Sustaining Our Past: New Year, Better Habits, Healthier Planet

Sustaining Our Past, written by Historic New England’s Director of Sustainability Joie Grandbois, explores Historic New England’s climate action efforts and highlights how we’re adapting historic sites to meet the challenges of a changing environment. Through project updates, partnerships, community engagement—and the occasional reflection on sustainability in our communities and our daily lives—Joie shares how preservation and sustainability work together to protect New England’s history.

Happy New Year! Did you ring in 2026 by setting some New Year’s resolutions? If so, you are not alone: Just over 35 percent of Americans will set new goals in the new year. The most popular resolutions are in the areas of physical and mental health, finances, and food.  While many people make resolutions with the goal of improving their own lives, some resolutions have additional benefits for the communities we live in and the health of the planet.

There are many ways to improve physical fitness, but walking more is an easy place to start. Walking has many benefits, including improved cardiovascular health and cholesterol levels. Walking has also been shown to reduce stress, which is great for those making mental health-related resolutions. It also allows you to experience your neighborhood in a way that isn’t possible while in a faster-moving car; you might meet a neighbor for the first time or notice the plants and animals you see on your walk. For most people, walking also has the benefit of not requiring a drive to a gym, and if you live in an urban area there are likely errands you can do on foot instead of driving, both of which reduce vehicle emissions.  

There are numerous studies showing that spending time in nature can improve mental and physical health. Whether you spend a little extra time in your backyard, take up bird-watching, or take a walk in the park, setting aside time to experience nature has been shown to reduce stress, increase your sense of wellbeing, and improve immune function. It also increases our sense of connection to nature and makes us more likely to act to protect the environment.

Many of us want to improve our financial situations, so much so that it is the second-most common New Year’s resolution. There are many ways to spend less and help the planet at the same time. One effective approach is to use and maintain the things we have instead of buying something new. If your dishwasher or refrigerator starts to have issues, see if they can be repaired instead of replaced. Buying secondhand is also a great choice for reducing costs and lowering your carbon footprint. Some communities also have tool libraries, which loan out things like drills, power saws, carpet cleaners, or other tools, saving you from having to spend a lot of money to buy something you may not need to use regularly.

Improving our diets consistently ranks among the top five New Year’s resolutions. One widely recommended approach is to increase the number of plant-based meals you eat, which can have numerous health benefits. This is also one of the top actions many climate organizations recommend for reducing personal emissions. Livestock production is responsible for 14 to 18 percent of global emissions so by eating more plants and less beef we can both improve our health and the health of the planet.

Setting goals at the new year to improve our lives is a time-honored tradition. While we may not set out with intentions of reducing our environmental impact it, many of the actions we take to achieve our resolutions deliver that benefit as well. What a great way to step into the new year!

Written by Joie Grandbois, Director of Sustainability