With a new year upon us, a great way of starting it off right is to make a committment to be greener in 2012. Here are 5 tips which are simple and easy to do:

• Think Resuable: Help reduce landfill waste by using resuable products such as water bottles and shopping bags. Vancouver’s Greenest City Action Plan wants to reduce landfill waste 50% by 2020 and the only way we’re going to get there is if families starting thinking about what stuff they can throw away and what stuff they can re-use.

• Get Creative: Start thinking outside of the box. Make your own shampoos and bath products using do-it-yourself recipes found online. Host swaps with your friends to trade clothes, books, electronics etc. There are so many possibilities so get your thinking caps on.

• Use Transit: We’ve been blessed with a great public transit infrastructure which means that you can get virtually anywhere in Vancouver using a bus, skytrain or seabus. Plus, you can get up to 15% back on your federal tax return if you buy monthly transit passes.

• Buy Local: By buying local, you’ll support small businesses that have smaller environmental footprints. Consider visiting farmer’s markets or even the Public Market at Granville Island to find local, delicious food goodies.

• Go Meatless: We’re not advocating becoming vegetarian or vegan, but limiting your meat consumption by even 1 meal can go a long way to reducing human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. Meatless Monday has several delicious vegetarian recipes that are healthy for both you and the environment.

Make a choice to promote sustainable lifestyle choices by being greener for 2012.