As the New Year approaches, many people reflect on their habits and consider resolutions that promote sustainability. Adopting a zero waste lifestyle can significantly reduce your environmental impact. If you’ve never tried an eco life before or you’ve been here for a while, I think everyone can pick an item or two off this list to commit to a lower waste year.

Note: you do not have to do all of these. Take what works and leave what doesn’t! You don’t have to do it all and you don’t have to be perfect to be an environmentalist.

Let’s go!

Vote in every election

I know…voting can feel unimportant when it comes to the presidential election. I urge you to vote in those, too, but voting in smaller elections is even more impactful in your daily life. Be sure to vote in both the spring primaries and the fall elections every single year. These votes include positions like mayor, governor, state reps, school board, sheriff, and more. Plus on the ballots are also bills and laws that will be implemented or not in your state. You have a say! Become an educated voter this year and vote all year long for your own rights and for the planet.

Get educated

One eco goal I have set every year for the last 3-4 years is to read at least one eco-themed book per month. I want to learn about climate change and waste and climate anxiety. I have also been enjoying reading other politically-themed books that are building me into a well-rounded activist. Follow me on Bookstagram for recommendations and reviews!

If you still don’t know where to start, I encourage you to join my Eco Book Club! We meet monthly and read a new Eco Book every single month that we decide on together. You can join on Patreon or YouTube Memberships for as little as $1 a month.

Bonus points if you get a library card and read for free!

Try going zero waste in a year

Yes, it’s possible to go zero waste in just one year! How? Well, I just launched my full Guide and Calendar with daily tips, habits, and resources for futher education. Each month we focus on a new topic and every single day you get a new habit or swap to try. By the end of 2025 (but you can start this any day, any month of the year), you will be well on your zero waste journey and can keep going on your own!

Learn more about the guide in full in this video or this post and shop for the guide here!

Try going car-free

I know, it’s easier said than done. But, before you totally discount this one, hear me out! I only just moved to a walkable (ish) community. This is the 8th move in my life. I know it’s hard to live somewhere walkable. But, before I moved here, I would bike further distances, carpool, work from home, and have dedicated errand days to reduce my car usage. If you can go 100% car-free, cool! If you can only go car-free 50% of the time, that is just as great!

But, this year, I encourage you to be mindful of your car usage. See how possible it is to bike or walk. If your city has good public transportation, give it a go. Or, try carpooling with coworkers and classmates.

Start composting

I truly believe that composting is one of the best things that we can do as individuals for the planet. Food waste is one of the leading causes of climate change. So, it makes sense that composting is an excellent action to take. But, what if you don’t have a yard? It’s still possible! Seek out curbside composting options or find a local farm you can drop it off at. Or, an expensive option is a home composter machine such as the Lomi or Mill. It’s not perfect, but they do reduce food waste. Get more ideas for how to compost in this video.

Try to waste no food this year

As we already discussed, food waste is a huge contributor to climate change. Yes, composting is great, but so is reducing that food waste in the first place. Here are a few tips:

Plan your grocery list so that you don’t overbuy
Try cooking from your fridge and pantry before buying new foods
Produce about to go bad? Freeze it to use later in soups, smoothies, stir fries, curries, and more
Let your pet help you reduce food waste! Make sure it’s safe, but my dog loves foods we don’t usually eat like broccoli stems and cauliflower leaves
But, these parts of the plant are edible for humans, too. Eat it all!

Learn a new eco habit every month

Next week, I will be discussing in full how living a zero waste life has taught me so many valuable skills. So, I encourage you to learn one new skill per month that will help you live a zero waste life. Here are 12 quick ideas:

Learn how to sew in order to mend your clothes
Learn how to make sourdough and feed a starter
Learn how to cook or learn a new skill in the kitchen that will reduce packaging waste
Try your hand at food preservation from freezing to canning to dehydrating and more
Dye some of your old clothes to give them new life
Become a novice researcher to learn more about the climate
Learn embroidery so that you can cover up stains and holes with art
Learn how to pickle and/or ferment your foods to prevent food waste
Learn how to make repairs around your house such as electrical or plumbing
Try your hand at gardening
Get to know your plants and try foraging (please consult local guides and stay safe!)
Try eco-bricking!

Try one new zero waste swap per week or month

It can be overwhelming to start living zero waste and have that expectation that you need all of these new low waste swaps. Yes, they help you reduce waste and live an eco life, but it can be expensive and overwhelming right off the bat! So, try just one new swap or habit per week or month, whatever works for you!

Check out this list of beginner zero waste swaps to try this year.

