2019 was a tough year for anyone with concern for the health of our planet as a long line of policy changes that seemed to brazenly disregard our fragile environment.
Even if it seems like our government is failing us in terms of the macro picture, take matters into your own hands and go for the micro. Here are ten very simple things that you can do to go greener in 2020.
1- Bike To Work Once A Week
With Citi Bike’s over 12,000 bicycles now reaching many neighborhoods across the boroughs, there are few excuses to not attempt to bike to work at least once per week. Tote your helmet, find a viable route and make a weekly pedal part of your routine. To feel part of the larger community, consider a membership to Bike New York.
2-Grow Your Own Veggies Indoors
Just because you live in a microscopic urban space doesn’t mean you can’t hone your green thumb. Hydroponic gardening is a practical way to grow leafy greens in teeny tiny spaces. It is an efficient soil-free system that maximizes yield.
The fully automated AeroGarden sits on your counter and offers the potential to grow high quality micro-greens with very little attention or effort.
3-Drink Biodynamic Wine
Whether you like to sip red, white or sparkling, there are some luscious biodynamic wines available at a variety of price points.
Organic wines don’t use any pesticides or chemicals. Biodynamic wines take it up several notches. The entire grape growing and wine making process are strictly organic, plus the farming techniques and crop rotation aim to enhance rather than deplete the soil.
As no sulfites, clarifiers or chemicals are added, the finished liquid maybe be somewhat cloudy in appearance.
Grape Collective is a gem of a wine shop on the Upper West Side. In addition to traditionally made wines, they offer a wonderful selection of organic and biodynamic wines. It’s not simply a place to buy wine but more of a think-tank for oenophiles. It is a true collective, so the staff is comprised of wine writers who write about their liquid subject with passion for the Collective’s magazine.
If you like to drink wine and would like to increase your understanding of it, pedal your bike over ASAP for enlightened conversations and tastings.
4- Donate Money You Save On Essential Services To An Environmental Organization
Donate to the Sierra Club, founded by preservationist John Muir way back in 1892. The Nature Conservancy and the Organic Seed Alliance are also fine grassroots environmental organizations or choose one that fits with your own ethos. Take a look at oM’s Guide to Giving Back to the Environment for additional suggestions.
If money’s too tight to contribute, consider switching some of your essential services, such as your cable and cell phone provider, to ACN. You could save on your monthly bills without sacrificing service and may choose to donate part of the savings to the charity of your choice. In addition, ACN donates to a charitable cause every time a customer pays a bill.
5- Choose A Hotel That Embraces Sustainable Practices
Several hotel chains are embracing sustainable practices. As of January 1, Anantara and AVANI Hotels completely eliminated the use of plastic straws throughout all of their properties in Asia. They are substituting the 2.5 million plastic straws used every year with biodegradable and recyclable alternatives such as bamboo straws.
Fairmont Hotels takes corporate responsibility seriously. They pioneered the Fairmont Green Partnership decades ago, blending environmental stewardship into their business practice.
Several of their properties have green roofs and apiaries. The rooftop honey produced is served in their restaurants.
6- Compost
Composting may not be the easiest thing for New York apartment dwellers to do but the benefits are clear. Your food scraps will be transported to a compost site and to be transformed into a fertile soil amendment to be used for local urban farming and gardening projects. Dozens of greenmarkets offer food scrap drop-off bins, so give it a try. Check out Grow NYC for more details.
7- Eat Less Meat
You don’t need to commit to a fully vegan or vegetarian lifestyle to do your bit. Consider going meatless one day per week or perhaps only on weekends as you explore The Best Vegan Restaurants in NYC.
Eating less meat reduces greenhouse gas emissions, means less deforestation for cattle feed and is just plain healthy.
In the beautiful Belgian city Ghent, Thursday is Veggieday. Many of this university town’s restaurants serve a vegetarian menu each Thursday and residents are encouraged to enjoy the delectable possibilities that meat-free cooking presents.
8- Invest In A Reusable Water Bottle
If you haven’t started using a reusable water bottle, you may be living in an alternative reality. Now is the time. From wide stainless steel water bottles to tall glass bottles, there are numerous shapes, sizes, and colors that you can get a reusable water bottle in to match your personal style. While you’re at it, purchase a few Tupperware-style containers for toting snacks or for packing your kid’s lunch.
9- Get Involved
Get cozy with like-minded individuals who recognize that collective change can have a bold impact on our planet. The Impact Travel Alliance is a community of dreamers and doers who are deeply committed to sustainable tourism’s growth.
Their annual Global Summit attracts innovators from across the globe to collectively tackle a single issue facing the travel industry. The hive-mind works to develop concrete, actionable solutions to push the sustainable travel industry forward.
Make 2020 the year you get involved with this forward-thinking, volunteer-run organization.
10- Recycle Your Holiday Tree
Leave your Christmas tree or Hanukkah Bush on the curb and the DSNY will turn it into a rich compost. Just make sure to take all ornaments and lights off the tree.
Recycle your tree at MulchFest where your tree will be chipped into mulch, which you may take home or donate to nourish gardens citywide.
Image credits: Ryan Kuhar, Citi Bike NYC, Frann Leach, Stefano Lubiana, AVANI Hotels and Hugh Copeland.
Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributes travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She is fluent in Italian and Spanish and laughably adequate in French. Her background as an Early Childhood Educator gives her an added understanding of what it takes to travel with kids in tow. She firmly believes that the most important part of education takes place outside of the classroom, on the road, around the world. She never misses a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. Follow Allison at @gourmetrav.
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram