How to Make Your Life Greener in 2024
Protecting Planet Earth is everyone’s responsibility, and relying on governments and corporations isn’t enough. However, you don’t have to radically alter your daily routine or adopt a monastic lifestyle to make a difference. Little shifts can make your life greener in the new year, and they’re so simple you’ll wonder why you haven’t started sooner.
What tiny changes can you make to improve your carbon footprint? Here are eight simple ways to make your life greener in 2024.
How to Live Greener in 2024
Learning how to live greener in 2024 might mean changing just one of these habits — or all of them. You decide how ambitious to get, perhaps tackling one goal each month with breaks to reinforce old habits.
1. Carpool More Often
Why does it take your car to go into the shop to ask your colleague for a ride? One of the best ways to live greener in 2024 is to carpool, which has more than planetary perks.
Carpooling gives you more time to gossip with your office BFF without any risk of the boss overhearing. Plus, everyone who does it takes at least one unnecessary car off the road and reduces emissions by 20% per trip for every shared vehicle. Why stop at the workplace? Carpool for groceries and recycling errands with your neighbour and build a little community spirit.
2. Or Climb Back on Shank’s Mare
Riding your bike or walking that errand instead of driving gets you away from screens and fluorescent lights that adversely affect your mental health and into nature, which heals it. Plus, it ups your daily step count, elevates your heart rate slightly, counts toward your cardiovascular exercise requirement and gives you a psychological break from office pressures or pressing home responsibilities.
3. Rehearse a New Green Habit for a Month
Although science states that people take varying times to learn new habits, 30 days remains a common standard for training and reinforcing positive behaviors that lead to permanent change. That means you have a challenge — rehearse a green habit you want to change for one month, forcing yourself to do it even when you don’t want to.
For example, you carry reusable bags in your car but inevitably forget them and grab a plastic sack for convenience instead. Who wants to hold up the line or delay getting home with their groceries? However, forcing yourself to do the “walk of shame” to retrieve your bags consistently ingrains the habit in your muscle memory, making reaching for them when you pull into the store parking lot as natural as breathing.
4. Spring Clean Your Windows
Natural light is great for your mental and physical health — but it also serves a green purpose. Passive solar lets you take advantage of the sun’s rays to naturally heat your home without fossil fuels. All it takes is removing the dark curtains and blinds from your south and west-facing windows and scrubbing away the grime for maximum light intensity.
The process also works in reverse. Blackout curtains can effectively block some of the heat pouring through the same glass in the summer months, sparing your air conditioner. It might also help you regulate your circadian rhythms if you’re among those who get summer seasonal affective disorder thanks to longer days.
5. Switch to “Mini Solar”
You rent, and the prospect of dropping thousands to improve your landlord’s property spurs a fit of hysterical laughter. However, you can still take advantage of switching to “mini solar.” What’s that? It’s converting through creative alternative means, such as:
Join a solar co-op, which can lower your bill each month while letting you share solar power with others.
Use portable solar with a power pack such as a Jackery with a suitable panel to power small appliances like your laptop, phone, lamps and even a mini-fridge. As a bonus, outdoor types can take their portable solar system with them when camping for power on the road.
6. Extend Meatless Monday Into Tuesday
Did you know that cutting your meat consumption in half could reduce food system emissions by a quarter? It could if everyone participated. Meatless Monday is already a staple in many families — why not extend it to Tuesday? Wait. What if that’s Taco Tuesday? Do an easy swap with jackfruit and keep your south-of-the-border dinner celebration vegan or vegetarian-approved, depending on which type of cheese you choose to top your taco.
7. Get Smart
Did you remember to turn out the lights before you left the house? Did you adjust your thermostat before leaving for work in the morning? Please stop driving yourself crazy with guilt if you forgot — it’s 2024 and there’s an app for that.
Smart home systems let you adjust that dial from your phone wherever you are in the world. They also give you greater peace of mind. The planet thanks you for turning down the heat and dimming the lights, and you feel secure knowing you can check your locks with the touch of an icon.
8. Become an Effective Advocate
Perhaps the best way to make life greener in 2024 is to dive into the local fray. People love to complain about politics. Do you know what they hate to do? Show up and get involved in the process.
You don’t have to run for office, but you might be the only representative for the planet at your next city council meeting as you advocate for more green spaces. Does your town lack bike lanes? How can you get on the planning committee? If that’s too much of a time commitment, dropping the folks who serve an email takes only a few minutes — and you might be the only community member who cares enough to voice your concerns.
Look for little ways to advocate for the planet in your community. Whether it's pressing for plastic bag bans or constructing a new community garden or city park, true activism begins locally. Of course, it is an election year, so go ahead and throw your hat in the ring if you have bigger ambitions.
Ways to Live Greener in 2024
While going green is everyone’s responsibility, it doesn’t take drastic measures to make a big difference. The simple ways to live greener in 2024 above can make your daily life more sustainable.
Tackle one or all of these ideas for how to make your life greener in 2024. You’ll feel good about doing your part to protect Planet Earth for future generations.
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Beth, the Managing Editor and content manager at Body+Mind, is well-respected in the mental health, nutrition and fitness spaces. In her spare time, Beth enjoys cooking and going for runs with her dog.
