How To Actually Keep Your Eco New Year's Resolutions

1/27/2020

Written by: Allie Willison, Customer Experience @blueland

Now that we’re a month in, how are you doing on your Eco Resolutions? It’s okay if you’re starting to slip! According to researchers (https://www.readcube.com/articles/10.1002%2Fjclp.1151?r3_referer=wol&tracking_action=preview_click&show_checkout=1), less than half of New Year’s Resolutions are kept up by June. This year especially it’s been harder to keep up with a routine.

As time goes on and we get further and further away from the sparkling night of “New Year, New Me”, it can be harder to stay on the green path. But we are here to help!

Here are some useful tips to keep 2021 your greenest year yet!

Tips To Keep Your New Year’s Resolution: Start Small

Making a ton of big changes right off the bat can not only be intimidating but also can be near impossible. The best way to make sure you really stick to your guns is to start with a few small goals. Pick the ones that can seamlessly adjust your lifestyle like:

• Changing out your water bottle or to-go coffee cup for a reusable! Most coffee shops will even fill your personal cup up instead of using a disposable cup if you ask.
• Switching to washing your clothes in cold water instead of hot.
• Cutting meat down in your diet.

It takes 21 days to build a habit, and after a month or two of successfully keeping some simple things up you can add more green quirks into your daily routine.

Tips To Keep Your New Year’s Resolution: Be Specific

When you pick out your eco goals, be specific and curate them to your life! If you’re a commuter (usually at least, even if your current commute is from bed to kitchen table) maybe think about how you can cut down your footprint since the transportation sector (https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200317-climate-change-cut-carbon-emissions-from-your-commute) has the largest carbon emissions. Do you live close enough to walk? 10/10. Or bike instead of taking a car? Also 10/10! Can you use public transportation? Better than a private car ride!

When you narrow it down, stick to your choice until it becomes second nature. I used to walk across town to work everyday even though it took longer than the bus or subway after I made a goal to walk to work for two weeks straight. Not only was I doing my little part for the planet– I got to bang through some great podcasts too!

Tips To Keep Your New Year’s Resolution: Give Yourself a Timeline

The reason that became just a seamless part of my routine was because I made a specific time table and stuck with it. This is the year of will power! If you’re feeling bolder you can take on bigger life changes, like composting. Here (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1580170234?ots=1&slotNum=32&imprToken=d8bb908c-4eb9-34ea-aa5&ascsubtag=[]st[p]cjiyy04ux002ccly637t14dxe[i]SbOMLf[d]D[z]m[t]w[r]google.com&tag=thestrategistsite-20) is a great book for beginners.

If you start small your timeline can also be a phasing, say you’ve successfully been able to go the entire month without using a plastic straw– now you can add in another plastic free sub like silicone bags instead of ziplocks! Give yourself timelines, keeping in mind what you want to change and how. If you’re a planner then map out the whole year! Then by New Year’s 2022 you’ll be an eco expert.

At the end of the day any goals and resolutions set should be there to elevate your happiness and help you to live a healthier, fulfilling life. This past year has been very stressful for all of us, and with the certain amount of hope that comes with a New Year we can harness that hope to better our life and in doing so, better the planet.

Check out 21 specific ways to be green in 2021 here (https://blog.blueland.com/21-ways-to-start-2021-green/).