--- title: "New Year's resolutions for a happy life that contributes to a healthy environment" description: "'Going green' may be easier than you think and includes more than recycling and to stop eating meat. Read the following articles to open your mind to the possibilities of a more environmentally friendly lifestyle." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "OUR HEALTHY PLANET" author: "Daily Maverick" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/dailymaverick/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-01-03-new-years-resolutions-for-a-healthy-life-thats-good-for-the-environment/" published: "2023-01-03T09:00:50" updated: "2022-12-23T15:26:49" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 382 --- # New Year's resolutions for a happy life that contributes to a healthy environment > 'Going green' may be easier than you think and includes more than recycling and to stop eating meat. Read the following articles to open your mind to the possibilities of a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. By Daily Maverick · Published 3 January 2023, 11:00 SAST · Updated 23 December 2022, 17:26 SAST ## Content ### **[Four New Year’s resolutions for a healthier environment](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-01-13-4-new-years-resolutions-for-a-healthier-environment-in-2022/)** **By Viniece Jennings** When many people think of New Year’s resolutions, they brainstorm ways to improve themselves for the year ahead. What if we expanded those aspirations to include resolutions that benefit our communities, society and the planet, too? ![Image: Nick Fewings / Unsplash](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/fpFA-ZPGOEbNvEwZHOsbYEsFD28=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/nick-fewings-4dI5OP2Ee64-unsplash.jpeg) *Image: Nick Fewings / Unsplash* ### [**Watch your steps – consider your carbon footprint and travel in eco-friendly style**](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-12-13-your-carbon-footprint-and-eco-friendly-travel/) **By Jamie Venter** South Africans are becoming more conscious of the environmental impacts of their holiday trips. Likewise, the tourism industry is looking at ways to cater for travellers who care about the planet. ![Photo: Unsplash](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/sXtXeK6_EGHyk-BaC9YDhSQxFJI=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/P12-travelcarbonfootprint.jpg) *Photo: Unsplash* ### **[Coffin? Casket? Cremation? How to make your death more environmentally friendly](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-11-28-coffin-casket-cremation-how-to-make-your-death-more-environmentally-friendly/)** **By Paola Magni and Edda Guareschi** Burial land is running low in certain parts of the world. It’s about time we started to consider the environmental cost of our final resting place. ![Image: Vidar Nordli Mathisen for Unsplash](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/JDZLAL4HGy6_jXTANKsneugrFhQ=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/vidar-nordli-mathisen-o9No1fiJSuc-unsplash.jpg) *Image: Vidar Nordli Mathisen for Unsplash* ### **[Sustainable solutions for a new generation of self-starters](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-08-04-sustainable-solutions-for-a-new-generation-of-self-starters/)** **By Julia Evans** Young entrepreneurs are coming up with sustainable and innovative businesses that are creating job opportunities and boosting the circular economy in South Africa. And they have no intention of leaving their communities behind. ![sustainable solutions](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Julia-driversofChange-main.jpg) ### **[Why biodegradable packaging might not be… biodegradable](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-08-16-why-biodegradable-packaging-might-not-actually-be-biodegradable/)** **By Malibongwe Tyilo** There’s a perception that product packaging labelled as ‘biodegradable’ will simply degrade in a matter of months, reducing litter and making for good compost. That is not always the case. In fact, it can be worse for the environment. ![A shop assistant packs biodegradable bags. (Photo: Gallo Images / Netwerk24 / Jaco Marais)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/q-IFZhbXs-QFZRDLcFaC4Fy77F8=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/Oped-DeKock-PlasticTW-MM-option-2.jpg) *A shop assistant packs biodegradable bags. (Photo: Gallo Images / Netwerk24 / Jaco Marais)* ### **[Understanding the climate crisis – YouTube channels, podcasts and free online resources](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-11-04-understanding-the-climate-crisis-on-youtube-channels-podcasts-and-free-online-resources/)** **By Tevya Turok Shapiro** If you’re strapped for time or energy to engage with detailed written articles, try these instead and get quickly clued up on the science around our climate crisis. ![Image: Kurzgesagt](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/XDnwkYPV1_lCwcfCv4B8POTPWi8=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/kurzgezagt.jpeg) *Image: Kurzgesagt* ### **[We’re recycling potato skins to make prebiotics: here’s why that’s good for your gut – and the planet](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-04-07-were-recycling-potato-skins-to-make-prebiotics-heres-why-thats-good-for-your-gut-and-the-planet/)** **By Eleanor Binner and Afroditi Chatzifragkou** It’s an unbelievable tragedy that a third of the world’s food is wasted. To put that in perspective, it would take an area the size of China to grow that much food – and if food waste were a country it would be the world’s third-largest greenhouse gas emitter. ![Potato peels. Image: jhenning / Pixabay](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/YdlGF9yaUWMX-RLM-mOmFzBWdus=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/header-potato-gdd520f4ff_1920.jpeg) *Potato peels. Image: jhenning / Pixabay*