Our Personal Climate Action Resolutions for 2023
The majority of New Year’s resolutions focus on exercise and nutrition, but why not flex your climate action muscle and join C3 staff in making a climate action resolution this year? Check out our staff’s 2023 resolutions and resources and get inspired to create your own. We’d love to hear what your climate resolutions are! Even better share them on our social media @C3climate.
Sarah Delgado, Finance and Operations Manager
“I have 2 resolutions this year - I want to compost a greater portion of my food waste, and I want to research and potentially get an EV!” Sarah Delgado
Love these goals, Sarah!
Composting is a top solution for reducing your personal emissions that oftentimes gets overlooked. At every meal we have an opportunity to eliminate or drastically reduce this aspect of our carbon footprint, yet only 4% of Americans are composting their food waste (EPA 2018). Why? Access is a barrier with 27% of us having access to some sort of compost service.
Luckily, in our area, we have four viable options for composting: Black Bear Composting, Life Cycle Organics, McIntire Recycling, and if applicable your backyard. Need more resources? Check out our What’s Stopping You from Composting blog.
Maggie Davis, Director of Development
“Mine is to get a more eco-friendly vehicle, either EV or hybrid!”
Maggie, now is the best time to electrify your ride! Depending on the make and model of the EV or hybrid you want, there is a $7,500 tax credit for new EVs and a $4,000 tax credit for used vehicles available now. There are plenty of rules to this, though, so do your homework. We recommend this recently updated Consumer Reports article and our blog on the IRA that we are continuing to update. Additional rules are coming in March, so carpe diem.
Katie Ebinger, Policy Analyst
“Carpool and use public transit to run errands!”
Did you know that the average American makes four vehicle trips every day to and from their home? Since transportation is such a big part of everyone’s carbon footprint, this is definitely an impactful goal, Katie! We look forward to hearing how your experience goes.
Caetano de Campos Lopes, Director of Climate Policy
“Advocate for more and stronger climate-justice-enabling policies!”
As C3’s Director of Climate Policy, we aren’t surprised by this resolution, Cae! Advocacy can start right away with the City Climate Action Plan vote and the County’s vote on the Woodridge Solar project. We look forward to more recommendations on how we can raise our voice for climate justice from you, Katie, and all of our partner organizations.
Susan Kruse, Executive Director
“Go Solar!”
After doing a deep energy efficiency retrofit of your home in 2020, converting a vehicle to all-electric, it sounds like the final frontier for you is going solar on your Greenbrier home! Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, you will be able to claim a 30% tax credit on the installation of rooftop solar panels.
Coles Jennings, Director of Corporate Sustainability
“I want to do a deep dive into my Nest thermostat to really cut down on our HVAC energy. We use the basic scheduling, but I know it’s capable of a lot more, and (shockingly) I haven’t had the bandwidth to dig into it.”
Coles, this is a common sense solution/resolution I wish more of us would implement! Why are we heating and cooling our homes when we are at work, school, or on vacation? With smart thermostats like the Nest and EcoBee we can automate the process. Check out our past blog post on whether a “smart” thermostat is worth it. Spoiler alert: it is!
Teri Strother, Director of Communications
“I want to ditch my gas stove and oven and go electric!”
This is my goal for 2023 not only for the climate benefits, but for better indoor air quality! Did you know that children living in households that use gas stoves for cooking are 42% more likely to have asthma?
As a start, we went ahead and bought an $80 dollar induction stovetop that fits on the counter. For me, the hardest part will be adjusting my habit of gas stove cooking. Any behavior change takes effort and energy to build a new brain pathway, but we are all in!
Replacing my gas stove and oven with a new induction oven will require a lot more money. They average around $2,000. The IRA can help though, depending on your income. For low-income households (under 80 percent of Area Median Income), the High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate Act (HEEHRA) covers 100 percent of your electric/induction stove costs up to $840. For moderate-income households (between 80 percent and 150 percent of Area Median Income), the HEEHRA covers 50 percent of your electric/induction stove costs up to $840. Consult Rewiring America’s calculator here.
We hope you’re inspired to take on a climate resolution this year. Reach out to C3 and let us know how we can help!