With the New Year just around the corner, it’s time to get ready to celebrate, connect with loved ones, reflect on what a crazy (and great) year 2021 has been, and use the hashtag "#NewYearNewMe." For myself, this New Year means reflecting and holding myself accountable for my goals, one of which is supporting our environment. While there are several ways to support our environment and pollinators, it is sometimes difficult to think of ways to do this in the winter. One of our latest blog posts described one way to help pollinators by winterizing our gardens. However, not all of us have the opportunity to have gardens. So, below is a list of alternative things we can do to support the environment and our pollinator friends for 2022:

1) Donate to a local environmental organization (to name a few):

• Pollinator Pathways Project
• ReForest London
• London Environmental Network
• Thames Talbot Land Trust

2) Join a community:

• Follow and interact with environmentally conscious social media pages
• Learn something new about pollinators and the environment (a good place to start)

3) Eco-friendly shopping:

• Choose to buy foods/items that do not use pesticides in their production
• Purchase items with low carbon footprints or circularity in mind (circular economies)

4) Volunteer your time:

• Plant flowers in parks
• Help support/upkeep community gardens
• Create or hang hummingbird feeders
• Join not-for-profits to help raise awareness (we’re always looking for new volunteers!)

5) Ask and share:

• Ask your workplace or school if they'd be willing to let you create a committee or program focused on the environment
• Share gifts with others over the holiday break that support our environment, beeswax products, local honey, or one of our very own pollinator-in-a-box kits
• Tag us on Instagram @pollinatorpathwaysproject with what you do to support pollinators
• Share these tips with others

I plan to choose one thing from each category for 2022. I’ll start by donating to the nature conservancy, engage with environmentally conscious organizations, eat no meat, reduce plastic reliance, purchase hummingbird feeders, and share ideas with my university to create an eco-friendlier campus!

Comment below what the new year means for you or other ways that you've supported the environment and pollinators!

If you'd like to learn more about the environment and some things you could do to make 2022 a year of supporting the environment and pollinator species, check out the resources below.

Pollinators:

• 10 Ways to Help Pollinators
• New Years Resolutions to Help the Environment
• Environment and Sustainability