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As the state of our environment continues to deteriorate, it’s crucial for everyone to seek more sustainable lifestyles. Fortunately, you can reduce your negative environmental impact in several ways, many of which require little effort. If you’re looking for a way to help protect and preserve the planet, consider these tips for living a more sustainable life.

Wear clothing made from sustainable materials

Manufacturing many of the most popular clothing materials—including cotton, polyester, and nylon—requires huge quantities of water or oil. To reduce the production of such harmful materials, consider purchasing environmentally friendly fabrics such as hemp, organic cotton, and organic linen instead. These materials offer a host of benefits—hemp clothing, for instance, is not only eco-friendly, but also durable, exceptionally comfortable, and naturally antimicrobial.

Reduce your dependency on single-use items

Single-use items such as disposable water bottles, paper plates, and plastic bags sit idly in landfills across the country, contributing to pollution as a result. Many single-use items also require a harmful amount of energy to mass-produce. By simply switching to reusable alternatives, you can help reduce the negative environmental impact of these temporary items.

Burn less fuel

Driving a car burns a large amount of fossil fuels, which release harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. As such, it’s important to find ways to cut back on the amount of gas you use. If riding your bike or walking isn’t an option, consider carpooling, taking public transit, or utilizing a ride-sharing system.

Eat fewer animal products

Vegan or vegetarian diets aren’t just for animal-lovers—they can also have numerous environmental benefits. The meat and dairy industries are responsible for massive water use, pollution, and habitat destruction. When you reduce the amount of animal products you consume, you consequently reduce these negative environmental impacts.

Grow your own food

Most of the produce you find in your local grocery store likely traveled thousands of miles to its destination. This lengthy journey burns a lot of fuel and releases harmful carbon emissions into the atmosphere. To reduce the demand for such wasteful practices—and to enjoy the flavors of fresher food—consider growing your own produce. You don’t need a huge garden to grow your own food; simply set aside some space on your windowsill or porch. Bloomin’ has a variety of vegetable and herb seed paper options to get you started.

While most people would be happy with basic holiday present ideas, such as clothing or video games, any hobbyist knows the holidays are the best time for getting something for their passion project. If you want to impress the hobbyist in your life, consider these outside the box holiday gift ideas.

Kitchen Accessories

Give a heartwarming gift to any cook or baker in your life with new kitchen accessories. It doesn’t matter if you purchase something new or something based on what they already have—your generosity speaks for itself. If you want to splurge on a big giveaway, go for a new stand mixer or high-powered blender. While these might be more expensive, they will be greatly appreciated. Another option is to give an upgraded version of a typical kitchen tool. Go for higher-quality measuring spoons or utensils, since these are commonly used and will last a long time.

Natural Soaps and Bathroom Products

Natural health products are great for those shying away from common chemical-based toiletries. Natural deodorants, soaps, shampoos and conditioners, and face washes all make for a great bathroom kit. This will show your loved ones you support their new lifestyle.

Arts and Crafts Kits

These are staples for DIYers or anyone who likes handiwork. Knitting, sewing, and model-building are all great crafts for hobbyists. These keep people busy and engaged with creating something they can use. You can also gift artists paint sets, sketch pads, new pencils and pens, coloring supplies, or a graphic design tablet. Whichever you choose, your artsy loved one will be delighted.

Wooden Signs

Yes, you read that right: wooden signs. For anyone looking to add some flair to their outdoor garden or flower bed, consider a wooden sign. These make great holiday gift ideas and they come in different styles and sizes. A wooden sign will highlight your loved one’s passion for everyone to see.

Gardening Tools

This is an ideal gift for anyone who has a penchant for planting. Whether it’s for an indoor herb garden or outdoor flower bed, gardening tools are the perfect presents. You can also help a new gardener earn their green thumb and gift them their beginning gardener kit. In this, you can include a gardening book, seeds, plants, tools, gloves, a watering pot, and weeding tools. These ideas are great for helping any experienced or new gardening enthusiast.

If one of your resolutions for the new year is to live an eco-friendlier life, just look here for some ideas. You can take a myriad of actionable steps to help save the planet from the ever-changing climate, and we’ve listed a few of them below. From supporting climate organizations to donating old clothes rather than tossing them, there are plenty of ways to reduce your carbon footprint.

Donate Your Clothes

If you want to reduce your carbon footprint, then you need to think about the harmful effects of fast fashion. With shopping holidays such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday behind us, you need to think about what you’ll do with the clothes you hardly wear. Rather than tossing them in the trash, lend them as hand-me-downs or donate them to charities such as Purple Heart. Textile waste is a huge problem, so do your part to counteract that by donating pieces you no longer wear.

Walk and Bike More

For years, people have talked about how harmful vehicles are to the environment. This new year, do your part to cut down on those negative effects by walking and biking more. The more often you decide to use your own feet instead of a car, the more you work to eliminate those hazardous gases. If you can’t walk or bike, at least try to carpool or use public transit instead.

