Tired of repeating the same old New Year’s resolutions every January?
Try PeCAN’s 10 climate positive intentions for 2025 instead!
This list combines changes to exercise and travel, shopping, diet and general lifestyle habits, which are not only beneficial to your pocket and your health, but just might help the planet along the way.
Our thanks to PeCAN volunteer Amelia Young for these suggestions.
Travel & Movement
1. Think transport…think carbon reduction!
Getting active is a new year’s resolution on everyone’s list this January. But before investing in a gym membership, you could consider how travel decisions might better reflect your eco-positive ideals whilst also being a good excuse to exercise. Riding your bike or walking instead of taking the car for shorter journeys might be possible, or for rainy days and longer journeys taking the train or bus instead is a great alternative.
Many schools operate walk or cycle to school schemes, encouraging active alternatives for the school run. This reduces congestion and traffic pollution in school areas and fosters healthier travel habits. Find out more here.
2. Get outdoors
Another alternative to a gym membership can be found right on our Hampshire doorstep. In the heart of the South Downs, there are plenty of opportunities to get outdoors. Queen Elizabeth Country Park are running a range of exercise and wellbeing initiatives, including a weekly 5km parkrun, a womens mountain biking group, wellbeing sessions and forest bathing. Keep an eye on their social media and website.
Avoiding the energy intensive environment of gyms not only reduces carbon output, but boosts mental wellbeing and fitness through immersion in our beautiful local scenery.
Shopping & Swapping
3. Buy less!
Making fewer but better shopping choices is integral to eco-friendliness. Brands like Lucy and Yak, Patagonia and Pact, all use organic, local or upcycled materials. At many branches of sustainable retailers, you can even find second-hand sections, where shops will resell their pieces (still in great condition).
Making an investment in higher quality items (quality over quantity) will ensure that your shopping habits stay away from the traps of fast fashion, where shoppers are lured by the low cost of poor quality clothing, leading to them to buy more. The environmental cost of this is huge, not to mention the impact of production lines which employ labourers to work in poor conditions overseas.
Consider mending broken things instead of throwing them away. Learning the basics of sewing and darning could save you a few pennies, and put many more wears into much loved items.
4. Buy and sell second hand
Before buying a new thing, consider popping into your local charity shop or looking at online listings first. It is unbelievable how much money and energy can be wasted to construct a new item when a perfectly good used one already exists.
From personal experience, this has helped me greatly, especially when trying to save money as a student. After scrolling through homeware sites for overpriced study desks I decided to look online, where I purchased a table for £20. This was picked up the very same day and saved me £60. The environmental and economic benefits of buying and selling secondhand is huge, especially for those trying to save.
Reusing & Washing
5. Swap single-use items for reusables
Reusing tupperware or containers from takeaways instead of using foil, clingfilm, or plastic bags for lunches is a great idea. Beeswax paper sheets are also an excellent way to wrap food. They are watertight due to the hydrophobic nature of the wax and can be washed easily. You can also make and re-wax your own wraps.
Some coffee shops offer discounts for those with their own reusable coffee cups, and of course don't forget to take your water bottle and shopping bag!
6. Wash your clothes less frequently
According to an estimate by jeans retailer Levi Strauss, its customers are responsible for over one third (37%) of the overall climate impact of each pair of Levis jeans.
To prevent the wear and tear of clothes, wash them less. It saves energy, water and money needed to buy new clothes due to the strain that over-washing places on garments. A pair of jeans for instance, should only be washed once every month on average. Saving the energy and effort of washing your clothes may seem like a lazy resolution, but in reality this change in habit is a great choice for the environment.
Find alternatives for refreshing garments here.
Food & Diet
7. Continue to buy local, seasonal food
The regional produce supply in cold winter months is certainly a far cry from the yield of the late summer and harvest season. Though if you know where to look, high-quality, locally grown veg can be found all year round, and continuing to shop locally is a great practice for going into the new year. Veg like beetroot, curly kale, leeks and parsnips are just a small selection of the many plants which grow throughout the colder months in the UK.
Try Hampshire Veg Box.
8. Dig into your summer fruit preserves
Instead of going to the supermarket to stock up on raspberries and blueberries for puddings imported from North Africa or South America and wrapped in plastic, how about using up marmalades, jams and chutneys?
And if you didn't have the time to make any during those busy summer months, local farm shops stock a range of preserves made in season, by independent producers using local ingredients.
Gardening & Growing
9. Feed the birds!
Continue to feed birds in your garden particularly during cold spells when there is not so much food around. These creatures are vital for our ecosystem, acting as natural pest killers, seed dispersal experts and pollinators. Tips from the RSPB offer advice on how to safely and appropriately feed birds.
Find plenty of suggestions from the Wildlife Trust on other ways to support wildlife in your garden or outside space here.
10. Make a garden plan
Although the planting season is a few months away, it is not too early to begin planning your garden or allotment space. Before too long spring will be upon us!
The RHS provides tips on planning a veggie patch on their website. They also detail ideas for individuals without the exterior space to do so, in their Kitchen Garden youtube video.