Author: Sukhmani Singh

If you’re like us, you’re probably already facing an uphill battle to stay true to your New Year's resolutions. With continual lockdown restrictions across the world, many gyms, sports centers, and health food stores are shut. Our goals this year are harder to sustain than ever due to circumstances largely out of our control.

At Just Vertical, however, we’re the glass half-full kind of folks.  

Circumstances in the world present us all with an amazing opportunity. With so much time to reflect on our overall personal impact on the planet, now is the perfect time to focus on living more environmentally conscious lifestyles.

In light of that, we wanted to share some of our top tips to be more sustainable this year. Read on, green warrior...

1. Go Vegan (for a day): According to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), 30% of arable land is taken up by animal agriculture. Animal agriculture is responsible for 14.5% of greenhouse gas emissions. This is greater than all transportation pollution combined across the world. Cutting back on meat consumption significantly reduces CO2 emissions. One vegan day of the month, or even just one vegan meal, makes a big impact (as seen below).

Check out the following links for an awesome vegan cookbook and some vegan recipes for inspiration.

2. Waste less, Recycle more: Personal waste has an enormous impact on our environment. So what can you do to limit the impact of your waste?

Right-cycling: When an unrecyclable item ends up in the recycling bin, it creates more waste, not less. It also costs the recycling facility more money and time to process your waste. Recycle right by separating your recyclable waste at home. Check out the following link to learn about separating your trash correctly: What goes in my Blue Bin? 

Bring less plastic home: Canvas or cloth bags help offset the impact of plastic bags by reducing the amount of plastic we rely on. They’re also a lot sturdier and can generally fit more produce/goods than plastic bags. Check out THE MARKET BAGS for some cool, Canadian made cloth bags.

Save A Tree - Go Digital: According to the Paper and Pulp industry, 1 tonne of paper recycled used in the production process to make new paper can save approximately 17 trees. With new technologies, it’s never been easier to convert all your hand-written notes to digital copies. We use Google Keep, but there’s a range of different tools available online you can use for reminders and notes to save paper.




3. Start A Compost Bin: Composting helps divert food waste from landfills. It also reduces the extremely harmful emission of methane gases. Composting 1 ton of food waste is equivalent to saving 2.5kg CO2. DIY composting is a fun activity to do with your kids, housemates, or all on your own. Click this link here to see how to make your own DIY compost bin.

4. Buy Local: According to the FAO, in North America food typically travels between 2000 to 5000 kilometers from farm to table. That’s a long way. The ability to have ‘any food in any season’ comes at a price - the enormous amount of greenhouse gases emitted to deliver that food. Buying locally grown food is the sustainable solution to the problem of food travel. When you buy local, your food will be fresh, you’ll be supporting local business, and you’ll have great tasting food. 



5. Grow Your Own Food: Growing your own food, whether that’s in the winter or summer, helps reduce water consumption, food waste, and greenhouse gases. And just as importantly, it’s an awesome hobby. As a home-grower, you have greater control over what you eat, and when you eat. Modern indoor growing technology means that you can now grow year-round, irrespective of where you are. 

2021 looks like it’s going to be another era-defining year. 

With our tips to live more environmentally friendly, you’ll be on your way to making sure you’re personally helping shape the future of our planet towards a greener, more sustainable future. 

Have a great green 2021!