Small, achievable changes that can make a big difference in 2024
Happy New Year, team, and welcome back to one5c. If you’re anything like me, you think resolutions are kinda dumb. You start with the best intentions, only to slip up and careen into full-blown “eff it” within a few weeks—a month or two if you’re lucky. The mistake is that we tend to treat resolutions as an all-or-nothing enterprise. That’s not a recipe for achievable change, which is what one5c is all about. So we figured we’d share our personal goals for 2024, all of which show what you can accomplish if you let go of black-and-white thinking and embrace the grayness of doing just a little bit better every single day.
Reply to this email and let us know what your sustainable resolutions are, and we’ll share ’em all January long. No matter what you’re doing, keep up the good work. I’ll try, too. —Corinne
👚 Sara Kiley: I’m going on a clothes shopping diet
I love clothes—I’ll say it loud and proud. I love the way colors and fabrics can tell a story, I love finding the most intricate of vintage embroideries and those lace-up boots from four seasons ago that I haven’t been able to stop dreaming about. But as someone who cares about the climate, I know this love is fraught: The fashion industry is notably nasty when it comes to waste, resource use, and working conditions.
This year, my resolution is to put myself on a new clothes diet. My shopping habits have ebbs and flows—and the flows can sometimes become tidal waves. So I’m giving myself a limit of three new clothing items per month. What I’m hoping this achieves in the long term is a change in my relationship with clothes. Each piece needs to be something that reflects a moment in time, a longed-for style, a hard-earned find—as opposed to an impulsive splurge when Madewell trots out yet another 50% off sale.
🥗 CORINNE: I’M GOING TO MAKE MY SALADS GREENER
In 2024, I’m not resolving to eat more salads and smoothies, because I already down quite a few. So many, in fact, that I’ve allowed myself a lazy cheat to get lunches whipped up quickly between meetings: I buy a chunk of my greens in pre-prepped bags. This is the year that stops, and it’s all part of a bigger, ongoing plan to eradicate as much plastic as I reasonably can from my everyday routines.
Why reduce instead of recycle? Good question: Yes, there are drop-offs for clean plastic bags and wraps—including one at a grocery store a block from my apartment—but they’re iffy. There’s no guarantee that those bundles of waste are actually making it to the facilities that turn them into new goods, and an online database of drop-off locations recently went kaput due to a “lack of industry support.” All that aside, uncut greens are yummier and cheaper: At my local, a pound of fresh kale is half the price of its plastic-swaddled equivalent.
🚗 JOE: I’M GOING TO SLOW DOWN
My New Year’s resolution is to drive slower. I’ve been a car guy my whole life, and I love going fast. I live in an area with lonely roads that weave through gentle hills. It’s tempting to take every corner just a little bit quick. And I do; I’ve even trained my daughter to recite the performance driving mantra, “slow in, fast out” when we approach a big curve. But 2024 is the year I ease off the go-pedal, no matter how hard my kid goads me.
Why? Because no matter what you drive, from a classic sports car to a modern EV, speed uses energy; and a great way to lower your carbon impact is to reduce the amount of energy you use, no matter its source. I know I can do it: On a recent road trip, I got 16.8% more range by keeping it locked at 55. I can’t commit to life in the slow lane on every road, but I can make an earnest effort to dial it back. I should probably train my kid to encourage me to slow down, too—but I don’t think I will. It’s super cute to have a bad influence in the back seat, throwing cheerios at you for your pokey driving.
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