You’ve heard of all the horrible ways animals are treated, and you don’t want to support it. With a new year beginning, now is the perfect time to make a change. If helping end animal suffering is your New Year’s resolution, there are plenty of things you can do to help.

1. Eliminate meat from your diet.

Although many of us have been raised eating meat, the truth is that there is no such thing as humane slaughter. That being said, supporting the meat industry with your dollars funds these companies that are inhumanely slaughtering animals. Going meat-free will save animals and benefit your health.

2. Use plant-based milk instead of dairy milk.

The dairy industry isn’t as harmless as it is believed to be. In order to produce enough milk, cows are artificially inseminated and forced to repeatedly get pregnant. The calves are taken away from the cows almost immediately so they won’t drink any of the profitable milk, instead, being fed cow milk replacer. The male calves are usually sold to be slaughtered for veal. Rather than supporting this industry, try a plant-based milk such as soy, almond, coconut, oat, hemp or rice.

3. Check labels and look into the cosmetic brands you buy.

Let’s be real. It’s 2018. Testing on animals is cruel and totally unnecessary. Supporting companies who don’t test on animals will urge other companies to stop testing their products on animals. Clean out your make up bag, and shop cruelty-free for the bunnies.

4. Switch your eggs out for another source of protein.

Plants have a significant amount of protein with no cholesterol. Eggs, on the other hand, contain more cholesterol than a Big Mac and are not even legally allowed to be labeled as healthy. Who wants to eat a chicken period anyway?

5. Boycott SeaWorld

Vegans and meat-eaters alike, I think we can all agree on one thing. SeaWorld sucks. A swimming pool is no place for an animal that is meant to be in the ocean. If SeaWorld cared about their orcas at all, they would at least give them a place to swim that is bigger than their parking lot. Leave SeaWorld in 2017 because animals deserve better than being held in captivity to be used for entertainment purposes.

6. Trade your fur for an animal-friendly faux fur

It’s a very small switch that is the difference between what you are wearing and who you are wearing. The same goes for leather and wool as well. That is someone’s skin, ya know. This year, choose a fashion statement that is a little less Hannibal Lector and a little more compassionate. Companies such as Gucci and Michael Kors have recently made big changes just in time for 2018.

7. Tell your friends to adopt instead of going to a pet store.

Shelters are filled with animals who need homes. If you are looking to add an animal to your family, adopting and opening your home to one of these animals can prevent them from being turned away when a shelter gets too full. It may seem like a small difference but it gives the animal a chance at a better and happy life.

8. Support sanctuaries instead of zoos.

Believe me, I understand wanting to see the animals. However, animals are not happy being in cages to be used as entertainment. Their lives shouldn’t be a job they can’t escape, and they deserve to be in a better-suited environment. Visiting a sanctuary is a much more compassionate choice than a zoo, where you are funding the very place that keeps all the beautiful animals you come to admire in cages.

9. Encourage others to act for animals.

Unlike people who have fought to get the rights they deserve, animals can’t fight for themselves, which is why it is important for activists to spread awareness. By being an activist for animals you are giving them a voice that can be heard. Speak loud and proud because no matter what anyone says, it does make a difference, and it is the only way to spark change. If we ignore what we see, we can’t expect anything to be done about it. Let’s make 2018 the year of change -- for us, the planet, our health and the animals.