You can make a green calendar to begin charting your progress!

Yesterday, I wrote about our new upcoming series, Green Life Project, in which a weekly article will direct readers to adopt another green option in their lives, meaning small product or habit changes to make their lives more sustainable.

This week-by-week guide is supposed to be an easier tool to use in moving toward greener living than if you were to attempt to make all of the changes we outline in a matter of a few weeks. You’ll be able to ease yourself slowly into greener living, following a simple guide of steps to take each week.

But now, I would like to help you to not only keep track of the changes you are making, but to find inspiration in being able to look back at your progress.  For this purpose, a written or typed journal might work.  I personally blog about my own changes, and much of what I write about is my own journey toward more sustainable living.  But blogging is not for everyone and even a typical journal may not be the best method for tracking this type of transformation in your life.

Use a Calendar!

I recommend a calendar.  And not just any calendar, but I recommend that you use Google Calendars.

Why?  Well, first, it’s online and easy to manipulate, and if you’re using Gmail, you can link right into it; indeed, there is a link at the top of your window from your Gmail account.  Additionally, having an electronic copy means that you can share your progress with friends and family.

If you don’t yet use Gmail, I highly recommend setting up an account  and using not only Calendars, but also other free products, including Gmail and Google Documents (where several users can simultaneously share and change documents in real-time).

Why would I share my calendar with others?

You may ask, under what circumstances might you share your calendar?  Obviously, this is not an exercise in self back patting.  Consider a friend who knows you have been implementing new practices to improve your envirohuman impact who has decided to make the same type of changes.

Suppose that he asks you what you have been doing in this regard.  While it may be difficult to rattle off every minute change you’ve implemented over several months to him, and it may also seem overwhelming to your friend, a calendar would be an organized way to show how one can gradually ease into a greener lifestyle.  And, best of all, your progressive changes would be living proof of how to do it!

Not only that, but as you chart your changes that you implement from this series and our other suggestions, you can add in the changes that you think of yourself or read elsewhere.  One of the greatest aspects of becoming self aware regarding your relationship to your environment is that you will begin thinking of ways on your own that you can become more sustainable.  You can also browse back through the many changes to make sure that the greener habits have actually stuck.

Making calendar entries using Google Calendars is easy (almost self-explanatory)!  You click on the date, enter your information, there’s a notation section for extra details, if you like, and you save your work.  Come back to it as you wish, share it with others or keep it private, and best of all, chart your progress!

Related posts:

1. Green Life Project: Use Reusable Grocery Bags This entry is part 2 of 11 in the series...
2. Green Life Project: Purchase Metal Water Bottle This entry is part 2 of 11 in the series...
3. Green Life Project: Begin Reading a Green Blog! This entry is part 2 of 11 in the series...