Your Climate Action Inventory to Make Sustainability Easy

Rachel Bailleau
Jun 9
7 min read

Updated: Jun 16

When it comes to climate change, it's easy to focus on what we haven’t done. But today, let’s take a different approach. This exercise is here to help you reflect on all the ways you’re already making a difference, and to explore what more you’d like to do. This isn’t about shame or guilt. It’s about pausing to appreciate your efforts so far, and having some fun planning how to weave more climate care into your everyday life. The idea is to make sustainability easy and joyful.

First, we’ll explore examples of climate-positive actions you can take at home, at work, through travel, how you shop and consume, and by reconnecting with nature. Then, I'll walk through how to create your own personal Climate Action Inventory. This is a simple, encouraging way to track where you are with sustainable choices and where you’d like to go next.

journalling with a croissant and a coffee

Work: Aligning with Purpose

We spend a huge part of our lives working. Of course, we do it to earn a living. But what if, at the same time, we knew that our energy was flowing into something that made the world healthier?

The Japanese idea of ikigai invites us to align what we love, what we’re good at, what the world needs, and what we can be paid for. What might ikigai look like for you?

Whether you’re in your dream role or still figuring it out, your work can help build a better world. Here are some ideas to add to your climate action inventory:

Working for a company or cause with strong environmental values
Taking a course about the environment to pivot toward a more sustainable career
Advocating for greener practices at work — like car sharing, better recycling, or natural cleaning products
Starting a monthly coffee morning for colleagues who want to support climate solutions
Switching your pension to a fund that avoids fossil fuels and deforestation
Suggesting eco-friendy suppliers if you're involved in purchasing decisions
Reducing work-related travel and choosing trains when you can
Bringing nature into your workspace — perhaps some indoor plants or a mini herb garden
Donating leftover food from meetings or events to a community food bank

Travel: Reimagining Movement

Modern life often celebrates constant motion. "See the world" is sold as a milestone. But high-speed travel carries a heavy carbon cost — and ironically, the places we rush to visit are often the ones most impacted by climate change.

International travel can be enriching and meaningful. It’s not about giving it up entirely. But if the goal of your next trip is simply to unwind with a book, does it need to be on another continent? And if you do go, could you travel less often but stay longer?

Some ways to add climate care to your travel plans:

Fly less often. Even cutting one flight per year can make a difference
Explore nearby regions. There may be wonders closer than you think
Combine work trips or choose video calls instead of in person meetings when possible
Carpool or take shared transport where you can
See travel as a privilege. Make holiday choices with gratitude and care
Switch to an electric car if possible (it really does make a difference)
Try slower travel, like bikepacking, hiking, or train journeys
Be cautious with carbon offsets. Some are useful, many are flawed
Choose local, community-focused places to stay and shop
Learn a few words of the local language and engage respectfully
Travel off-season to ease pressure on popular destinations
Use water and energy carefully while away, especially in areas under resource strain.

This isn’t about being perfect. It’s about making travel a more conscious and caring experience.

Stuff: Buying Less, Living More

Consumer culture teaches us that more is better. And it can be so hard to swim against the current when we're constantly told another dress or gadget is going to change our lives. But living with less can free up your time, energy, and money, while lightening your impact on the planet.

Why it matters?

Everything we buy leaves a mark. From the materials extracted to the energy used in manufacturing, shipping, and disposal, every item contributes to emissions, pollution, and waste. Forests, rivers, and wildlife often pay the price for what ends up in our homes.

Buying less, and buying more thoughtfully, helps ease that pressure. It’s not about guilt. It’s about making choices that match your values, and enjoying the freedom of finally feeling that you have enough.

Try adding a few of these ideas to your climate action inventory:

Buying second-hand clothes, tools, books, or furniture
Repairing instead of replacing. Tty patches for jeans or sharpening old tools
Avoiding fast fashion and choosing fewer, better-quality pieces that you truly love
Borrowing rarely-used items from friends or local sharing libraries
Following a “one in, one out” rule to avoid clutter and overconsumption
Supporting certified ethical brands when buying new. But being careful about greenwashing.
Making wishlists and waiting a few days before purchasing. The urge might pass.
Donating or gifting things mindfully, not just to clear space for more
Simplifying kids’ stuff. Ask for a meal in the freezer as a birth gift, instead of accumulating piles of toys.
Giving handmade or experience-based gifts, like baked treats or a planned picnic

Less stuff means more joy, more time, and more space.

