In addition to the classic challenges focused on keeping things local and circular lifestyles, others are joining the list for the coming year, such as using screens in dark mode and regularly cleaning out your email (and cloud storage) for more efficient energy use.
Every time we flip the calendar to start the new year on the right foot, we make resolutions for change and renewal.
Among the most common are those having to do with physical health: joining a gym, eating better, quitting smoking, and traveling more.
At Planet Energy, we also suggest making 2026 a more sustainable year for the planet. Here are six resolutions that can be easily integrated into your daily life and have a big positive impact.
- 1. Sustainable digitalization
Regularly deleting emails, selecting photos, files, and clearing the virtual storage cloud are small steps that help reduce energy consumption in data centers, which use large amounts of energy to operate.
- 2. Dark mode
Another small step is to set electronic devices and OLED screens to dark mode, which brings savings of 20 to 45% compared to white brightness, according to a report from the International Journal of Engineering and Humanities. In addition to reducing consumption, it entails less visual fatigue.
- 3. A 0-kilometer diet
Shopping at your neighborhood store, supporting small, local businesses that are close by and offer direct service, helps reduce the carbon footprint associated with international transportation and logistics. It also strengthens the economy and community ties, creating jobs and improving quality of life through fresh, locally sourced products.
Local business is part of a model that seeks to promote a more responsible and efficient value chain.
- 4. Share trips and travel with sustainable vehicles
Daily choices can also have a positive impact. Choosing bicycles and even walking in some of our everyday trips can be another incentive for the new year. Also, whenever possible, choose public transport or use sustainable and electric means of transport.
Moreover, applications and platforms that you can use to share trips and reduce your carbon footprint with a different and more efficient journey are becoming increasingly common.
- 5. Sustainable consumption
Paying attention to day-to-day choices when making purchases is, almost always, on the to-do list.
Reading labels is a habit that takes just seconds and can help to make more informed choices. Official certifications such as the Eurohoja (eco-friendly seal of the EU) and the local stamps of the autonomous community of residence guarantee rigorous standards in the preparation and process, in terms of health and food as well as the environment.
- 6. Zero waste at home
In addition to buying bulk food, using tupperware and glass bottles and stainless steel or fabric bags for daily purchases, there are five other small steps that make a positive contribution to zero waste at home and promote efficiency, savings, and sustainability:
- Completely turn off electronic devices, unplug chargers, and don't use stand-by.
- Optimize the use of household appliances, for example, taking advantage of turning on the oven to cook several dishes at the same time.
- Use eco mode on washing machines, dishwashers, as well as use hair straighteners and dryers responsibly.
- Replace the lightbulbs with LED lights and motion sensors.
- Eliminate single-use plastics and excess packaging that account for 70% of ocean waste, according to the European Commission's report.
The challenges that lie ahead in this new year are defined not so much by major individual actions, but rather by the sum of mindful decisions, more efficient models, and collective solutions capable of generating long-term impact.