Happy New Year! If your goal for the new year is to live a greener lifestyle, you’re in the right place. To help you reduce your environmental impact, I’ve put together a list of 52 weekly sustainable living goals. Download your free checklist, join the challenge, and let’s make this the greenest year ever!  

Your journey starts with the first step

My journey to a greener lifestyle started with one simple swap. Five years ago, I received a Christmas gift of a bottle of hand soap from Molloy’s, a refillery that had just opened in our area. When I visited the store, I was inspired. One swap led to another, then another, and another. The more I changed, the more I wanted to change.

No matter where you are on your journey, the year of weekly sustainable living goals checklist and challenge can help you take the next step.

Are you ready? Let’s go!

How to use the Year of Weekly Sustainable Living Goals checklist

First, click the thumbnail below and download your checklist.

Once you’ve downloaded the checklist, review the list and check off any changes you’ve already made. Congratulations! You’re already on your way. Take a minute to celebrate your success.

Next, decide where you want to focus first. You’ll see that I’ve organized the checklist by month and each month has a theme. But that’s just a guideline. You can choose to do these in any order based on what works for you.

Finally, bookmark this post and come back to it every week or when you need tips or a little extra motivation. To make it easy, I’ve put together a list below with links to posts I’ve written with tips and ideas. I’ll also pin this post to the home page of my site for easy access.

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Let’s keep in touch! Join my mailing list and I’ll email you when I add a new post.

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Are you ready for a year of weekly sustainable living goals?

January – The basics

As with any goal, it’s always good to start small. Let’s start the year with four tiny changes that can add up to a lot of waste reduction.

• Use a refillable water bottle and say good-bye to bottled water.
• Take your refillable travel mug to the coffee shop every time you go.
• Give up straws. If you can’t say goodbye to straws completely, buy some glass, bamboo, metal or silicone reusable straws.
• Pack a set of cutlery and take it with you in your car, purse or backpack.

February and March – Food and drink

With the basics out of the way, we can move on to something we all do—eat and drink. Whether you’re dining at home or eating out, here are some ideas.

• Look for Valentine’s candy with no plastic packaging.
• Reduce your meat consumption.
• Choose restaurants with eco-friendly takeout packaging. And if you’re dining in, bring your own containers to take leftovers home.
• Brew your own coffee and tea—but avoid single-use coffee pods.
• Use a tea ball or reusable coffee filters for your home brew.
• Wash and reuse freezer bags, or bags from store-bought frozen fruits and vegetables.
• Reduce food waste as much as possible.
• Buy unwrapped produce (or get some reusable produce bags).
• Eliminate plastic from your bagged lunches.

April – Cleaning and laundry

If your thoughts turn to spring cleaning in April, here are ways to reduce waste and green your cleaning and laundry routines.

• Try my DIY toilet cleaner, with 4 simple ingredients you may already have on hand.  
• Choose eco-friendly laundry soap. I buy mine at the refillery I mentioned earlier, but you there are other options with no plastic packaging.
• Hang your laundry to dry—indoors or outdoors.
• Replace your bottled stain remover with an unwrapped stain remover bar.

May – Travel

If you’re planning a summer vacation, be aware of the impact of your travel on the planet. Here are some ways to make a difference.

• Say no to plastic-packaged hotel toiletries.
• Cut back the frequency of hotel housekeeping services.
• Consider a staycation and look for hidden gems closer to home.
• Leave the car at home and walk, bike or telecommute to work.

June – Personal care

Personal care and beauty products are big business. You can save money and have a positive impact on the environment with a few simple swaps.

• Swap your shampoo and conditioner bottles for bars.
• Replace your night cream with coconut oil. Check out this post for 12 products you can replace with a simple jar of coconut oil.
• Ditch cotton balls and swabs.
• Get a bamboo toothbrush.
• Swap your toothpaste tubes for tablets.

July – Water usage

As we move into July, many of us will see water use and watering restrictions. Here are some ways you can cut back your water use.

• Don’t water your lawn. It will grow back.
• Capture rainwater and use it to water your garden.
• Turn off the tap when brushing.
• Set a timer for 4-minute showers.

August – Shopping

Shopping is another thing everyone does. Make August the month to adopt some new shopping habits.

• Get some reusable shopping bags.
• Buy local. August is a great time to explore local farmers’ markets.
• Visit a refillery in your area and try some of their products. 
• Explore local thrift shops.

September – Energy use

As we move into fall and cooler weather starts to move in, look for ways to cut your home energy use.

• Wash your laundry in cold water.
• Turn off lights when you leave the room.
• Adjust your thermostat by one or two degrees (up in summer, down in winter).
• Lower your water heater temperature.
• Switch to LED bulbs.

October – Miscellaneous

October is a month to work on miscellaneous items before we move into the holiday season.

• Unsubscribe from emails.
• Switch to digital news.
• Explore your local library instead of buying books.
• Still using bottled soaps, cleaners, and personal care items? Swap your remaining bottles for bars.

November and December – Holidays and gifts

As the holiday season approaches, set a goal to reduce the impact of your celebrations. Just a few simple swaps will add up over the years. 

• Choose eco-friendly teacher gifts.
• Explore low waste Advent calendar ideas.
• Plan a recycled gift exchange with co-workers, family or friends.
• Say no to glitter on cards, decorations, and gift-wrap.
• Explore options for reusable or earth-friendly gift wrap.
• Choose presence over presents.
• Fill your stockings with plastic-free goodies.
• Buy paper gift cards and say no to plastic.
• And when the celebrations are all done, compost your Christmas tree.

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I hope you’ll join me in setting some sustainable living goals for the new year. Together, we can make a huge impact.

Drop me a comment below and let me know what you think of the challenge. Are you in?