How Do We Make Sustainable Goals?

Real Talk Tuesdays

Even though we’re all the way in the beginnings of April, I’ve been thinking a lot about January. Specifically, what January Me thought I would have achieved by now.

I’m not really the type to believe in the power of New Year’s resolutions. Or rather, I have tried and failed to enough times to believe that they’re just not the thing for me. I love goals, I love planning, and I love making lists. But I hate the spiral of disappointment and self hate that accompanies a failure to magically become the perfect, well-balanced person that I’ve planned out in many pages of crisp black ink.

And though perfectionism and a fear of failure are my personal issues, I know for a fact that I’m not the only one who succumbs to the same tantalizing whirlpool of self-improvement and absolutions. Especially in the era of social media, hustle culture, and the birth of the influencer, it’s so terribly easy to feel like everyone else just has it all together and the fact that I don’t is a mark of low willpower and laziness. I’ve had these feelings about all kinds of things, from my appearance to my career goals, but I certainly feel a dreaded sense of shame and failure when it comes to my low-waste habits as well.

I’ve chosen the term “sustainable goals” as an unclever double entendre: goals that are about creating choices that reduce our waste while being realistic enough to maintain. And though some of the more perfectly low-waste among us might disagree, I think that flexibility and forgiveness are a crucial part in being able to make these changes at all.

I’ve had a long journey trying to make conscious choices, often times ones that weren’t actually helpful and the consequence of feel-good corporate greenwashing (hello, tree-planting schemes). But for some years, making a real change felt impossible because of how overwhelming it would be to start. What did it matter if I brought my reusable straws for my to-go coffees if the cup was still plastic? What did it matter if I used reusable rags to clean my countertops if I still had a roll of paper towels for cleaning up cat puke? What did it matter if I was a vegetarian if I can’t bring myself to commit to veganism? These questions made me feel like a fraud, like I wasn’t trying hard enough. And sometimes, those feelings of self-doubt made me not want to try at all.

The truth is, it’s very easy to fall into an all-or-nothing mindset when it comes to sustainable goals. The doom and gloom of climate change is overwhelming, as is the immense amount of products which are unavailable or unaffordable to find in lower-waste packaging. But time and time again, focusing on harm reduction is key. Imperfect environmentalism is better than not trying to make a change at all. Collective accomplishments can add up to a lot.

I was upset the other day staring at the roll of paper towels on the kitchen counter. My two-person household has used 4 rolls over the past 8 months, which isn’t a lot by typical American standards, yet it felt monumental to me. I use reusable cloths for the counters and tables, and dry my spills with dish towels instead. But once in a while, I needed a paper towel. My partner in particular was not happy for the three weeks we went without a roll, and so I decided to give in and get one. It felt like I was only going backwards! But the truth is, we still reduced our waste by a massive fraction, and I took the time to think of new ways to clean the apartment without them. I stop to consciously think “do I actually need a paper towel for that?” every time, and also gently remind my partner (I admire his patience greatly) of the same question. In doing so I sometimes reluctantly answer “yes”. I think that it is more important to think critically about the choices we make that create waste than it is to expect all-or-nothing results.

So if you want to make more sustainable goals, make small, approachable ones. I like to dig through my trash (so to speak) and find what things I throw away the most. You could also start with a specific issue or area of the home, like finding plastic free shower essentials or reducing food waste in the kitchen. Stepping away from perfection is key to making these work, as is taking the time to congratulate yourself on the changes or reductions you have made already!

Some of the changes I’ve made this year include:

• Turning the tap off while scrubbing my dishes, instead of letting the tap run constantly

• Buying bulk shampoo and conditioner in my own bottles from my local co op

• Borrowing more books from my local library, instead of impulse buying and later donating them (where they may or may not be trashed!)

• Buying cat food in bigger bulk bags to reduce plastic (my partner had this idea)

• Making an effort to cook more plant-based meals and find swaps for dairy staples, like coffee creamer

• Composting my food scraps at my local community garden

• Making my own kombucha instead of buying individual bottles

• Committing to going through my assorted tea collection instead of buying new ones in order to find the ones I really like and refilling those in bulk or my own containers

And while I’m bummed about the plastic takeout containers and coffee cups I’ve tossed or the roll of paper towels sitting on my kitchen counter, it comforts me to acknowledge the many changes I have made. New Year’s resolution or not, I’ll keep making more changes and goals for myself as time goes on. You should congratulate yourself too!

What sustainable goals have you achieved this year? Which ones would you like to?

Happy Planning!

Grace Kennedy