In the spirit of self-improvement to kick off the New Year – combined with the fact that January is National Hobby Month, Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful would like to propose seven eco-friendly hobbies to add to your list in 2024. Psychology Today indicates many psychological benefits to having a hobby, including lowering stress, adding structure to your day, and fostering new social connections. Add to the fact that the hobbies below represent the chance to save the planet a little bit every day, and it’s a WIN-WIN for you and Planet Earth!
Creating Crafts Through Upcycling
Have you ever refinished a piece of furniture? If so, you’ve Upcycled! Upcycling is the practice of taking an existing object and reusing or reimagining it to create a new product. Fantastic ideas for upcycling are plentiful on the internet – like converting an old pair of jeans into a tote bag, transforming old band t-shirts into a quilt, or using a pair of galoshes your child has outgrown for a precious planter. Good Housekeeping proposes 65 Useful and Easy Upcycling Ideas for Every Skill Level to help you get started!
Let’s Go Gardening
Whether your garden is in containers on the back deck of your townhome, in an elevated bed in your backyard, or on a plot in a community garden just around the corner, a green thumb is a true gift. Flowers beautify the world around us and – with the proper selection of blooms – can attract pollinators like birds, butterflies, and bees. An herb garden is a great way to add flavor and a sense of pride to your culinary creations. And a vegetable garden is perfect for individuals who want to grow their own food. And for those who do one or all of the above in a community garden, you’ve tapped into a hobby that proves a terrific way to meet your neighbors. University of Georgia Extension offers a wealth of advice on fruit, vegetable, and ornamental production and so much more!
Volunteer to Make a Difference
While some may consider volunteering more of a calling and less of a hobby, it’s an excellent practice to incorporate into your life that helps you as much as it helps others. Many incredible nonprofits throughout Gwinnett County could benefit from the gift of your time, but if you’re focused on saving the planet, Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful may be the ideal fit for you. From year-round programs like our Adopt-a-Road and Adopt-a-Stream initiatives to our calendar of events that includes volunteer opportunities that span from Bring One for the Chipper in January to America Recycles Day in November, there’s always a chance to bring your talents to our organization. Register as a GC&B volunteer HERE!
Explore Your Local Parks
From cycling or hiking paved trails that wind through the woods to becoming a member of a softball team or regularly participating in pickup basketball or sand volleyball games, Gwinnett’s award-winning network of parks proves an excellent resource for picking up a new hobby. Some showcase aquatic and community centers that offer opportunities to swim laps or take classes like dance, art, and more. To view the list of parks and learn which amenities they offer, visit https://www.gwinnettcounty.com/web/gwinnett/departments/communityservices/parksandrecreation/ourparksandfacilities.
Fill Your Pantry
Pickling and canning are two excellent eco-friendly practices that could easily fall into the hobby category. Whether pickling okra, cucumbers, peppers, eggs, or red onions (and SO MUCH MORE) or making your own recipes for a variety of jellies, jams, beans, and salsas for canning at home, you’re creating a firm foundation for a sustainable household with every jar in your pantry. PracticalSelfReliance.com offers 100 Pickling and Canning Recipes to help you get started.
Carve Out Some Time for Woodworking
Similar in concept to upcycling, the use of reclaimed wood in woodworking projects has earned celebrity status in recent years. Whether whittling shapes out of a branch you found on the ground during an afternoon walk or creating charcuterie boards from the wood of an old barn, woodworking is a wonderful hobby that spans generations.
Save the Bees – One Hive at a Time
Honeybees play an integral role in our world. They account for the pollination of 80% of flowering plants and $15 billion in agricultural products each year, including more than 130 types of fruit, nuts, and vegetables. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, between January 2015 and June 2022, the US lost 11.4 million honey bee colonies but added 11.1 million. By making beekeeping a new hobby, you could help stabilize the number of honeybee colonies in Georgia. Click HERE to learn more about the Apiary Program of the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) – which offers certification and support to commercial and hobbyist beekeepers. To sweeten the deal, one of the rewards of this particular hobby is some truly delicious “homegrown” honey!
For more eco-friendly advice and tips, we encourage you to bookmark the blog at www.GwinnettCB.org and visit often! From all of us here at Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful, we wish you a Happy and Rewarding New Year!
Sources:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/happy-trails/201509/six-reasons-get-hobby
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/craft-ideas/how-to/g139/genius-upcycling-ideas/
https://practicalselfreliance.com/canning-recipes/
https://usafacts.org/articles/what-is-the-loss-of-bees-costing-the-us/
