Shopping for New Year's resolutions

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A new year's resolution can be a gift that keeps on giving – to one's self, to others, to the Earth.

So, what can be a better place to find such gifts than the Treasure Trove mall market at Beijing's Yooley Plaza?

Dozens of local vendors were on hand, and happy for you to start your resolution early – if, in fact, it was to shop locally, support small businesses and strengthen China's economy.

But even if not, two groups there offered the chance to help animals, and the environment we share with them.

Lisa Perry is with Beijing's Little Adoption Shop and said she hopes volunteering with stray dogs is someone's 2018 resolution.

"The goal is to get them adopted," Perry said. "We take the dogs into the shelter, and we keep them fed, actually on a pretty good quality dog food. We try to give them good conditions."

Donations can be made at LittleAdoptionShop.com, and much of the money they take in is put toward surgeries for their many dogs and cats.

And for those strays that may never be rescued, another possible resolution could involve cutting back on the waste that clutters their surroundings.

Some of the dogs rescued by Little Adoption Shop /CGTN Photo

"People should still be recycling, but it's kind of not the best answer right now," said Joe Harvey, whose girlfriend Yu Yuan started The Bulk House, Beijing's first group dedicated to zero waste.

The Bulk House encourages people to remember their six R's.

"Refuse, reduce, re-use, repair, recycle and then rot," Harvey said.

Suggestions include buying stainless steel straws and organic cotton shopping bags, thus stopping usage of their disposable plastic counterparts.

TheBulkHouse.com can even show you where to find online tutorials for making cleaning products at home, and ditching store brands.

But regardless of resolutions, those at Cultural Keys, the driving force behind the Treasure Trove market are happy to help Beijingers find what they need.

"The purpose of the market is basically to help small businesses reach a wider audience," said A.J. Donnelly of Cultural Keys. "Anything that helps bridge that gap between western culture and Chinese culture is where we've been involved."

(Top Photo shows Yu Yuan, the founder of The Bulk House, and her many zero-waste products.)