Elevating Your New Year’s Resolutions: Making a Collective Impact on Your Environment and Community

01/10/2024

Young volunteers planting longleaf pines – NPS Photo / Scott Sharaga

As the New Year unfolds, many of us embark on personal journeys of self-improvement through New Year’s resolutions. While focusing on individual goals is essential, imagine the transformative power of extending those aspirations beyond personal boundaries to benefit the environment and community at large. In this article, we’ll explore the concept of communal New Year’s resolutions and discuss various organizations that offer meaningful avenues for making a positive impact on the world around us.

Get involved with reputable organizations like Galveston Bay Foundation, Native Plant Society of Texas, or the Sierra Club, all of which actively work toward environmental conservation. Not only is it valuable to donate to such organizations but to give your time to them is just as impactful. Make a resolution to attend more plantings, events or beach cleanups this year.

Perhaps this is the year you roll up your sleeves and volunteer your time. Organizations such as Exploration Green, Coastal Prairie Conservancy, and Buffalo Bayou Partnership are always in search of volunteers.

Promote what you learn in 2024. Gather your friends and family attend a seminar or webinar. Go to local chapter meetings to learn what is happening in your community. A perfect place to find all this information is yours truly.

The Citizens’ Environmental Coalition (CEC) works to connect Houston’s environmental community through a diverse range of programs, resources, and events. Through CEC’s work, opportunities are created to provide access to careers and advocacy opportunities that may not otherwise be available, to foster a sense of wonder and appreciation for our local natural resources, and to ensure that ongoing work is being done collaboratively and strategically.

Made up of over 100 member organizations and individuals, CEC is proud to represent a diverse group of nonprofit organizations, governmental bodies, concerned community members, and activists.

We couldn’t be this “phonebook” wealth of knowledge if it weren’t for our community. Perhaps your biggest New Years resolution this year is becoming a valuable board member. You can be a part of making the exciting things we have in store for the community happen this year.

Together, let’s make 2024 a year of not just personal transformation but a year of communal impact and shared success.