Try a no-buy month or year

That’s right, I’m challenging you to buy NOTHING for a whole month or year! How is that possible? Well, you buy the necessities: medicine, food, gas, bills, etc. But the goal is to buy nothing unnecessary. If you NEED a new shirt, that’s fine. If you just simply WANT a new shirt, it’s off-limits.

This is a great way to challenge your shopping habits and learn to control your impulses to reduce overconsumption. Here’s to saving waste and saving money!

Making decor vs buying decor for example

Make it a goal to shop small this year

A big goal for us for 2024 was to shop almost exclusively small businesses from the grocery store to the brands on the grocery store shelf. It’s impossible to avoid mega-corporations entirely, but here are a few examples:

Instead of shopping at Barnes and Noble, try your local independent book store
Instead of Michael’s or Hobby Lobby, try your local craft store
Instead of Home Goods, buy some decor from a local artist
Check out local boutiques for clothes
Try small thrift stores instead of thrift giants (they’re not that eco anyway)

You get the idea! Learn about why shopping small is so much better for the planet in this video.

Get involved locally

It’s important now more than ever to build community and get involved. This will look different for everyone. But perhaps this means you attend rallies or town halls to have your voice heard. Maybe instead you just join a local club or organization that’s a little smaller scale but still makes impacts around town. Or simply gather with your eco friends to inspire and educate one another.

Partake in mutual aid, donate items and money to those in need, and get to know your neighbors this year. We have so much more in common with one another than they want us to think.

Volunteer

Similarly to that is to volunteer. It’s one of my favorite ways to give back to the planet and to my community. This could look like a soup kitchen, a tree planting, a trash clean-up, removing invasive species, leading a guided hike, and so much more. Pick your passion and get to Google! Look up something like “beach clean up Miami” or “soup kitchen Seattle.” Pick your interest and add your city to see what is available.

I personally set my goal to one volunteer event a month. But, tailor it to whatever your desire is and what fits your schedule.

Get outside more

What does this have to do with the planet? For me, I always get a mental refresher as to why I want to protect our planet when I get outside. Obviously, I do it for selfish reasons, I love clean air and water, but I also do it because this planet is home to so many plant and animal neighbors and relatives that deserve our protection, too. So, get outside to remind yourself why we’re fighting this fight.

Maybe you do one new hike per week or make it your daily goal to walk around your neighborhood. This doesn’t have to be a long excursion or trip. Getting outside is getting outside! A walk around the block counts. Bonus points if you bring a bag and pick up trash.

Take this as your sign to start content creation

Maybe you’ve had an itch to start a blog or a YouTube channel or a TikTok account…let this be your sign! While I started social media in 2018, I didn’t start to take it seriously until January 2020. It was my New Years goal and now look at me! Still going strong and loving that I can be creative, learn, and make connections. Feel free to leave a comment below or send me a message if this is something you’d like to start. I am happy to help!

Or inspire others in other ways

But, you don’t have to have a social media following in order to make changes and inspire others. Simply lead by example! Showing up to school or work with your homemade meal and your reusable water bottle may start conversations. Making small changes in your household, no matter your age, can inspire others in your home to want to make changes, too. Even simply sharing content you see online with your friends and family for them to watch, too. It can be very easy to educate and inspire others!

Try shopping only secondhand this year

I think I am definitely making this my goal in 2025. We moved into an apartment at the end of the year and it was difficult to find everything we needed secondhand though we did find a good majority of it thrifting. This year, join me in only shopping secondhand to save money and the planet. In short, it prevents these items from ending up in the landfill and reduces the need to create new items which is a wasteful process. Learn more about why secondhand shopping is so much better for the planet in this video.

Cut out some animal products this year

Before you click away, two things: 1. I know not everyone can be vegan and 2. you do not have to be vegan to be an environmentalist. I am not even 100% vegan myself. But, it’s no lie when I say that reducing your animal product consumption is better for the planet. Now, there is a lot of nuance here I can dive into in a future video, but making generalizations, a pound of tofu or beans has far less of an impact than a pound of beef. You can learn more about that here.

So, try Meatless Mondays, try one vegan meal per week, try one vegan meal per day, or whatever works best for you. Who knows, eating more beans, lentils, and oats may also save you money, too!

Follow some other eco creators

Get inspired all day, every day this year by following some other eco creators! I love that so many of us talk about so many different things from eco fashion to upcycling to activism and so much more. There is always so much to learn. You can find my full list of creators that inspire and educate me here.

