My 2024 Resolutions & the Eco Habit I've Been Avoiding

While I firmly believe that any day is a good day to start a new sustainable habit, the new year is an especially good time. As one year closes and another begins, it is a great time to take a pause and get clear on what you want your life to look like in the year ahead. If you know me you know a LOVE goal planning, creating vision boards, and just dreaming about the future which is probably why I like new years resolutions so much. On New Years Day everything just feels so optimistic and bright with possibility. But then February and March rolls around and inevitably we have probably slipped on one or two of our lofty goals for the year. I see this all the time in the sustainability space and I can see how it can really de-motivate people to stick to their sustainable habits. But you know what? That's OK! It's better to fall off the wagon and get back on than to give up all together.

I think part of the problem is that like with many goals, we tend to overextend ourselves and create unrealistic expectations. Trust me, I've been there! Like many activists, I was very inspired by Lauren Singer and her full year of only creating 1 mason jar worth of trash in a year and vowed to do the same. I quickly realized how difficult this was for me in my hectic on the go lifestyle and honestly gave up by the time February rolled around. By going after an unrealistic goal that didn't align with my own lifestyle all I did was convince myself I'll never be able to go low waste and reduce my footprint. Eventually though, I learned the secret to living a more sustainable and low waste lifestyle which is to embrace imperfect sustainability and make changes one routine at a time.

The first routine I looked to improve was my beauty routine, which eventually led to launching my own skincare line Glotanicals (you can read more about that story here). Another year I decided to tackle fashion and for one year committed to only buying thrifted items or clothing made with 100% natural materials or up cycled materials. While at first these may seem extreme it became really easy once I go the hang of it and most importantly, I gave myself permission to be off the hook for other routines.

My Eco Resolution: Tackling Food Waste

This year my eco resolution is one that frankly I have been avoiding for many years: food waste.

Project Drawdown has a great list of actions that individuals can take in their own life to combat climate change and you know what the #1 and #2 most impactful actions are? Eating a plant based diet and reducing home food waste. I've been mostly plant based for 12 years now so I'm pretty set in that area. Food waste on the other hand is something I am freakin terrible at and this is the year I'm going to tackle it. The reason I've been avoiding it is simply because I am just not good at meal planning and cooking. So to help me out, I'll be buying some new cookbooks and inviting some of my favorite food bloggers to Glo Eco to share their tips and recipes. So stay tuned for more in this department and spam me with your fave resources and food bloggers!

In addition to my one eco resolution, I usually have goals / resolutions for other areas of my life as well but follow a similar process: picking one big area to focus on in each area. Last year I focused a lot on growing Glotanicals, prioritizing my health, and oh no big deal getting married! This year while I'm still focusing on those areas I feel they are in a pretty good spot and I feel a bit more freed up to focus a bit more on some personal projects.

With that, let's dive into the rest of my 2024 resolutions!

Finish my home office

Adrian and I have lived in our East Bay home for over a year now and I've still barely decorated my office. Even though I usually really enjoy decorating and my office is the room I spend the most time in...decorating it has thus far alluded me since we moved in. I'm kind of tired of just working in what looks like a guest bedroom with a desk though so this is the year I'm going to turn my office into a gorgeous working space.

Grow the Glo Eco Podcast

Speaking of working, this year I want to really focus on growing the Glo Eco podcast. I have loved launching this show and I look forward to recording every single week. I don't think anyone else is having the kinds of sustainability conversations we're having on Glo Eco and I can't wait for you to see what's next because I've got some big guests lined up for 2024! Think we can make Glo Eco a top 5 sustainability podcast this year? I do!

More Travel with my #1 Travel Buddy

When I was younger I didn't travel very much. Mostly because I was broke and a workaholic. My husband on the other hand is a Sagittarius who is always down for an adventure (IYKYK). If it wasn't for him I wouldn't have traveled nearly as much and now it's our favorite thing to do together. It will be hard to top last year's epic honeymoon in Italy (major props to Adrian for planning the whole thing!) but we'll definitely get some great trips on the books for 2024. We're not sure yet where it will be but I am manifesting a beach destination...perhaps Cabo or French Riviera or both!?

Go Camping

Camping is something I've loved to do since I was a little kid and today it's something Adrian and I really enjoy doing together. Yet it's one of those things that we say we want to do but don't end up doing very much. This year we're making the effort to get more camping in the books at some dream camping destinations that are literally right in our backyard here in NoCal: Yosemite, Sequoya, & Big Sur.

More Reading

I love reading but like many of us emails, Instagram, and Netflix tend to overpower my desire to read more often than not. Lately though I've noticed how much better my focus and mental sharpness is when I prioritize reading more. I also tend to read a lot of nonfiction and forget how much I like reading a good fiction book. So rather than getting sucked into the digital world, this year I'm planning on reading a lot more - ideally 2 books per month.

Evolving as a Businesswoman

This past year gave me a lot of learnings in business as I've continued to work on and grow Glotanicals. I've had some wins and plenty of losses but through it all have discovered so much about myself because if you are an entrepreneur at the end of the day the buck stops with you. Something not going well in your business? There's no one to blame but yourself. I think this year more than ever I've been able to learn more about my strengths and weaknesses and how to utilize both. This year I'm planning on taking things to the next level in Glotanicals and this blog + podcast.

These "resolutions" may seem too big and broad at first but it's important to note that resolutions and tangible goals are two different things. These resolutions are more like my overall intentions and focus areas which I will break down into smaller more achievable goals throughout the year which is a key step in actually achieving them. If you're interested, I'll break down how I goal plan in another post but for now consider this your permission slip to dream and think big.

I'd love to know what your resolutions are this year! Let me know in the comments.