Looking to make some changes in your routine this year? Whether it's saving money, making healthier choices, or reducing your environmental footprint, small steps can help you reach your goals. To help get you there, check out the free, downloadable 2024 Resolve to Save calendar. This resource is full of tips and strategies for making the most of what you have, conserving resources, and minimizing your environmental impact along the way.
According to the American Psychological Association, your resolutions are more likely to stick if you have a concrete plan, make changes in small steps, and make use of your support network. This calendar can serve as a roadmap for your conservation resolutions, giving you a plan of action, and helping you to add small improvements to your routine each month.
Want to make more of an impact this year? Talk with your friends, family, or roommates to brainstorm additional ways you can save water, energy, and other resources in your day-to-day life.
RESOLVE TO SAVE
Each month in the calendar has a different theme, such as the conservation of water, energy, or gas, with a background fact and two resolutions provided. Click the links below to download your free digital calendar reminder for Outlook or Google Calendar.
January | February | March | April
September | October | November | December
January
Cut energy costs with cozy tweaks
Did you know? Heating is the largest energy expense for the average home in the United States. (Energy.gov)
Resolve to save:
- Set your ceiling fan to spin clockwise to blow rising hot air back down towards you. (Energy.gov)
- Turn the thermostat back 7-10ºF for eight hours a day when you're asleep or out of the house. If you do the same in the summer (backing off the A/C) you can save around 10% per year on your heating and cooling bills. (Energy.gov)
Remind yourself in January - put it on your calendar:
February
Soak up savings in the kitchen
Did you know? The average American family spends more than $1,000 per year in water costs, but can save more than $380 by switching to WaterSense-labeled fixtures and ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances. (EPA WaterSense)
Resolve to save:
- Put down the gloves! Wash dishes in an ENERGY STAR-qualified dishwasher instead of by hand to cut utility bills by more than $100 per year, and to save yourself more than 230 hours of personal time annually. (ENERGY STAR)
- Your dishwasher will use about the same amount of energy and water per cycle, regardless of how much you fill it. Make the most of that energy, water, and utility cost by running full loads as much as possible. (ENERGY STAR)
Remind yourself in February - put it on your calendar:
March
Power down during spring cleaning
Did you know? In 2022, the average household in the US spent more than $1,623 per year on electricity. (EIA, EIA, EIA)
Resolve to save:
- Having a light bulb moment? Using an ENERGY STAR-certified bulb can save you about $55 over the course of the product's lifetime. (Energy.gov)
- Use warm or cold water to do the laundry instead of hot. About 90% of the energy it takes to operate a washing machine comes from heating the water, and unless you're dealing with an oily stain, washing in cold water will generally do a good job of cleaning. (ENERGY STAR)
Remind yourself in March - put it on your calendar:
April
Give conservation some roots
Did you know? Outdoor residential use accounts for nearly 8 billion gallons of water per day in the United States, primarily for landscape irrigation. (EPA Watersense)
Resolve to save:
- Cutting it close? Raise the blade on your lawnmower to let the longer blades of grass shade each other. Aside from cutting down on weeds, this shade reduces evaporation from the plants, meaning the lawn requires less watering from you. (EPA Watersense)
- Check to make sure your sprinkler system is working correctly before the watering season begins. Just one broken sprinkler head can waste 25,000 gallons of water and more than $90 over the course of six months. (EPA Watersense)
Remind yourself in April - put it on your calendar:
May
Waste not, want not
Did you know? It takes 90% less energy to make aluminum out of recycled scrap than it does to make it from "scratch" (from bauxite ore). The energy saved from recycling one aluminum can is enough to power a laptop for 5.2 hours. (EIA, EPA)
Resolve to save:
- When it's time to replace an item in your home, consider buying used! Opting to reuse rather than buy new reduces the amount of waste that will need to be sent to landfills. (EPA)
- Instead of printing hard copies of your documents, save them to your hard drive or email them to yourself to save paper, and save yourself money on office supplies! (EPA)
Remind yourself in May - put it on your calendar:
June
See green at the gas pump
Did you know? Burning one gallon of gasoline produces about 20 pounds of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. (FuelEconomy.gov)
