20+ Ideas for Your 2024 Sustainable New Years Resolution List
Looking for New Years Resolutions to live more sustainably? We’ve got you covered. Check out these eco-friendly resolution ideas and resources to help you succeed as we enter a new year.
Why Choose a Resolution with Sustainability in Mind?
As we enter 2024, climate change is on everyone’s mind.
Climate change and eco-anxiety can be overwhelming, but by choosing just one of these practices to implement in 2024 it might put your mind at ease knowing you are doing what you can!
While it’d be great to see large corporations held accountable, we have to focus on what we can control, which is ourselves.
This list of New Year’s resolutions features individual actions we can take in our daily lives to make a difference and a more sustainable lifestyle.
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A List of Eco-friendly New Years Resolution Ideas
This New Years resolution list feature ideas for beginners such as driving less, shopping more sustainably, and reducing single use plastics, as well as, more advanced resolution ideas such as growing your own food, composting, & more.
Cheers to living more sustainably this year!
Ditch Fast Fashion
Fast fashion is one of the leading contributors to pollution and waste. Instead of buying cheaply made, low quality clothes from fast fashion stores, opt for sustainable brands that are focused on reducing their environmental impact.
By shopping sustainable brands you’re investing in quality garments over quantity.
You can also shop vintage or thrift shops for unique pieces that won’t end up in a landfill!
We’ve also got a great Ethical & Sustainable Brand Directory to help you easily find more socially responsible brands!
Reduce Food Waste
There are many approaches to reducing food waste such as meal planning, shopping local farmers markets, and composting. You can also do this by shopping from companies that focus on diverting unwanted food from landfills such as Misfit Market.
Grow some of your own food.
Take the plunge and start a mini garden to grow some of your own food. Easy to grow items like herbs or greens are great for small spaces.
This is not only great for the environment, but it's also great for your wallet since you'll be buying less food at the grocery store. This can also be a great family activity to do outside and spend quality time together.
Eat more Plant Based
Reduce your meat consumption and focus on eating more plant based meals this year. The New York Times reports that if everyone in the country reduced their consumption by eating a quarter less meat and substitute plant proteins, we’d save about 82 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year.
Reducing your meat consumption can be a small or big change depending on how you want to start off.
I think a great idea is Meatless Monday. This is a great option to ease into eating more plant-based foods.
Sakara is another great option to make eating a vegan diet easier as their organic pre-made meals are delivered directly to you. No grocery shopping or cooking required.
I’ve personally enjoyed Sakara’s meals as I think they’re really well prepared and great for anyone exploring plant-based options. You can read my review here.
Reduce single use plastics
NPR reports that in 2019, more than 130 million metric tons of single-use plastics were thrown away, with most of that waste burned, buried in a landfill or dumped directly into the ocean or onto land.
Ditch the plastic bags, plastic warp, & product bags. Consider using reusable produce bags, beeswax wrap, and reusable snack bags. By reducing the number of single use plastic products in our daily lives, we can reduce the amount that ends up in the landfills.
Choose Zero Waste Personal Care Products
This is another great way to ditch the plastic packaging. We use a lot of personal care products in our daily routine such as deodorant, skin products, shampoo, and more.
Opting for zero waste or refillable personal care products is an effective way to reduce the amount of waste you're sending to the landfill. There are plenty of online zero waste shops that can help you get started!
A few zero waste products I personally use include Corvus Botanicals shampoo and conditioner bars, Native’s deodorant made with compostable packaging, Primally Pure’s organic face serum in a recyclable glass bottle, and by using soap bars.
Buy no new clothes
This idea doesn’t prevent you from buying anything, but makes you think twice before purchasing new items. Buy from secondhand stores, swap with friends, up-cycle, or make the most of what you already have.
Drive Less
Swap your car for a bike or walk! This allows you to get your exercise and reduce your carbon footprint!
When possible, opt to use public transportation instead of driving your own car. Not only is public transportation generally more affordable, but it also helps reduce emissions from vehicles. This can make a huge difference in reducing the amount of pollution released into the air!
Purchase more fair trade grocery items
Grocery stores have a wide range of fair trade products if you just start looking! Even common chain grocery stores such as Kroger, QFC, Whole Foods, and more have their own store brands that are fair trade!
A few easy swaps to get started buy fair trade are fair trade sugar, spices, chocolate, tea, coffee, and bananas. By purchasing fair trade you are ensuring that the farmers are getting paid and treated fairly!
Coffee and tea is a great place to start the fair trade switch. These caffeinated beverages are something we drink and purchase regularly which is why this one switch can be so impactful. Currently my personal favorite fair trade coffees are Fidalgo and Singing Rooster.
Fidalgo is on a mission to bring joy to all with quality coffee that’s good for people and the planet. Fidalgo is a second chance employer with its Underground Coffee program. Fidalgo’s coffee is USDA certified organic and works with farms using fair trade practices.
