7 ways to reduce your footprint by 1% this year

There is no such thing as a perfect environmentalist or a perfectly conscious consumer. It is unfair to expect everyone to adopt sustainable living, given the fact that the true culprits behind the climate crisis are organizations and governments.

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But while we pressure those organizations to make significant changes, we can all take a lot of collective action.

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If everyone in the U.S. cut their annual footprint by just 1%, it would be like taking about 12 million gas-powered cars off the road for a year. Taking significant climate action can be challenging, but hey, making a 1% difference is easy, isn't it?

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Here are 7 sustainable resolutions through which you can reduce your footprint by 1% in 2024. Trying to pick the perfect one for you? Take the quiz.

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Take more direct flights instead of stopping

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Airplanes generate the most emissions while taking off and landing, which means that flights with layovers create more emissions than direct flights. By switching 2 of your hopping flights with direct ones, you could reduce your emissions by at least 200 kg CO₂e this year and cut your carbon ‘flight’ print.

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Use 1 fewer tank of gas this year

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The average car creates 0.4 kgs of CO₂e per mile. If you could buy one less tank of gas this year and replace those car trips with walking or taking public transport, you could reduce your emissions by at least 173 kg CO₂e this year.

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Go plant-based for 3 weeks

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Animal-based foods require a lot of land, water, and fossil fuels to process. A brief shift to plant-based meals will lower your footprint. If you could eat plant-based for three weeks, it will reduce your emissions by at least 165 kg CO₂e this year.

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Shop secondhand for 50% of clothes

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Processing and the manufacturing of garments rack up emissions. When you choose secondhand, the emissions shrink to nearly zero. To reduce your emissions by at least 164 kg CO₂e this year, choose secondhand clothes instead of buying new.

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Air dry your laundry

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Clothing dryers are one of those appliances in our homes that use the highest amount of electricity. By skipping the drier and air drying your clothes, you can shrink your power bill and extend the life of your clothes. Air drying at least 3 loads of laundry per week will help to reduce your emissions by at least 170 kg CO₂e this year.

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Cancel 3 video or media monthly subscriptions

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Believe it or not, digital subscriptions and all the online content that we watch generate emissions because they require file storage on massive servers, which require a lot of energy. If you could cancel 3 monthly media subscriptions as part of your sustainable resolution, it would reduce your emissions by at least 175 kg CO₂e.

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Move $1.5k from a dirty dozen account to a non-dirty dozen account

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Most big financial institutions invest customers' money in fossil fuels. The financial institutions that invest the most in fossil fuels are known as the Dirty Dozen. Transferring $1.5k or more from a dirty dozen bank to a fossil fuel-free bank would reduce your emissions by at least 170 kg CO₂e this year.