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As the holidays come to an end, there’s some good news: Many of the New Year’s resolutions people have made — to eat healthier, save money, get organized — are also climate-friendly habits.
Whether you want to cut back, declutter or eat healthy, here are some options that can make a difference for you and the climate. Bonus: They are both labor-saving and low-cost.
Save money on bills
If you want to save money, start at home. Electronics and appliances can continue to draw power even when turned off. You can reduce phantom energy use by unplugging items that are not in use, such as chargers and entertainment systems, or using a power strip with a switch.
Adjusting your thermostat a few degrees when you’re not home can also reduce energy use and save money. The U.S. Department of Energy says that adjusting your thermostat by 7-10 degrees Fahrenheit (4-6 degrees Celsius) for eight hours a day can save up to 10% on your heating and cooling bills each year.
Another simple tip: Washing clothes in cold water and air-drying them when possible can help reduce energy use and utility costs. Matthew Gonzales, vice president of the National Hispanic Energy Council, said the largest energy consumer in the laundry process is hot water, and clothes dryers are among the most energy-intensive home appliances. The council advocates for affordable energy for communities of color. This also reduces wear and tear on your clothes.
Gonzalez said other simple changes include switching to LED light bulbs, sealing drafty windows and replacing dirty air filters so heating and cooling systems run more efficiently. He also recommends using natural light during the day, strategically opening or closing curtains and windows to control heat, and turning off lights when not needed.
savings It varies widely, depending on where someone lives, the age of the home, and local energy prices. But he said families in high-cost states could save a lot of money over time with small changes.
“Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good enough,” Gonzalez said.
Eat healthier and waste less
Reducing food waste also benefits your wallet, your diet and the environment.
food waste According to statistics, American consumers spend $728 per year Environmental Protection Agencythe greenhouse gases that cause global warming are produced every year equivalent to the emissions of 42 coal-fired power plants.
One place to start, says cookbook author Anne-Marie Bonneau, is to use what you already have in your pantry before you go to the grocery store.
“If you have fat, an onion and some random vegetables—even a random vegetable or some leftover cooked protein or grain—you can make soup,” Bono says. “If you’ve cleared out so much food that you’ve lost all the onions and fat, it might be time to go shopping.”
She also recommends preserving foods before they go bad, including fermenting vegetables, which she says is easier than it looks. For example, you can make sauerkraut using just cabbage, salt, and a glass jar. You can also make a sauce with seasonal vegetables like tomatoes and freeze it for later in the year.
Using a multi-cooker to make foods like applesauce, yogurt, stews and beans can also help with meal prep while using less energy.
As a general rule, Bono adds, eating less ultra-processed foods — like sugary cereal, hot dogs, chicken nuggets and TV dinners — is better for your health and the environment. These foods are often packaged in large amounts of plastic, which can leach into the food and cause contamination.
“You’ll eat better, you’ll waste less, and your food will come into contact with less plastic,” she said.
Declutter and buy less
Being organized doesn’t have to mean buying storage bins or getting rid of things. Usually, it starts with using something you already have.
Katrina Caspelich, communications director at Remake, an advocacy group for human rights and climate justice in the fashion industry, says even an hour spent decluttering a space, uncovering duplicates and rediscovering forgotten items can help people understand what they actually use, thereby reducing impulse purchases.
She says the “one in, one out” rule – where new items are purchased only to replace old ones – can be effective because it prevents wardrobes from growing larger and helps prevent clutter by encouraging more conscious purchases.
Unsubscribing from brand emails and sales alerts can also help. “Most impulse purchases start with a notification, not a need,” Kasperic said, adding that waiting 24 hours before buying something new often turns “must-haves” into pass-throughs.
For a more structured reset, you could try a “no buy” challenge, pausing new purchases for 30 or 90 days while you rewear, repair, trade with friends, or, if you can’t commit to buying nothing, buy used items instead of new. “The key is flexibility,” she said. “Thinking of it as an experiment rather than a strict rule makes it feel empowering rather than limiting.”
Remake estimates that people who participate in the 90-day no-buy-new-clothes challenge can save about 3,900 liters (1,030 gallons) of water, avoid about 300 kilograms (about 661 pounds) of carbon dioxide emissions, and avoid about 9 kilograms (about 20 pounds) of clothing waste from landfills, while saving an average of nearly $300 by pausing the purchase of new clothes.
Zoom out and the scale becomes clearer: American In 2018, the company generated about 17 million tons of textile waste, mostly clothing, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
For those of you who feel overwhelmed by these suggestions, the point is simple: You don’t have to do everything, and you don’t have to do it perfectly. Starting with a habit you actually want to keep can make a difference to your budget, daily life, and climate.
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