Resolve to save:
- Obey posted speed limits. Gas mileage drops quickly at speeds over 50 miles per hour. While costs vary depending on the vehicle, you can assume that every 5 mph you drive over 50 mph is like paying an additional $0.23 per gallon of gas. (FuelEconomy.gov)
- Don't drive aggressively! On top of being unsafe, speeding, rapid acceleration, and sharp braking waste gas, thus lowering your car's gas mileage by 15-30% at highway speeds. (FuelEconomy.gov)
Remind yourself in June - put it on your calendar:
July
Put your cooling bills on ice
Did you know? Three-quarters of all US homes have air conditioners, and residents spend a total of $29 billion each year to power their cooling systems. (Energy.gov)
Resolve to save:
- Switch your ceiling fans to spin in a counterclockwise direction. By using a ceiling fan, you can raise the thermostat setting by four degrees without sacrificing your comfort. Just make sure to shut it off when you leave the room! (Energy.gov)
- Regularly clean and replace your cooling unit's air filter to lower the unit's energy consumption by 5-15%. This is the quickest way to save energy on home cooling! (Energy.gov)
Remind yourself in July - put it on your calendar:
August
Kick fuel savings into high gear
Did you know? In 2020, greenhouse gas emissions from transportation accounted for 27% of total US greenhouse gas emissions. (EPA)
Resolve to save:
- If you're idling your car for more than 10 seconds, you're likely using more fuel than you would to turn the engine off and restart it. (Energy.gov)
- Check your tires regularly. Under-inflated tires wear more quickly and can lower gas mileage by about 0.2% for every 1 psi drop in the average pressure of all tires. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer. (FuelEconomy.gov)
Remind yourself in August - put it on your calendar:
September
Reduce your carbon footprint
Did you know? Ten to 14% of personal vehicle trips made during peak morning commuting hours are for taking kids to school. (Transportation.gov)
Resolve to save:
- Walk, bike, or ride the bus instead of driving to school. If driving is necessary, create a neighborhood carpool! Not headed to school? Consider using mass transit to get to where you need to go.
- Make a plan to complete all your errands in as few trips as possible. A warm engine has better fuel economy than a cold one, meaning you can save fuel and money by combining trips into one instead of taking multiple trips. (FuelEconomy.gov)
Remind yourself in September - put it on your calendar:
October
Cut water usage and drink up the savings
Did you know? The average American family uses more than 300 gallons of water per day at home. (EPA WaterSense)
Resolve to save:
- Address leaky faucets as soon as possible. While they may seem like just a nuisance, a leaky faucet that drips at a rate of one drop per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons per year. (EPA WaterSense)
- Up for a challenge? Calculate your water footprint and get ideas for reducing your water use at home. See if you can conserve enough water to beat the national average of water use!
Remind yourself in October - put it on your calendar:
November
Go above and beyond traditional recycling
Did you know? The recovery rate of recycled materials in the US has increased from less than 10% of generated waste in 1980 to more than 32.1% in 2018. (EPA)
Resolve to save:
- Think beyond paper and plastic. If you have old electronics cluttering your home, look for local recycling options. Many electronics stores will accept old computers, phones, appliances, and television sets to recycle for free. (NEEF)
- Recycle non-traditional materials. Did you know carpets can be recycled? What about old household furniture? Check out earth911.com to find more recycling solutions near you!
Remind yourself in November - put it on your calendar:
December
Celebrate conservation!
Did you know? About 40% of all battery sales occur during the holiday season. Consider giving rechargeable batteries and a battery charger with your gift to reduce battery waste! (Illinois State EPA)
Resolve to save:
- Give a gift that requires no packaging, like a trip to a local park, wetland, or reserve!
- When decorating, opt for energy-efficient LED lighting. These bulbs can consume between 75-80% less energy than their traditional incandescent counterparts, and they last 25 times longer. (Energy.gov, Energy.gov)
Remind yourself in December - put it on your calendar:
Congratulations on sticking with your resolution to save this year! We hope this has helped you develop some environmentally friendly habits in your day-to-day life. Know a family member or friend who could use a good resolution next year? Forward them this calendar or send them a link to NEEF's Resolve to Save Calendar page for 2024!
