A few days ago, my husband and I hiked one of our favorite trails, Hogback Ridge. Heading back down facing south, there’s a hawks-eye view of the city and Flatirons which never fails to spark in me a deep feeling of gratitude and wellbeing. I’d like to acknowledge that the land that makes up the city and our beautiful open space properties has been home to Indigenous Peoples for more than 13,000 years. I’m resolving this year to understand our history better by connecting with and supporting the work of Right Relationship Boulder.

It seems a little presumptuous of me to set resolutions for the whole city, but here goes. I’d be happy in 2025 to see Boulder prioritize health, civility and caring for the most vulnerable in our community: the unhoused as well as people who are close to the edge in terms of making ends meet. As homelessness continues to rise in the U.S., let’s support work that helps people stay in their homes and encourage the city to expand on the initial success of the Elevate pilot program (monthly, unconditional cash stipends to low-income households).

Regarding health, let’s make sure city leaders know we expect a plan ASAP to address Boulder’s aging recreation centers. Public pools and rec centers are affordable, equal-opportunity ways for people of all ages to access fitness and fun, and we deserve top-rate facilities.

As for civility, let’s talk about transportation because moving around on our streets is actually one of the main ways we Boulderites encounter/interact with one another. I support the expansion of Automated Speed Enforcement and improved turn signals at key intersections where accidents are most prevalent. Speeding tickets work (personal testimony)! If you have an opinion about transportation decisions, you can participate in “30th Street Design Workshop Week” and via surveys related to winter bike routes, Broadway transit and more on the city’s transportation page. Oh, and just a quick P.S.A.: while walking around Boulder with your pooch, please dispose of your dog poop bag rather than dropping it for the non-existent Dog Poop Bag Fairy to collect. Thank you.

Finally, a new year is the perfect time to venture into a new space — check out a local museum, art gallery or performance — and maybe invite an acquaintance you’d like to know better to join you. The sun is rising and it’s another beautiful winter day. Happy 2025!

Diane Schwemm, parksidediane@gmail.com

Are you looking for a New Year’s resolution that’s existentially meaningful, personally beneficial and likely to succeed? One that addresses climate change, physical and mental health, and social justice? One that is entirely in your own control but whose ripple effects can affect the larger world? If so, let me suggest that you resolve to eat less meat in 2025.

Let’s assume that we accept the vast majority of scientific evidence showing that meat production and consumption are strongly associated with climate change (e.g., toxic gas emissions), resource depletion (e.g., factory farms require large quantities of water), and poor health (e.g., eating red meat is linked to heart disease). Let’s also assume that people are more likely to follow through on resolutions that are relatively simple to implement, produce concrete results, are circumscribed in the behavioral changes they require and target a number of socially desirable goals simultaneously. Eating less meat checks all these boxes.

I am not suggesting that we all become vegetarians or vegans (although that might be best for most of us and for the planet). I am suggesting only that we decrease our consumption of meat. The beauty of this resolution is that you can be successful immediately. For example, all you need to do to declare success is order pasta primavera when you would ordinarily order spaghetti Bolognese. You don’t even need to do this all the time!

As a bonus, resolving to eat less meat also offers ongoing opportunities to experience a sense of control. Each time we choose a non-meat option we are registering our disagreement with policies that support, however inadvertently, environmental degradation over personal and planetary well-being. Such choices can contribute to our mental health by increasing both our sense of agency and our experience of personal integrity — that is, the degree to which our behavior reflects our basic values. These may be especially crucial in a world that many of us find quite out of control and misguided.

This resolution can also alleviate the discomfort often experienced by those whose love of their animal companions conflicts with an implicit acceptance of the killing of non-human animals by human ones. Indeed, choosing tofu over beef can provide immediate relief from the distress caused by glimpses of personal hypocrisy.

As you contemplate the changes you would like to make in the new year, please consider decreasing your consumption of meat.

Elyse Morgan, emorgan2975@gmail.com