It’s a new year, which means many people have set goals and new resolutions. Losing weight, saving money, managing stress, going back to school, spending more time with family and friends, eating healthy, getting fit, drinking less alcohol, and quitting smoking are among the top resolutions that people make every year.
I think there is one more important resolution that should be at the top of everyone’s list–reducing your impact on the environment.
Reducing your environmental impact can help to fight climate change, improve the quality of the air, and help you achieve the other resolutions.
If everyone would commit to make even the simplest of changes, together we could make a major impact on the environment. Make a resolution to turn off lights when they are not needed. Turn off appliances, electronics, and computers when they are not in use. Save money by reducing the amount of electricity that you use. Simply put, using less energy means power plants need to generate less, which means less toxic emissions and air pollution in our environment.
Now that is a major impact!
You may think that your small changes don’t make a difference, but if millions of people made a commitment to decrease their energy use, we could make a major impact on the environment.
“If every American home replaced their 5 most frequently used light fixtures or the bulbs in them with ENERGY STAR qualified lighting, we would save close to $8 billion each year in energy costs, and together we’d prevent the greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from nearly 10 million cars.”~ EPA
Now that is a major impact!
There are many other small things that you can do. For instance, choose clean commuting alternatives. This will help to achieve the goal to reduce your impact on the environment. Commuting with others and driving less will save money on gas and you get to spend more time with a friend or make a new friend.
I have been telecommuting or working from home for the last 9 years. This has saved at least $7,000 a year on gas alone. And more importantly, it allows me to spend more time with my family. I am here when the kids leave for school, and I am here to greet them when they return. You may want to check with your company about their work from home policy, as more and more companies are allowing their employees to telecommute a few days a week or on a permanent basis.
Now that is a major impact!
Tedra Cheatham, executive director of The Clean Air Campaign, a nonprofit that aids Georgia commuters in finding solutions to their commuting needs, says:
“Not only do commute options help commuters put money back in their pockets, they also reduce air pollution and traffic congestion.”
Programs such as these help reduce about 1.6 million miles of vehicle travel each day. This keeps 800 tons of pollution out of the air we breathe.
Now that’s a major impact!
In 2012, consider making small changes. Here’s an easy one: Join me and thousands of other moms and dads and sign up for the MOMS CLEAN AIR FORCE.
Together we can make a major impact in cleaning up the air we breathe!