In last week’s newsletter, we covered foundational habits that will set you up to be a better community advocate. But we also want to offer some ideas for personal actions to take right now. After all, billions of individual decisions are shaping our planet's future every day. So we checked in with NRDC staffers about their 2022 resolutions. From expanding pollinator gardens to rethinking fast fashion, here’s some inspiration for your own environmental commitments this year.

Create a Pollinator Oasis

I’ll be expanding the pollinator garden in our condo association’s backyard. We broke up the cement a few years ago, and I’ve been slowly converting the mulched and weedy dirt patches to native prairie plants. Since planting our garden, we’ve seen all sorts of new friends: metallic green sweat and carpenter bees; fat, fuzzy bumblebees; and monarch caterpillars. I actually have no idea what I’m doing, so it’s a boon that native plants know how to grow on their own and need minimal maintenance after establishment. If you live in the Midwest or Northeast, both Prairie Nursery and Prairie Moon Nursery have some ideas for converting your lawn or unused yard space, but there are plenty of other nurseries with online resources to check too.

—Dan Raichel, acting director, Pollinator Initiative

Rethink Shopping

My resolution is to not purchase any new clothing. The average American buys 68 items of clothing a year, which is way too much. I’ll be turning instead to secondhand stores or apps like Poshmark, and swapping clothes with my friends. I’ve got a lot of reasons to stay motivated: 85 percent of textile waste in the United States ends up in landfills or is incinerated, contributing to the climate crisis; a bulk of fast-fashion items are now made from synthetic fibers, meaning they’re derived from fossil fuels, are hard to recycle, and won’t decay; and the fast-fashion industry is notorious for unfair wages and poor working conditions. This way, I’m decreasing my impact on the planet and putting my dollars toward small businesses.

—Yvette Cabrera, director, food waste

Reconnect with Your Stove (and Your Leftovers)

This year, I plan to cook more at home. In the United States, about 40 percent of all food is wasted. I'm planning to keep better track of the produce and leftovers in my fridge and devote more effort to trying out new types of meals, which will help me with another resolution: to spend time away from my phone. Learning how to cook my family's recipes from both India and the Midwest is something that relaxes me and helps me connect with my roots.

—Vijay Limaye, staff scientist

Eat More Veggies

I’m resolving to eat less meat. I’m already down to just one serving of red meat per month and about two servings of pork or poultry per week. My goal is to get that down to once every other month for red meat and about once a week for pork and poultry. I know meat production has an outsize climate impact. It requires large amounts of land and water to produce and emits methane gas, plus the indiscriminate use of antibiotics threatens all of our health. I also know most livestock is raised inhumanely, making my goal ethical as well as environmental.

—Nathanael Greene, senior renewable energy advocate

Volunteer in Upcoming Elections

Organizing for the upcoming elections will be a big part of my 2022. I’m excited to canvass (if and when it’s safe, given COVID-19) and volunteer by making calls and texting for both the primaries and midterms. I know voting is one of the most powerful things we can do to create real change. We saw the results over and over again in 2021—and when elected officials hamstrung the ambitious legislation we really needed. Elections matter, and I’m going to get involved early and however I can. (Want more info on how and why to become a poll worker? Here’s a primer.)

—Ashley Elles, associate director, campaigns & marketing

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