Try that zero waste swap that’s been on your mind

We all have that one zero waste swap in the back of our minds. Maybe it’s too expensive or too weird and you’re not sure about it. Take this as your sign to finally give it a try this year. Or, at the least, give it some more thought and research. Look up reviews and testimonials to see if it’s really something for you. Some of these swaps might be reusable toilet paper from Boaty, a bidet from Whisper, period underwear from Modibodi or Saalt, solar panels, a rain barrel, toxic-free pans from Caraway, and so forth.

Reduce as much plastic as you can

This is where the modern zero waste movement got it’s start, after all: plastic. No, this is not the end all be all of the movement, but our reduction in plastic usage is extremely important. Why? Well, plastic is made from oil. The less plastic we use, the less money we are giving to big oil. And, plastic is rarely recycled AND breaks down into microplastics. It’s not only pollutive to dispose of but also pollutive to create.

Now, I know, it’s impossible to fully give it up. I still use plastic. But, make it your mission this year to reduce your reliance on plastic as much as possible.

Learn how to spot greenwashing

Greenwashing is when brands either straight up lie about their eco claims or they don’t tell the whole story. It is brands trying to make a quick buck from eco-conscious folks but they’re not actually eco-friendly. It can be very easy to fall for greenwashing as a beginner, but it even happens to me sometimes! It’s very hard to spot, so let’s get to studying this year. Learn about what greenwashing is and how to avoid it. You can download my free guide here (scroll all the way down) to become a greenwashing expert!

Go digital this year

Declutter your home and reduce single-use paper usage by going digital as much as possible this year. Switch to e-billing from your electric company, phone bill, and your bank. When taking notes for school or work, try taking them digitially on an iPad or computer. Use what you have here. Make your reading paper-free by using an e-reader or simply reading/listening on your phone with free apps like Libby and Hoopla. You just need a library card!

This is all very simple, very low cost if not free, and has a huge impact.

Practice mindful consumption

This year, we’re breaking out of our shopping addictions! We’ve all been there. It’s so common for Americans to love to buy more and more and more. I used to and I’m sure you have, too. This year, we’re breaking out of that and reducing the desire to impulse buy. I encourage you to even ask yourself these questions when buying from small, sustainable brands and shopping secondhand:

Do I really need this item or is it a want?
Can I live without this item?
What will I use this item for?
How will I store this item?
What will I do with this item when I no longer use it?
Do I already have something at home that I can use in its place?
Etc

You get the idea. You can also try writing the item down when you think of it. For example, I have a shopping list in my notes app. When I think of something I want, say a juicer, a write it down. If I consistently think of this item, I will likely actually use it. If I never think of it again and I come back to this note weeks or months later, it was an impulse purchase.

Eco-fy your home

Zero waste living is more than just reducing plastic waste. Let’s make our homes more eco-friendly this year! Let’s start with simple water conservation and energy conservation tips. These are easy for everyone to implement in the home and can also save you $100s every single year.

Next, I would suggest trying out some eco swaps that your whole family can get behind or may not even notice. These would include swapping to an eco-friendly laundry detergent, dishwasher soap, hand soap, toilet paper, and cleaning supplies. These function just like their “normal” yet wasteful counterparts. They take no extra learning or convincing to use.

From here, go bigger! Try some swaps that may take a little more learning to use such as Stasher bags, a bidet, Unpaper Towels, and so forth.

Become an activist

I know, that label can be scary. But, I bet you’re already more of an activist than you think. You can learn more about what it takes to be an activist in this video, but in short, it simply means that you advocate for the planet. This will look different to everyone. Perhaps for you it means boycotting wasteful brands. Maybe it means you attend any marches in your city. Maybe it means you become an organizer. It can be small or very advanced or anything in between. I suggest these two videos to learn more about some steps you can take to become an activist today:

How to be an activist from home

Activism items from beginner to advanced

Environmentalism has always been political and it will continue to get more devisive under this new administration. Keep learning, keep voting, keep inspiring others. And, don’t forget to contact your local officials to demand they make changes, too. Here’s how to write effective letters to them!

Happy Eco New Year! By setting these resolutions, you can make meaningful strides towards a zero waste lifestyle in the New Year. Each small change contributes to a larger impact, promoting a more sustainable and environmentally friendly world. Your small actions truly matter.

One last plug for my Zero Waste in a Year Guide. This truly is your one-stop-shop for all things zero waste. If you’re a beginner and don’t know where to start, this guide is perfect as it will offer you advice, resources, and truly guide you along your zero waste journey over the next 360 days. Learn more here and get the guide for yourself here while it’s still on sale!

As always, remember that your small actions make a big difference in the long run :)

Emma

Eco-Focused New Years Resolutions for a Zero Waste 2025