Fill-in-the-blank New Year’s Resolutions

Make 2024 your Sustainability Big Year

In the birdwatching world, a Big Year is a personal challenge a birder sets for themselves to spot as many different species of birds as possible in a single calendar year.  Among avid birders, it’s a pretty serious undertaking – there are official rules, and it was even the theme of a 2011 movie.

2023 was a year for the record books, with a head-spinning array of climate impacts underlining the need for urgent action by each of us.  So why not resolve to make 2024 your Big Year for Sustainability, by committing to as many actions as possible?  New Year’s is a perfect time to get started, and here is a checklist of opportunities.  Some are simple and can be done quickly (let’s call those chickadees).  Others will take a bit more commitment and time (let’s call those caracaras).  But just as every bird sighted counts toward a birding Big Year, every action taken counts in a Sustainability Big Year.  So let’s get started!

For 2024, I resolve to:

• Turn off lights whenever I leave a room
• Recycle everything possible (and not forget to put it out on recycling day!)
• Keep organics waste out of my trash, and either compost it myself or give it to someone who gardens
• Generate no more than ___ bags of trash in 2024
• Buy no more than ___ bottles of water this year, with the aim of making that zero in 2025 (for big $ savings too!)
• Avoid using drive-throughs for coffee, fast food, banking or anything else
• Turn my vehicle’s engine off and stop wasting fuel by idling
• Learn and practice fuel-saving eco-driving techniques (for big $ savings)
• Use my vehicle’s fresh air settings or just open the windows instead of using air conditioning
• Get a spork and carry it with me so I don’t need to use plastic single-use cutlery
• Place a bag with reusable tableware and plastic containers in my car so I don’t need to use paper or foam plates or take-out containers when I eat out
• Start making my coffee at home (ideally using rainforest friendly, fair-trade coffee) (for big $ savings too)
• Start shifting to a more plant-based diet, with the aim of reducing my red meat consumption by ___% by the end of 2024 (for big $ savings too)
• Start a garden this summer to grow some of my own food
• Shower every ___ days instead of daily
• Shop thrift or second-hand stores for ___% of the clothing and consumer products I’ll buy this year
• Take public transit or carpool at least ___ times a week (for big $ savings too)
• Choose walking or biking over driving whenever possible
• Use a clothesline instead of a clothes dryer at least during the spring, summer and fall
• Get an electric lawn mower
• Borrow a power meter from my local library, and use it to learn how much power different items in my home use, so I can improve my ‘energy literacy’ and know where I can save the most
• Make upgrades to my home, such as air sealing and adding insulation (taking advantage of federal and provincial incentives)
• Educate myself on the benefits and savings of electric vehicles, and start planning that my next vehicle will be electric
• Learn more about my carbon footprint by taking a quiz like this or this
• Spend more time outdoors, and go for at least ___ walks a week
• Write or call my federal, provincial (or state) and local elected leaders at least ___ times to advocate for more environmental and sustainability programs, policies and laws

Over to you – and best wishes for a Big Year of Sustainability in 2024!
PS How many did you check?  Do you have suggestions to add?  Why not let me know so I can share them in a future Green Ideas?