worksheet shows you an easy way to break large scale visions down to ‘go-for-it’ approaches you can action today, for a better tomorrow.
This is your New Year, New ConsYOUmer worksheet designed to get you thinking about how you can take action in Sustainable Style this year. We take your big-picture ideas and simplify them down into smaller ‘go-for-it’ actionable steps!
10 TIPS
FOR NY IN ECO STYLEECO KUDOS FOR YOUR LAUNDRY DAY
ANIMAL WELFARE AND COMPASSION MOTIVATORS
Grandiose: Remove all microfibre plastic from aquatic habitats
Great: Work with a large-scale animal rights organisation on frontline oceanic protest actions.
Good: Volunteer time with a local research group that rescues or assesses the impact of plastic waste on wildlife.
Go-for-it: When buying your wash bag for your clothes, arrange (or make) another carry bag (not for washing) to put in your purse. Use this bag to pick up ten or more items of litter from the streets each day.
SOCIAL EQUALITY MOTIVATORS
Grandiose: Prevent microfibre plastic pollution from entering all drinkable water bodies across the globe.
Great: Identify the amount of microfibre plastic pollution in drinking water in your country.
Good: Work with local water research group to assess the quality microfibre content of drinking water in your catchment area.
Go-for-it: Invest in a water filtration device for your home, or find a portable water-bottle or jug option.
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY MOTIVATORS
Grandiose: Stop the production of synthetic fabrics globally
Great: Start an national organisation that raises awareness of synthetic fabrics and oceanic waste.
Good: Begin a research project in your local area to assess micro plastic pollution.
Go-for-it: Create and circulate an online petition for a global washing machine manufacturer requesting that microfibre filters be created that fit back with old models of their washing machines.
SIMPLICITY AND STREAMLINED LIFESTYLE MOTIVATORS
Grandiose: Never buy an item of synthetic clothing item again.
Great: Read the labels of every item of clothing in the house to identify all synthetic items.
Good: Wash all synthetic items in a microfibre trapping wash bag.
Go-for-it: Get each member of the house a microfibre trapping wash bag. Put name tags on the bags and offer rewards or incentives for anyone who puts the right fabric clothing in their own bag each week.
RETHINK YOUR CYCLE
You might have heard it before, but here it is again. Greening your period is an easy way to make a huge reduction in your waste output. We highly reccomend personally recommend menstrual cups as they allow you to forget you even have a period- flow dependant- outside of a morning and evening change. If silicone cups aren’t your thing you can opt for reusable pads, or period panties. Whatever the switch, the planet and your purse will thank you for your reusable ways.
- Passionate about Social Equality? Choose to buy your reusables from a company that supports one-for-one schemes and donate a cup or reusable pad as a result of your purchase.
- Love animals? Put the money you would have spent on disposable sanitary products into an account and donate it to an animal charity you’re passionate about at the end of the year.
- Simplicity and Streamlined Lifestyle your thing? Consider a menstrual cup over reusable panties or pads. They take up less space in storage, require less changes throughout the day, and can be emptied in the shower.
- If Environmental Sustainability is your thing why not sew your own reusable pads or reusable toilet paper.
MEAT MEET SOME VEGETABLES
START THE YEAR WITH GRATITUDE AND LIFT YOUR ATTITUDE
If you haven’t kept a gratitude diary or calendar before this might be your year to start. There are loads of companies out there that will sell you products specific to gratitude practice (and some are really beautiful) but all you really need is a notebook you want to look at every day, or a clean jar and some scrap paper. Every day for the year write down a thing (or multiple things) you are grateful for and then keep them safely stored in your notebook or add them to your jar. If you are having an off day where nothing makes you smile, you can open your jar (or a page of your book) and select a gratitude prompt to remind you of things that make you happy.
CHECK OUT YOUR ECO FOOTPRINT
EXPLORE THE STORY OF STUFF
The Story of Stuff Project’s journey began with a 20-minute online movie about the way we make, use and throw away all the Stuff in our lives. Years after the release of this film the Story of Stuff is now a community of more than a million changemakers worldwide, working to build a more healthy and just planet. Head over to the Story of Stuff website to watch movies, participate in study programs and join in their campaigns.
COMMIT TO KINDNESS
TRY OUR MINDFUL NEWS CHALLENGE
This little experiment is a week-long challenge that give you a brain break from consuming traditional news sources. Banning news perusing from your usual channels and opting in for “Kind-News” only. Kind news is news that is delivered to you via sources in your daily life. It’s your mum ringing you to tell you about the story she saw last night on television, your friend letting you know about a pod-cast she saw that reminded her of you, or the neighbour who tells you about the colder than average winter that’s coming. .
BRUSH UP ON YOUR SUSTAINABLE FASHION KNOWLEDGE
- Clean Clothes Campaign
- Fashion Revolution
- Stop The Traffik
- Labour Behind the Label
- Behind the Barcode
- Fairtrade International
- Greenpeace Fashion Detox
- OXFAM Fashion Report
If you love Sustainability in Style we now offer Level-Up courses created by founder Katie Roberts (whose background is sustainability, science, and fashion). There’s a whole collection of Sustainable Style fashion-focused courses.
UNDERSTAND THE POWER OF PERSONAL STYLE
If you want to wrap your head around how our style what we wear (on top and underneath) is a huge part of who we are, check out StyleLikeU. They have been on a mission to show ‘What’s Underneath‘ but some of our favourites are from the Second Skins series, Uniforms, Dispelling Beauty Myths, and the Roundtable discussions.
KISS ECO-OVERWHELM GOODBYE
Has the New Year got you feeling a bit stressed out? We’ve got you covered with FREE resources to help you combat eco-overwhelm.
Click here to find out about our unique approach to caring for your Sustainable Self (including our eight-part toolkit) as you live life in Sustainable Style.