How to Commit to a Greener 2023 New Year’s Resolution
12 easy eco-conscious tips to support you in planning your sustainability goals for the upcoming year and how to commit effectively.
I was convinced I was well aware of how to conduct a sustainable life as I’d been studying for 6–8 years to go professional in ecology/environmental protection. Yet a recently read book surprised me.
Harriet Dyer’s book, ‘How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint’ made me realize there were sustainable practices I still needed to hear about. Even more embarrassing was that some of these were easy to adopt, some actual low-hanging fruits for a wannabee eco-conscious person.
It made me think: there must be further opportunities out there that went unnoticed by me. It would be worth some narrow search to collect a good couple of accessible practices.
The timing was also ideal for this little workout. With New Year’s approaching, it is natural to think about how to stretch our personal development goals and make new resolutions. Special occasions like this also enable commitments to be more accessible.
Resources to select from
Beyond Dyer’s book, I compiled ideas from other sources, such as an ecological footprint calculator, educational articles, and even Medium posts like this by Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles. I included further tips from my experience, curated throughout the last few decades of trying to conduct a sustainable life.
I could draw conclusions based on a wide array of backgrounds. As a child, I competed at national tournaments in ecology for several years and started reading monographs on environmental protection. Later, I completed university-level sustainability courses and worked on projects covering renewable energy domains. I recently also participated in a sustainability leadership program by the Hungarian branch of WBCSD — the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
A selection of easy personal sustainability goals
Find below the 12 eco-conscious tips curated to help you turn your New Year’s resolution greener.
1. Avoid eating lamb and beef
These cause the most CO2 emission per kilogram (or 2.2 lbs) of consumed food. Consuming 1 kg (or 2.2 lbs) of lamb results in 39.2 kg CO2 emission vs. 6.9 kg CO2 / 1 kg chicken or 0.9 kg CO2 / 1 kg lentils consumed, according to Dyer.
2. Use the flush wisely
Dyer writes that according to the Environmental Protection Agency, we could save 18,000 liters or 3,959 gallons of water annually if each household used the dual flush buttons correctly. Forbes writes about a similar figure.
3. Wash more clothes at once
Wash with less water and a moderate amount of, possibly eco-friendly, detergent. Only start a wash when you can fully fill the washing machine. Select a shorter program with less water use and at a lower temperature. Thus you save both water and energy.
4. Let it rot
There is waste that best goes to the compost, e.g., food waste (which you could not prevent), green waste from your plants, or papers that became too greasy to recycle. Remember that composting does not require having your garden. One can use a community composting facility. For the where and how-tos, check out your municipality’s waste management site. You can also use an indoor composter.
5. Apply small-scale insulation
Even if you just rent a flat and thus cannot insulate the complete multi-tenant house you live in, you can still apply good insulation practices. You can insulate your windows by yourself from the inside.
If your radiator is at an external wall, you can use a radiator reflector to save energy. You can expect your investment to return within 3.7 years.
6. Avoid flights whenever possible
Trains might cost the same and take a few hours longer but usually make half as much CO2 emissions per passenger.
7. Switch to eco-friendly home cleaners
You can select from well-established eco-friendly brands available at major chains. These are available in standard dry or liquid formats like their non-environmentally friendly alternatives. Or, you can go all natural by using vinegar, baking soda, soapnut, etc. For more specific recommendations, you can check out this or that site, for example.
8. Avoid fast fashion
If you need new cloth, buy second-hand or start creating a capsule wardrobe. I.e., a small collection of high-quality clothes that are simple, versatile, and long-lasting. For more on capsule wardrobes, you can check out this post by Simona Cazanescu on Better Humans.
9. Support environmental activists.
Many respected environmental NGOs rely on public support to become more convincing for policy-makers and the largest corporations. They often start petitions or organize e-mail campaigns targeting decision-makers.
I prefer Avaaz in this respect. They are a grass-root civic organization that effectively contributes to tackling global problems that need a civic push. If you subscribe to their newsletter, they will always notify you about how you can easily contribute to sustainability causes. They might require a signature for a petition, an e-mail to a mass campaign, or a micro-donation at a time.
10. Choose staycations
Choose to stay at home for your vacation sometimes, especially instead of weekend vacations, to spare enormous amounts of GHG emissions. If you need an inspiring example to convince yourself about the concept, here is one written by Vinita Ramtri on Better Humans.
11. Gift sustainability
If you tend to gift presents to each other with friends or family, you can also donate something good for the environment. Zoos — some of those also crucial for species reservation programs — and environmental organizations provide the opportunity to adopt animals symbolically. We have tried both types in my family, and both were highly appreciated. Check out WWF for global adoption or one of its local branches to adopt an animal that requires protection at the national level.
12. Read green
Reading a book is not an extraordinary commitment. Still, it can significantly contribute to your awareness, motivation, and knowledge to do good for the environment. As a practical guide, one of my favorites is McDonough and Braungart’s Cradle to Cradle. As a motivational type, Sir David Attenborough’s A Life on Our Planet was a great hit two years ago. Finally, reflecting that biodiversity is becoming a hot topic like climate catastrophe, Biodiversity and Climate Change: Transforming the Biosphere is a highly acclaimed recent publication.
How to commit yourself effectively?
To ensure you measure your progress in time and motivate yourself until then, I recommend you make reminders for yourself. For example, you can write a task for the last day of each quarter of 2023. Then you would check your progress in your 2023 New Year’s resolution quarterly. It is okay if you cannot fulfill them by March 31 yet. By tracking your progress regularly, you can adapt your strategy to meet your sustainability goals by the end of 2023.
If you want to go pro, you should set SMART goals. If you haven’t used it before, SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Creating SMART goals will challenge you and ensure you can effectively reach your target. I have good experience with it, having worked as a management consultant. Here you can find further details on SMART goals and how to set them.
Let’s make commitments!
I recommend you limit your choice to three targets. Thus you will be able to handle obligations and, consequentially, will have a better chance to meet your sustainability goals.
My promises for 2023 are to
- take a train, bus, or carpool if I decide to travel abroad for private purposes,
- switch from standard dishwashing detergent to all-natural and zero-waste dish soap,
- insulate the windows in my home.
What are the green elements in your 2023 New Year’s resolution?
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