Singing Rooster Coffee pays their coffee farmers about double what typical coffee farmers are paid. They even have compostable k-cups too which is awesome! Ensure your coffee farmers are paid fairly by switching to a fair trade brand this year! Fair trade brands are also typically more conscious of their environmental practices.
Ditch the dryer
Reduce the amount of energy you use by hang drying your clothes. Not only does this reduce your carbon footprint, but it also keeps the fibers of your clothes in tact making them last longer.
Buy Local
Shop local farmers markets to support your local farmers and know where your food is coming from! Shop local vendor fairs to support the creatives and entrepreneurs in your area! Shop local boutiques to support small businesses near you!
All of these are great because your purchases benefit your local economy and support community members! Plus there is less of a carbon footprint than ordering items online.
Learn how to sew, up-cycled, & fix old garments
Watch some YouTube videos and learn how to re-sew that button, patch up a hole, or up-cycle garments. This keeps you clothes out of landfills and makes the garments you love last longer.
Start Composting
When food ends up in a landfill this can create methane gas contributes to climate change and global warming. If our food scraps end up in compost and the compost is treated properly, it produces less methane gas than a landfill.
There are a lot of local services that will pick up your compost and compost properly! Search for a service like this near you and order a compost bin. I use the Full Circle Compost Bin. If services like compost pick up are not offered where you live consider investing in an indoor compost machine.
When we did not have access to curbside composting we used the FoodCycler indoor compost machine. I was so impressed with my FoodCycler. This machine is easy to use, doesn’t smell, and helps reduce my food waste. This also creates “foodilizer” which is great if you have a garden and want to give your plants some nourishment.
Or if you have the space (and time) you can start your own backyard compost pile!
Switch to Bamboo Toilet Paper
Did you know that toilet paper & paper towels made from trees contribute to 20% of global deforestation? It’s estimated that 40,000 trees are flushed down the toilet per day in the form of toilet paper.
The simple switch to bamboo toilet paper can make a big difference! I’ve personally used Reel and Bampoo toilet papers and love both of these brands. PLUS the packaging is eco-friendly so there is no plastic to discard. Use the discount code HONEST25 for 25% off your first purchase from Reel.
Gift Consumable Items
Instead of shopping for new clothes for yourself, silly gifts for your friends, or other goods you may buy just to buy consider choosing to shop small for items that you will really use! Consider candles, coffee, teas, food items, & more.
These are items you use up and can often recycle the packaging therefore you have a lower environmental impact than purchasing items that might end up in landfills.
Buy an Eco-Friendly Water Bottle
Make sure you stay hydrated this year with a reusable water bottle instead of buying plastic water bottles. There are so many stylish and sustainable water bottles available today.
Not only will you be helping to reduce plastic waste, but your reusable bottle can come in handy while running errands or during a hike!
Plant a Tree
Trees help to keep the air clean, cool down hot areas of cities, reduce soil erosion, and provide habitat for birds and animals. Planting a tree is an easy way to help reduce your carbon footprint this year!
You can plant a tree in your own backyard or get involved with a local program that helps plant trees in areas that need them most.
Shop Second Hand
Shopping second-hand is one of the best ways to reduce waste and be more sustainable this year. There are so many amazing second-hand stores and thrift shops out there with great quality items that are often much cheaper than buying new.
Plus, you can find some real gems that you would never have been able to buy otherwise! Secondhand shops are especially great for home decor!
Reuseable Grocery Bags
Bring a reusable bag with you when you go grocery shopping and save on plastic bag waste.
You can find so many stylish and sustainable options for grocery bags that are perfect for any occasion! Plus, some stores even offer discounts for those who bring their own reusable bags with them when shopping.
Vote with Your Purchases
This year make it a goal to only buy from brands who share ethical and sustainable values. As Anna Lappe said, “Every time you spend money, you're casting a vote for the kind of world you want.” So support brands that share your values & positively impact the world.
To easily discover ethical and sustainable brands consider checking out our Ethical Brand Directory and Quick List & Guides page.
Hopefully this list gave you some ideas for eco-friendly New Year's resolutions to make small changes in simple ways! Best of luck living a sustainable lifestyle in the upcoming year! We've got plenty of resources to help.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Emily Waddell is the founder of The Honest Consumer. She has always been passionate about business for good and has a Bachelor degree in Social Entrepreneurship. She currently lives in Seattle where she practices imperfect sustainability. When she’s not writing, Emily enjoys supporting small businesses, clean eating, ethical fashion, and practicing slow living.
For more tips & tricks on sustainable living be sure to follow The Honest Consumer on social media, subscribe to our newsletter, & check out the Ethical & Sustainable Brand Directory.
