How to make sustainable new year's resolutions

New Years’ Resolutions! We’ve all made them…and subsequently broken them within the third week in January, but when it’s about something as important as the climate crisis, how can we create habits that will last?

It’s no secret that we live in a time of overwhelm, whether it be the pandemic, the climate crisis, or anything in between, it is easy to feel as though what we do every day has little consequence. In reality, we hold an incredible amount of power in our everyday actions, and taking that power and focusing it on good can create a ripple effect throughout our family, friends and community. So when you're making you New Year's resolutions, here are 5 things to keep in mind to help you create meaningful, long lasting and sustainable habits.

1. Figure out your "why"

Firstly, it’s important to figure out your ‘why’. Why do you want to make sustainable changes in your lifestyle? It could be for your future family, your children, or a place you hold dear. You can start by writing down some of your favourite places on earth. This could be a cabin up north, a beautiful beach, or even a city you loved to visit. Ask yourself what you would do to protect these people and places? Use that energy to motivate you when making changes.

2. Progress over perfection

The second, and arguably most important is to let go of the pressure of perfection. It may be tempting to go cold turkey and try and change your whole way of living, but in reality it can be hard to maintain and can lead to burn out and reverting to old ways. We must remember that we live in a convenience and consumer-based culture, and therefore there will undoubtedly be times when we invite waste into our lives when we’d prefer not to. That’s okay! Progress over perfection, always.

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3. Start with what you already have

It can be tempting to go out and buy all of the aesthetic bamboo items when you decide to live more sustainably, but the reality is the most sustainable items are the ones you already own. It’s important to be mindful of what you’re purchasing and to ask yourself (often) “do I really need this?”.

The most sustainable items are the ones you already own.

4. Get others involved

Get others in on it! It can be hard to make change alone, and accountability can keep us on track when we start to lose steam. Join online groups or start a group chat with friends and family that are interested in reducing food waste, driving less, eating more plant based or swapping DIY ideas can be a great way of injecting more enthusiasm and support into the changes you want to make.

5. Focus on what you can control

Feeling the weight of the climate crisis can be overwhelming at times and maybe you've even experienced climate anxiety. So try not to be hard on yourself and direct your focus toward things you can control in your own life. Start by making small changes that you can commit to, are available to you, and also make you feel good. A good place to start is understanding what contributes to your carbon footprint and then figuring out how you can reduce it.

Life can be busy and overwhelming, but remember that living sustainably should be something that contributes to your overall well being, rather than taking away from it. Again, focus on what you can control and do away with activities that make you feel inconsequential. It can be easy to doom-scroll on social media and feel like the world is ending, but outside of our phones the world is filled with compassionate and caring people like you, and that should give us all hope. This year, we hope you find space to make a New Year's resolution for this incredible planet we call home 🌎💚