Living sustainably shouldn't be a huge task. We often view it as hours of comparing labels, wondering if a product is truly as green as promised, or paying way too much for something. At Grace is Green, we do everything we can to make a sustainable lifestyle accessible to everyone.
To make it easier for you, we have developed a small guide with 12 steps for 2026. One small step every month with a very big impact. Read on and discover how you can contribute to a more sustainable world in 2026.
January - Starting with conscious consumption
We are starting 2026 with conscious consumption. Don't worry, this is much easier than you think. It starts with small habits: for example, look at what you already have at home this month and postpone purchases that are not strictly necessary. Is something broken? Visit a repair café! Here you can have broken items like TVs, laptops, and toasters repaired (often for free) by a hobbyist.
Is something really beyond repair? Don't throw it away, but donate it to a thrift store. They can often repair items and pass them on at a fair price to people who can make good use of them. Sometimes you even get some money for it yourself!
February - Zero-waste kitchen and bathroom
In February, take a look in the kitchen at your waste. Many people forget this when it comes to sustainability, but reducing and separating waste can yield significant environmental benefits!
You often produce the most waste in the kitchen or bathroom. Try replacing one disposable product there this month with a reusable alternative. Think, for example, of the aluminum foil you normally wrap your sandwiches in. With a reusable sandwich wrap, you reduce your carbon footprint by about 500 times.
Or think of your baby wipes in the bathroom, which you can easily replace with reusable baby wipes from Cheeky Wipes. This way, you're not only doing the environment a favor, but you also prevent irritation and allergies caused by the perfume in standard baby wipes.
March - Sustainable personal care routine
Many regular personal care products contain unnecessary ingredients and have non-recyclable packaging. To make creams or gels thicker, a different color, or foamier, they often contain all sorts of chemicals. These are difficult for the environment to break down. They can also irritate the skin or trigger allergies.
Sustainable personal care products have all kinds of advantages that regular products don't: they contain no perfume or dyes, are often packaged in recyclable materials, and are not made with unnecessary chemicals. Moreover, they are often made from cool ingredients like shea butter, jojoba, maple bark, or even blueberries!
Try a sustainable personal care product in March. Think of a face cream, sunscreen, or shampoo. You will notice the difference after just a few weeks.
April - Reusable menstrual products
Menstrual products create a lot of waste and are often made of unclear materials or contain microplastics. Therefore, choose a reusable menstrual product in April. You can easily try it out with, for example, a menstrual cup, washable pads, or period underwear.
These products last for years, are better for your body, and create much less waste. It's a small change, but with long-term impact. For the earth, but also for your wallet.
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May - More sustainable on the go
Almost summer vacation, holiday pay, the sun is visible more often than the clouds; it's May! Keep pushing until your next vacation. While you do that, you can also use the month of May to pause and reflect on your daily travels. Commuting between home and work—whether by public transport or car—can be made a lot more pleasant with our sustainable products.
For example, what's better than a hot cup of coffee in traffic, on the platform, or while walking? Use our Kaffeeform coffee cup made from recycled Berlin coffee grounds. Are you looking for refreshment, with a cool smoothie, water bottle, or homemade iced tea? Then take a look at our Bioloco insulated bottles. These keep your drink cool for up to 12 hours!
June - Sustainable nutrition
What we eat has a lot of impact. Think about the origin of the ingredients, the way they are produced, and the amount of packaging involved. Therefore, choose to make a small adjustment to your diet in June. For example, try eating completely plant-based for one day a week for a few weeks.
Using local products or reducing food waste also contributes to your awareness. We offer all kinds of fun children's tableware at Grace, check it out soon! Tip: use the Too Good To Go app. Over 180,000 businesses now sell their surplus food through it to combat food waste.
July - Plastic-free home
Plastic is everywhere. It is in our packaging, but these days also in all kinds of personal care products in the form of microplastics. Tip: scan all your personal care products with the PlasticFreeFuture app. This was created by the Plastic Soup Foundation and immediately shows whether an ingredient in your product contains microplastics.
Our personal care products, for example from Derma Eco, are certified microplastic-free. You can see this, for instance, from the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. We offer all kinds of sustainable replacements for your regular products, from shampoo to wax and toothpaste! View our ecological personal care products now.
August - Conscious shopping
In 2026, August is all about choosing better, not buying more. Do you really need something? Stop to consider whether you can borrow it, buy it secondhand, or choose a higher-quality product that lasts longer.
Tip: visit a green shop in your neighborhood. This could be a thrift store, but also a larger chain like books4life. They have secondhand bookstores in Nijmegen, Amsterdam, and Utrecht with prices starting at just 5 euros! In Nijmegen, Het Duurzame Warenhuis has also existed since 2014, with a large selection of sustainable kitchenware and sustainable fashion.
Looking for more sustainable clothing? The chain appel & ei sells secondhand clothing that is like new, affordable, and beautiful.
September - Saving water
Water is often overlooked when it comes to doing good things for the environment. It is important to save water because climate change is causing increasing water scarcity, while demand is rising. This can be done in various ways, for example by eating less meat. Did you know that beef requires an average of about 15,000 liters of water, and pork about 6,000? You can achieve a lot of gains there.
You also do your part by using a reusable water bottle. It is becoming increasingly common to have one with you. Tip: the Refill app shows you the closest place to fill your water bottle. This way, you can quickly get rid of all those plastic bottles—better for the environment and your wallet!
October - Saving energy
Winter time! The clock can go back an hour. That means an hour of sleeping in, or starting your sustainable day a bit earlier. It's also slowly getting darker, with a later sunrise and earlier sunset. The colder months have started and winter is just around the corner.
Especially with the colder months in sight, this is the ideal time to take a close look at your energy consumption. Can you replace a lightbulb with a more efficient LED? This is the moment for a smart thermostat and to truly switch off your devices completely by pulling the plugs out of the sockets. Better for the environment and your wallet!
November - Evaluating sustainable habits
So much has happened this year! Hopefully, our tips have proven useful in making your habits more sustainable. November is a good time to pause and look back: which steps have you picked up, what worked well, and what will you keep in 2027?
Don't worry: it's not about absolute terms, guilt, or perfection. By looking at your habits every now and then, you can make a huge impact with small changes. That is why it is extra important to look back at 2026 this month.
December - Green gifts
December is a month of giving! Sinterklaas, Christmas, and New Year's Eve are moments of coming together, and a small gift occasionally goes with that. This year, choose gifts that last longer, are reusable, or have an honest, local story. This way, you end the year with impact and start the next one off right! View our sustainable gifts here.
Living sustainably in 2026 doesn't have to be perfect. With these 12 steps, you make a conscious choice with impact every month. Discover verified sustainable products at Grace is Green and make sustainability easier, for yourself and for the planet.