Thank you to Miki Marks for these suggestions for helping us make some really useful New Year’s Resolutions for 2026!

New Year is traditionally a time to take stock.   Many people make resolutions to eat less, drink less and so on.  All fine on a personal level, of course, but how much better it would be to make resolutions which can benefit you and make a difference to the environment.   Here are some suggestions 

1. Save energy: There are some simple ways to save energy around your home – for example switching off devices rather than leaving them on standby. It’s also really interesting and helpful to understand the footprint of your actions – Mike Berners Lee’s book “How bad are bananas” provides the carbon footprint of just about everything and is fascinating and useful.

•  Learn more about Nature.   Get to know the area around you and be aware of the issues on a local level.  The loss of woodlands, development on flood plains and polluted waterways are local threats.  Join the Cranleigh Civic Society and be kept up to date with what is happening.  Consider planning a tree, they are essential to our health and wellbeing, and critical to decarbonising our climate.  If you haven’t the space, join the Surrey Wildlife Trust or The Woodland Trust and support their work that way.  There are also some wonderful nature books to inspire you; Simon Barnes’ book “Rewild Yourself”  is most informative.

•  Sustainable Fashion.  This huge industry has a significant impact on the environment.  The footprint is not just about carbon emissions but implications for water usage, pollution and the human cost of poor working conditions.  We have some excellent charity shops in Cranleigh where good quality, hardly worn bargains can be had, and you are also helping a charity with each purchase. You can also get your existing clothing adapted or mended by our local seamstress or cobbler.

• Reducing the use of chemicals.   How many containers full of chemicals to swab, soak, wipe and spray have you got in your house?  To say nothing of garden chemicals too.   Perhaps a rethink is necessary.  Vinegar is an environment friendly cleaning agent.  And do you really need your house to smell of synthetic perfumes? Homegrown lavender smells wonderful. 

• Wildlife gardening: There are so many ways to encourage wildlife into your garden – don’t be too tidy! feed the birds, make your garden hedgehog friendly or dig a pond. You will encourage a thriving ecosystem to watch and enjoy.

• Re-use, repair. A visit to the Cranleigh recycling centre is a sobering experience.  How much of what is chucked away could be reused or repaired?   Find out about the inspiring Cranleigh Repair Café – skilled local volunteers can help with all manner of repairs, from clocks to clothes.

• Food waste is a big problem; in the UK, 18 million tonnes of CO₂ are generated by the wasted consumable food and drink from UK households.  This is awful when you think how many people are having to use foodbanks.  Avoid buying too much, explore creative solutions for leftovers or freeze extra portions. For more ideas WRAPs ‘love food, hate waste’ campaign is great:   https://lovefoodhatewaste.com.

Very best wishes for a happy and sustainable New Year.