Embrace a Minimalist Lifestyle

Minimalism is a great way to incorporate your goal of reducing your carbon footprint into your lifestyle. Decluttering your home and living off less won’t just create a more organized home—it will also help your community and the environment.

Stop Eating (or Eat Less) Meat

You may not buy into this if you’re a hard-core bacon-lover, but if you really want to reduce your carbon footprint and help the environment, then going on a plant-based diet is a necessity. In fact, eliminating meat consumption is one of the most effective ways to combat climate change—even over walking and biking. Red meat production consumes 11 times more water and causes five times more emissions than the poultry industry—and even poultry isn’t great for the environment. Even if becoming a vegetarian truly isn’t in the cards for you, try adding a few meatless days into your diet instead.

Plant a Garden

Finally, try planting a garden. Even if you live in an apartment, planting some greenery around the house is a simple way to reduce your carbon footprint. Pot some flowers, plant some trees in the backyard, start an herb or vegetable garden—the choice is yours. There are plenty of fun ways to start a garden, and doing so is even easier when you use Bloomin’s seed paper to start off.

Pollinators are an essential part of a healthy garden. In many cases, these creatures fly from flower to flower of their own accord, naturally helping the plants reproduce and flourish throughout the seasons. Unfortunately, your garden may need a little help sometimes. Here’s how to attract pollinators to your garden.

Do Your Research

Many different kinds of pollinators might visit your garden, but the most popular ones are usually hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. Find out which creatures are native to your area as well as which plants they like. It’s best to have a variety of pollinators visiting your garden, so try to have as much variety as possible among your plants. 

Plant Wisely

What you plant has a big impact on who visits your garden. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds need nectar as well as pollen, so be sure to plant nectar-rich flowers to attract them. Plants that bloom in various seasons are also useful. When you’re arranging your garden, place blooms close together so that they’re easier for pollinators to spot. Trying to choose the perfect seeds or location for your garden can be overwhelming, but with so much information online and innovations such as Bloomin’s seed paper, getting started has never been easier.

Avoid Pesticides

It’s not all about the planting, either. Part of keeping a pollinator-friendly garden is creating a safe environment for them. If you have all the right plants and you’re still wondering how to attract pollinators to your garden, try cutting out pesticides. Many pesticides, including organic ones, are toxic to pollinators. In fact, not using pesticides at all is one of the best ways to protect honeybees—some of the most important pollinators out there. If natural pest control solutions don’t work for you, at least limit your use of pesticides. Only spray in the evenings when pollinators aren’t as active, and avoid spraying any blossoms that would attract pollinators.

There are many benefits to adding houseplants to your home. From improved air quality to improved mental health, plants can contribute a range of positivity to a household. Plants add to the ambiance of a home in ways other décor items can’t. Practical, eco-friendly, and adorable, plants are the perfect addition to any home. One tricky thing about plant ownership: plants can be high-maintenance and require care to stay in good health. Check out these tips for healthy houseplants.

Choose the right potting soil for the plant

Choosing the correct potting soil is the first step to fostering healthy plant growth. Succulents and ferns will not thrive in the same soil in the wild, so they won’t in your home either. This means you may have to invest in multiple kinds of soil if you have or plan to have plants from differing regions or climates. Do some research into what minerals are beneficial or harmful to your individual plants.

Bonus Tip: If you’re not sure what kind of plant you have, take it to a local greenhouse or plant shop to get a professional’s opinion. They can also help you pick out a good soil.

Give them the perfect amount of sunlight

Plants need the sun to grow. Place your plants strategically in your house to make sure they’re getting the proper amount of sunlight. This also varies with each plant. Some plants require full sunlight while others are happier in a shady area only receiving sun during certain parts of the day. If your home lacks lighting, plants are a perfect reason why you should add more natural light to your home.

Bonus Tip: Rotate your plants every week to ensure the plant gets even sunlight. Plants tend to lean toward the sun over time, so to keep your plant standing straight turn it every so often to evenly distribute the sun exposure.

Water them according to their individual needs

Some plants require a lot of water while others can’t handle much at all. Look up your specific plant and learn the best watering practices for it. Some plants thrive with small doses of water multiple times a day, while others can go weeks without water. An easy way to tell a plant needs more water is dry soil, brittle leaves, and brown discoloration. If a plant is overwatered the soil may begin to grow other substances, the leaves may begin to wilt, and the plant may start to die.

Read or talk to your plants

Believe it or not, reading and talking to your plants helps them to stay healthy and facilitates growth. The carbon dioxide you breathe out is like food for your plants. Reading to them or talking to them helps them stay healthy.

Bonus Tip: You don’t need to go buy books specifically to read to your plant. If you’re already reading a book for yourself simply sit near the plants and read out loud. If you’re looking for a fun way to add more plants to your home, seed bombs are an exciting way to encourage planting more plants. Each comes with a fun game and grows different plants from tiny seeds.