Home: Greening the Everyday

Your home is full of opportunities for small climate-friendly choices, from how you use energy to how you clean, cook, and decorate. With each step, you shape a space that’s healthier for both people and the planet.

Here are some ways to green your home:

Switching to renewable electricity or a greener energy supplier
Improving insulation to save energy. You might be eligible for grants to help with the cost.
Using non-toxic cleaning products to protect your health and waterways
Reducing plastic waste by buying in bulk or using refill stores
Turning down the heating slightly and dressing warmer at home
Installing solar panels, a heat pump, or a solar water heater if possible
Collecting rainwater for your garden or car washing
Growing herbs or veggies, even a few pots on the windowsill count
Choosing second-hand or upcycled furniture when redecorating
Avoiding unnecessary renovations, a coat of paint might be all you need
Fitting low-flow taps and shower heads to reduce water use
Adopting pets from shelters. They have a climate impact too, and this choice is kinder for animals and the planet
Air-drying clothes when possible. Sun-dried laundry smells amazing!
Composting food scraps or feed them to chickens
Cutting down beef to once a week and try at least one vegetarian day

Your home doesn’t need to be perfect. But when it’s aligned with your values, it becomes a little ecosystem of care.

community resilience is climate resilience.

Community: We Can't Do This Alone

Your relationships and shared spaces can ripple out into much bigger change. Whether it’s gently sharing what you’re learning or helping out locally, you’re contributing to a culture of care.

Here are some ways to strengthen community:

being part of a local sharing, repair, or food-growing initiative
helping in your community garden, forest, school, or library
volunteering for a cause you care about
teaching sustainability workshops at a local school
starting a community food-growing plot, seed bank, or tool library
setting up or joining a mutual aid group
helping a local campaign, petition, or citizens’ assembly
learning more about climate justice. This book is a great start.
hosting a movie night or discussion group about climate and hope

Learn more about how community can help combat climate change.

Nature Connection

The more connected we are to nature, the more we care about protecting it. And feeling that connection, even for just a few moments, can help reduce anxiety and boost our sense of purpose.

You can root down into nature by:

spending time outside every day, even for a few minutes
growing some of your own food or flowers
walking barefoot on the grass
looking after your local birds, pollinators, or hedgerows
getting to know the plants and wildlife near you. Trying to learn the name of one bird and to eat one new wild food.
starting a short meditation practice in nature (same place, same time, every day)
making a nature altar or journal to record seasonal changes
rewilding a patch of land (however small) or helping a wildlife trust restore a local habitat
taking part in citizen science projects like bird counts or butterfly surveys

How to do your climate action inventory

Hopefully that's given you a few ideas, but of course you don't need to try implementing all of this at once. Here's how to start your simple climate action inventory.

First, grab a piece of paper or open a digital note and write down these six headings:

Work
Travel
Stuff
Home
Community
Nature

Under each heading, you're going to write two things.

Celebrate what you’re already doing Choose up to three actions you’re proud of related to each heading. These are the steps you’re already taking to support a healthier planet. If you like, write them in green.
Choose one thing you’d like to do more of Pick a habit or action that feels meaningful and realistic for your life right now. Write it in orange. Then break it down into small, doable steps and add a date for each one to help you follow through.

For example, if you want to feed food scraps to chickens, you could break it down like:

Read a chicken care book by [date]
Buy a coop and accessories by [date]
Bring the chickens home by [date]

Remember to make sustainability easy

Keep your goals achievable so that you really follow through. Once you've worked through your action for each heading, you can always go back and choose another one that you'd like to make happen. You can use the ideas I included in this article for inspiration, but the possibilities are truly limitless. So if you have another great idea, go for it.

This is how we build a better world, one step at a time.

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