Green dreams: Setting goals for your sustainable journey
With the New Year upon us, I sat down to reflect on the previous 12 months and write down my goals for the year ahead.
As I was thinking about what I wanted to achieve, I was also conscious of being intentional with my goals, in order to benefit both myself and the planet. Setting goals allows us to adopt a more sustainable mindset.
Not convinced? Here’s how:
The ripple effect
Sitting down to set goals directs our attention to areas of our life where we would like to improve. For example, many people’s New Year’s Resolutions are to eat healthier because fitness is an area of their life they would like to be better at.
Eating well and exercising often comes with knock-on impacts, such as improved mental health or a better social life after making friends at the gym etc. The point being, any goals we set ourselves to improve one aspect of our life will contribute to improving others - whether consciously or unconsciously!
Another common example of a New Year’s Resolution is wanting to save money. One way to do this is to consider purchases more carefully, which will not only benefit your bank balance, but contributes to a less wasteful society.
Ensure you set goals with clear intentions, but be aware the impacts may affect other areas of your life and consequently your mindset. For example, the more time you spend considering the financial pros and cons of a product, you’re likely to consider other benefits, including environmental credentials, which is becoming an increasingly important factor for consumers when making purchasing decisions.
Every goal we set has a ripple effect on other areas of our lives that we may not have even considered.
Resource Efficiency
No matter how big or small your goals are, setting them allows you to be more efficient with your resources.
Whether it's time, money, or effort, having a clear goal in mind ensures these resources are directed to the right places. Going back to the earlier example of having a goal of saving money by making carefully thought out purchases, you will have more time to spend researching products and brands. Ultimately, this will have positive environmental impacts because you are reducing impulsive buys and reducing waste.
Another example is having a goal of only buying clothing second-hand. This clearly defined, measurable goal allows you to dedicate your effort towards trawling through charity shop rails for bargains or being creative with the clothes you already own.
Whatever your goals are, ensuring they are specific and measurable allows you to be more efficient with your resources, which can positively impact the environment - and will certainly positively impact your life!
Long- term vision
As the #NewYearNewMe posts continue rolling in, it can be easy to just think of what you want to achieve in the coming year. However, it is important to also consider how your goals for this year could contribute towards future aims and help build sustainable habits in the long-term.
Setting intentional goals such as saving money or reducing consumption can contribute towards a long-term vision for sustainability. Begin by focusing on the immediate changes you can make to achieve your goals and start building habits from these changes that can help create a sustainable lifestyle that can be maintained over time.
This is actually easier than it sounds, because most of the immediate changes you can make will help you form long-term habits. (Sorry for being a broken record here) but going back to the money saving example, starting to research products before you buy them will become like second nature once you start doing it, to the point where you will probably end up doing this for every purchase you make.
Setting intentional goals not only shapes personal aspirations, but fosters a sustainable lifestyle by influencing choices that benefit both individuals and the environment. Clear goals drive resource efficiency, directing efforts where they matter most. Aligning actions with a long-term vision for sustainability turns immediate changes into lasting habits for a greener future.
What are your goals for this year?
