Eco Tips and New Year’s Resolutions Ideas

It’s time to work on good new year’s resolutions and we want to give you some easy eco-tips to achieve your sustainability goals for 2022.

New Year’s resolutions are a way of setting goals for the coming year. And having goals can have a deep impact on us, helping us to have a more meaningful and positive day-to-day. Resolutions and goals can inspire us to be better and motivate us to achieve a better lifestyle. So, for 2022, what resolutions should we give ourselves?

 

Some common resolutions are centred around health, money, or work. But lifestyle resolutions are also quite popular, some people decide to quit smoking, while others want to spend more time with their family; whichever your resolution is, it should be based on your personal values and what matters to you.

 

This year, we suggest a New Year’s resolution that you can start easily and that will have an impact on, not only your own life but those around you and future generations as well. We are talking about forging a more sustainable lifestyle: understanding how our life choices affect the world around us.

A more sustainable lifestyle can be started by making subtle changes in your everyday life. Some of the smallest changes in our habits can have the biggest ecological impact, like a global domino effect. First of all, just being aware of your choices is a great first step.

 

Then, you can continue with baby steps towards your goal. Swap out plastic wraps with reusable beeswax wraps for your leftover food, reduce your daily shower by 1 minute, air-dry your laundry whenever possible, turn down the thermostat on your heater by 1 degree… There are many small ways in which you can contribute to sustainability without much effort, but the value they provide is priceless.

Eco-friendly sustainable shopping tips

 

 

When Shopping 


Becoming more eco-conscious in our approach to shopping can have the most immediate effect. We can decide what we bring into our homes, and contrary to popular belief, going green can actually save you money. You will have to do some planning and researching before putting a product in your cart, but once you know what to look for, it will become easier and more intuitive. Here are some tips to take into account when shopping.  

  • Opt for sustainably sourced products. Knowing the source of products is a great way to shop more mindfully. The more you know about what you are buying, the better.

  • Buy local. How far has the product you are buying travelled to get to the store’s shelves? Buying locally harvested produce is not only the freshest option, but it also means less CO2 emissions, because it has travelled less to reach you. As a rule of thumb, seasonal produce tends to come from local sources, so incorporate seasonal ingredients into your shopping list. For other types of items, try to support local businesses as well, proximity shopping is the way to go.

  • Avoid buying products with excessive packaging. As much as packaging is needed for hygiene and practical reasons, excessive packaging is a grave issue that often produces non-recyclable waste.

  • Use sustainable materials. The hype around bamboo products is well-deserved: bamboo plants grow extremely fast, containers made out of bamboo are durable and, unlike plastic containers, they are biodegradable. Some great bamboo products include toothbrushes, hairbrushes, straws, cutlery. As a first step, start by swapping out your plastic toothbrush with a bamboo one.

 

Read more in-depth tips for a more sustainable shopping experience and its benefits for both your own lifestyle and the planet.

 

 

At Home


In our home environment is where we can make the most changes. By surrounding ourselves with eco-friendly options, it’s easier to keep on track and be consistent with our actions and habits to achieve our sustainability goals. Let’s see how we can implement sustainability in our homes.

  • Say no to waste. Waste is one of the largest issues on our planet, a great amount of household waste goes to landfills, increasing the release of greenhouse gases. Recycling is a good way to repurpose waste materials, but it is even more important to reduce waste in the first place.

  • Make your own compost. If you have a balcony, terrace or garden, you can benefit from making compost at home. Instead of throwing away food scraps, tea bags and coffee grounds, make use of them by composting them. A large portion of household waste is compostable, you will notice the volume of your trash decrease as you compost.

  • Avoid food waste. In most developed countries, food waste is a growing issue that can cost countries billions of dollars. According to the UN, around 30% of food purchased in the UK is gone to waste, and most of this food waste is avoidable. Manage your fresh foods by planning ahead your grocery shopping list, and researching the proper ways to store ingredients for optimal shelf-life.

  • Upcycle. Don’t discard old furniture and clothes, give them a new life by upcycling them. Give an old piece of furniture a makeover instead of buying a new one, not only will it save you money, but it is also more eco-friendly; plus, it will be a unique piece customized by you. The same can be applied to clothes, if a piece of clothing is in good condition, but looks dated or old-fashioned, revamp it by re-tailoring it. If it isn’t in wearing condition, you can repurpose it by cutting out pieces and using them as rags for cleaning around the house.

 

Sustainable living at home tips and tricks

 

  • Make your home efficient. Energy consumption does not only cost you money, it also increases greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants, which is why we should decrease electric consumption whenever possible. Fortunately, you can take immediate measures to increase efficiency with little effort.

    o   Use the coldest setting when choosing your washing machine cycle. This measure requires no extra effort from you, but the environment will benefit significantly. Also, cold water is gentler for your laundry, so your clothes will last longer.

    o   If using the oven, opt for batch cooking. Prepare your weekly meals in one go, and you will be saving energy and time during the rest of the week. Meal prepping is also a great way to avoid ordering take out, good for health and your pocket.

    o Use eco-mode on your appliances. Many modern appliances have optimized settings for efficient and energy-saving use. Check your fridge, freezer, and air conditioner to see if they have this setting and activate it. For example, owners of Hitachi Residential Air Conditioner have the option of systems with the Smart ECO mode. 


Hitachi Residential Air Conditioner Smart ECO mode


Hitachi Residential Air Conditioners innovate the way you experience comfort, with technology to help you improve and support sustainable lifestyle choices. On Hitachi Air Conditioners, users will find Eco Mode that helps reduce power consumption, but Smart ECO mode is also available on models that feature the Scene Camera. With the Scene Camera, there are two functions that can be set using your AC’s remote control:

  • Smart ECO. Press the eco button on your remote control once to activate this function. Once activated, the appliance will detect human presence through its sensor. When it detects an empty room for at least 20 minutes, it will automatically reduce energy consumption. If you enter the room again, it will resume its normal energy use.
  • Smart ECO - Auto-off. You can activate this function by pressing the eco button twice. Similarly, to the Smart ECO function, the device will reduce its power consumption after 20 minutes of inactivity in the room. But what is different about this function, is that it will turn off automatically after another 40 minutes if no human presence is detected.

This is just one of the many ways that Hitachi Residential Air Conditioners offer a quick and intuitive way to contribute to sustainable living without compromising comfort.


Going eco is a lifelong commitment, it has the power to improve your own life and the lives of future generations. But remember, you don’t need to make big changes immediately, start small and implement these tips at your own pace, and you will surely start to enjoy a much more eco-friendly lifestyle for the new year.

 

Find out more about the Hitachi Air Conditioning ranges on offer and how they can help you achieve your efficiency and sustainability goals at home.

 

by Hitachi