The Earth Day Challenge

Here we are. Another year. Another Earth Day. The tone taken towards Earth Day is that we are terrible people who don’t want to save the earth. It’s not that simple. In fact, it’s completely false. It isn’t that people don’t want to participate in saving the earth but rather have a tough time finding out how to contribute something and sticking to it. This Earth Day, we are going to tackle this issue and help you make your new effort of a greener lifestyle a habit. How do you do this, you say? Here are 8 important factors to making your new green initiative stick and become a habit.

• Knowing the benefit of your actions.
• Making a 30 day commitment.
• Practicing this goal daily, if applicable.
• Picking a simple goal.
• Remembering your reason for starting.
• Staying consitent.
• Having an accountablity partner.
• Staying optimistic.

By now, you have probably seen hundreds and hundreds of ways to lessen your carbon footprint. If by chance you haven’t, here’s 22 Tips to Going Green This Earth Day. The very first thing you need to do is choose your goal. When choosing your goal it is very important that you are aware of the positives that completing this task brings. It will play a huge role in keeping you motivated throughout the process.

For the sake of this explanation, we are going to pick a goal for you. Let’s say you have chosen to be more conscious of your light usage around the house.

• Knowing the benefit of your actions.

It’s hard to commit to something if you don’t know the point of doing so. Know the positive outcomes that your actions will produce.

• Saves electricity and saves money.

• Attempt your new behavior for 30 days.

Although the “21 days to make it a habit” myth has been debunked, it’s still good practice to choose an extended amount of time to work on making your practices a habit. A month’s time is usually a good choice.

• For 30 days I am going to turn off lights that I don’t use.

• Do this behavior daily, if applicable.

The more frequent you can practice your goal the easier it can become a habit. Try to start with something you can do every day.

• There are plenty of opportunities to turn off the lights daily.

• Pick something simple that can be implemented into your daily routine almost seamlessly.

In addition to picking something you can do daily, be sure to choose a goal that you can plug into your daily routine without too much alteration.

• Before I sit down on the couch I am going to turn off all the lights. I am going to turn off the lights when I leave a room.

• Remind yourself regularly why you are doing this.

Don’t forget why you decided to make this a habit in the first place.

• To save money, and electricity.

• Stay consistent.

No one’s perfect. If you miss a day push through your setbacks. Don’t give up.

• I forgot to turn off the light when I left the room. It's ok, I'll remember next time.

• Having an accountability partner can really keep you on track.

Having someone that is willing to help keep you on track will push you closer to success.

• If you live with someone, share your goal with them and see if they are willing to produce better habits too.

• Remain optimistic.

Keep a positive attitude and you will enjoy the process of making your practices a habit. In fact, don’t be afraid to reward your efforts.

• I've done an excellent job so far this week. ICE CREAM!

Now you are set to conquer Earth Day this year. We’d love to hear about your green goal and your progress along the way. Share your process with us using the tag #EarthDayChallenge on Instagram and/or facebook. Let’s “Go Green. Stay Green. & Save Green.” one habit at a time!