Written by: Nabiha Khan
Edited by: Mannat Malhan
Designed by: Jedrick Asuncion
With the New Year having just begun, I’m sure many of you have begun to make large goals and commitments for climate action. However, you may find all these big commitments a little daunting, which is absolutely fine! All change requires small steps that build up to something larger. In this blog, I’ll suggest some at-home hobbies you can start this New Year to be more eco-friendly and give something back to this planet!
Upcycle Furniture
Upcycling furniture is actually a lot more fun and easier than it sounds! It’s simple – take an old dressing table, chair, or other piece of furniture, and give it a new life by changing it up a bit! It doesn’t take long, and the feeling of satisfaction that comes from reusing old furniture for new decorations is definitely unmatched. No ideas coming up? How about you start with an old table, any type is fine, and paint over a new coat with a vibrant new colour? It brings the table “back to life” and adds a playful twist to its design! Upcycling your old furniture prevents waste build-up at landfills and reduces the demand for new raw materials such as timbers, which are harvested for is very detrimental for the environment. In upcycling, you’re able to help the environment and get something fun out of it as well!
Indoor Gardening
Everyone knows how cold Canadian New Year’s are, so gardening outdoors seems out of the question for most. However, indoor gardening is a good hobby to pick up while you’re sitting indoors waiting for the ice to melt. Some good plants to start with would be peace lilies, pothos, and spider plants. They all don’t require much sunlight and are able to grow in harsher conditions. If you want plants that bloom in winter, try amaryllis, moth orchids or African violets. They bring beautiful colours inside your home, and help the environment as well!
Sewing
Sewing can actually have a lot of practical uses for yourself, whilst also helping the environment! Have you ever had a really good pair of pants, or an amazing shirt that unfortunately got ripped, or had a hole in it? Throwing it away would at the time seem like a good decision, but there is absolutely no need to do so. You can just learn sewing, or use a sewing machine, and mend your clothes at home! It doesn’t require much practice, and it can end up saving you a lot of money as well. Throwing away clothes over minor problems that can be fixed through methods such as sewing results in massive waste in landfills and pollutes land and water through the microplastics and chemicals in them. Furthermore, clothes are often overproduced thanks to consumption culture, which in turn releases lots of greenhouse gases. Sewing is a perfect solution to help the environment and save money! If sewing really is not working out for you, I’d highly recommend that you donate your clothes before directly throwing them away.
Overall, I think it’s a great time to start something new, especially when everyone is cooped up at home because of these freezing temperatures! It’s important to realize that even though these things may seem small, they all contribute to the climate effort, and you doing this indirectly helps the planet so much. That’s it for today’s blog. Hope you enjoyed reading this, and have a great day!
References
Botanical Paperworks. “Eco-friendly Hobbies that Feel Good to Start.” Botanical Paperworks, 20 December 2021, https://botanicalpaperworks.com/blog/eco-friendly-hobbies/. Accessed 7 December 2025.
Elizabeth, Sarah. “13 Sustainable Hobbies to Try Now for a More Sustainable Lifestyle.” Creative and Ambitious, 20 November 2020, https://creativeandambitious.com/13-sustainable-hobbies-to-try-now-for-a-more-sustainable-lifestyle/#:~:text=One%20thing%20I%20found%20when,Reading%20%E2%80%93%20visit%20your%20public%20library. Accessed 7 December 2025.
pexels. “Woman Sewing While Sitting on Chair · Free Stock Photo.” Pexels, 15 February 2020, https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-sewing-while-sitting-on-chair-3738088/. Accessed 7 December 2025.
Sustainable Directory. “Sustainable Hobbies.” Sustainable Directory, 24 April 2025, https://lifestyle.sustainability-directory.com/term/sustainable-hobbies/#:~:text=Gardening%20%E2%86%92%20Tending%20plants%2C%20whether,food%20or%20making%20natural%20soaps. Accessed 7 December 2025.
veryplants. “A Beginner’s Guide To Growing Indoor Plants.” Veryplants, 14 June 2024, https://veryplants.ca/blogs/news/a-beginners-guide-to-growing-indoor-plants. Accessed 7 December 2025.
Wikimedia Commons. “File: Palett, upcycled to coffee table.jpg.” Wikimedia Commons, 29 October 2014, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Palett,_upcycled_to_cofee_table.jpg. Accessed 7 December 2025.
