Do you want to be more eco friendly this year?
I asked our fabulous community of committed sustainable change makers to share a few eco friendly ideas and sustainable health goals they have planned for 2021 and the suggestions were so fabulous I had to share them on our blog, I just know they'll inspire you.
I've seen some people online and on social media say that new years resolutions are rubbish and never work, but I disagree, I constantly set myself goals, achieve them, then set new ones. I set goals, or resolutions, at New Year and I set different sustainable goals, health goals, goals to help others and the world, self care goals, parenting goals etc.
I also set them in spring, summer, autumn, winter. It doesn't matter what time of the year they're set, or if you want to call them your sustainable goals or new years resolutions, or even if you simply call them your eco friendly ideas for 2021.
Your intentions are powerful. If we don't have any plans we definitely don't improve. So don't listen to any naysayers who may not want you to change or improve, or who don’t think it’s possible, that’s what they unfortunately think about themselves, do not let them project their “stuff” onto you.
Also, be careful of perfection paralysis which is basically when we put too much pressure on ourselves to do more, be better, do the best, it's a trap, we end up too stressed, overwhelmed and burnt out. This usually happens because we care so much about making the world a better place. That's beautiful, by the way, better that than an irresponsible greedy guts, but if we want sustainable change for our world we need to avoid perfection paralysis and avoid burn out.
In my book Zero Waste Secrets: The Ultimate Guidebook For A Realistic Zero Waste Lifestyle I wrote "I like to push myself just passed my limit then wait there for a little while before trying to get to the next level because if we burnout we can’t help anyone."
Steady wins the race remember.
Here are some actionable tips to help you stick to your sustainable goals and be more eco friendly this year -
- Set only 3 Sustainable Goals, and only set 3 goals in each section of your life, this helps you avoid overwhelm, if you achieve these goals quicker than you imagined, you can always add on some extras, but start with only 3.
- Make them SPECIFIC, if they’re too vague it’s hard to stay motivated because you can’t measure your results.
- HOW are you going to achieve them? Make a PLAN, a goal that's not written down is just a wish, there's something so powerful about writing a goal down.
- BREAK your big goals into small manageable segments, reward yourself each time you make 1% progress.
- WHY do you want this? Does it align with your values? When you know your WHY that can often be what keeps you on your path when the going gets tough.
- WHEN do you want to achieve this goal by? If it’s an open ended goal we can easily get discouraged. It’s much better to split our big goals into smaller sections and say “Okay I will reach that stage in 3 months, then the next stage in 6 months, by the end of the year I want to be at this stage”. When we reflect on our goal progress we will see how much we have achieved, and it will be easier to keep on and see it through.
CELEBRATE EVERY LITTLE WIN!!
So let's get to it, here are your top 31 sustainable goals for 2021:
1. Switch to reusable produce bag
2. Go as plastic-free as possible
31. Recycle more and use Terracycle
My 3 sustainable goals for 2021 are:
1. De-clutter and organise!! I moved house in September and I still haven't got it looking how I want it to look, and feeling how I want it to feel. I don't know about you, but having a tidy/organised and homely feeling home really helps me have a clear mind, and clearer life.
2. Try to walk, or bike rather than using the car. Thankfully, our local shop has a well-stocked range of locally sourced foods (and delicious home-baked treats, yum!!) but other shops for bulk buying etc, are miles away, so this is going to be a challenge for me, but I'm determined to give it my best go.
3. Grow my own food. I was so inspired seeing so many people starting to grow their own food during lockdown, but I was too busy with the masks to do it myself. I would love to be more self-sufficient, so growing my own food is a huge goal for me. I think the children will enjoy it too.
What's your main goal for 2021? Pop it in the comments below to let me know! 👇
You never know who you're going to inspire to be more eco friendly by sharing your sustainable goals ✨
Looking for a complete solution to guide you in your sustainable living journey? Our book Zero Waste Secrets: The Ultimate Guidebook For A Realistic Zero Waste Lifestyle can help keep you on track without overwhelm.
Get it here -
Big thank you to our community members Louise, Lynn and Judith for contributing their sustainable goals for 2021 in this article 💚
Love Kim,
Honest Miracle Family Organics
Thank you so much for sharing so many valuable tips 😊
I’m personally going to do 6. Slow down, 9. Learn how to cook with scraps and 11. Shop local.
I would love to know what others are going do, let me know 😊