Happy soon to be New Year! I wanted to share some ideas for celebrating, as well as reflecting on the previous year and your intentions for the next. I highly recommend journaling on or around New Year’s Eve to look back on the year and get perspective on your goals. I’ve shared a few other ideas for having a fun, eco & safe New Year’s below too!
In the past, I’ve kept a New Year’s journal where I sit down on New Year’s Eve and write down everything that happened that year… the highlights, highs, and lows, accomplishments, things I’m proud of, meaningful events, or maybe things that were sad or challenging. Next, I write about what we want the following year to be like. Then, the next year when I go and look back at what I wrote, it’s really cool to see if those things ended up happening… a great way to start the new year.
Here are some of my past resolutions and other New Year’s thoughts:
Eat Right
This is an on-going one, but eat right!!! Do what you can to get whole foods and fresh veggies, greens, and plant-based proteins into your diet. Get your hands on The Kind Diet and go nuts! Make the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups and have a party! If you have been wanting to get pregnant or thinking about babies in the future, and want to get your baby house all ready (or your a mama or soon to be), check out The Kind Mama for tons of info and yum nutritious recipes!
Get Rid of Old Stuff
It is a perfect time to go through all of your old stuff and recycle/give away all the things that you have been meaning to get rid of. This will make you feel so much lighter and happier! Go through things like your medicine cabinet and kitchen cleaning supplies. Keep what you really use and need and give the rest away. When you need new items, replace them with more eco-friendly choices. Go through your closet and sell your clothes to your local recycled clothing store, or give them to Goodwill.
Get Out Of Debt
Another great thing to do on New Year’s is to get out of debt! Start saving money (if you haven’t already)… it’s never too late to start doing this! And doing things like washing your clothes in cold water, turning off lights and unplugging things you don’t need to be plugged in can make a difference in your monthly bills… ok, not an insane difference, but every little bit counts, right?! Remember, 50% of your electricity bill is just plugged in stuff that sits there! You can sell your old TVs or other things on Craigslist, and make a few bucks!
Go Outside
Get out there and be active! Enjoy a day in the snow, rain or sun on a nice walk or bike ride.
If you take a little vacation for a New Year’s celebration, remember that most travel companies and forms of transportation now offer carbon offset programs for your trips. Make sure to ask about them.
For New Year’s Eve festivities…
Choose Organic and Vegan
Go for organic wine, beer, and spirits when you can- I love Merchant Du Vin for great organic beer! Organic is better for you, better for the people who grow the ingredients and produce it, and better for the planet. When you drink organic wine, you are keeping up to 250 chemicals that are used to produce non-organic wine out of your life and out of your body! Organic wines also mean the possibility of little to no hangover… fewer chemicals and fewer sulfites mean a better feeling head the next day. Localharvest.org is a great site to find organic vineyards and breweries in your area. Also check out Barnivore for a complete list of vegan wines, beers, and spirits.
Bottom line is that with organic wines, anytime you can find wine made with organic grapes, wines that use 100% organic ingredients, biodynamic wines… go for it! They are a big eco step-up from conventional wines. Trader Joe’s has a good one called Our Daily Red.
Also consider your bubbly! Not all are vegan, some Champagne is processed with fining agents, which can include products such as casein (milk protein), gelatin, and egg white. Check out this list of vegan Champagnes.
Don’t Drink and Drive
Another note… Make sure that you don’t drink and drive! There are now many convenient options like Lyft and Uber, in addition to taxies.
Cure That Hangover
Don’t forget… if you are feeling the consequences of a fun New Year’s Eve, the Cure All Tea from my book (p. 290) works wonders on a hangover! Plus a nice simple rice and miso soup the next day will set you right, instead of greasy or sugary food.
Have a warm, kind, fun-filled New Year’s! How will you be celebrating? What are your resolutions?
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New Year’s Hangover Tea
Photo Credit: Wonderful Wonderblog
