Ah, January, that fateful month in which we're all socially obliged to examine our bad habits and commit to healthier ones, like going to the gym regularly, volunteering, being more patient with your parents while you set up their iCloud, or remembering to drink water. All great! But this year, I’d like to encourage you to think outside your standard fitness and career goals and resolve to make some environmentally-friendly changes to your lifestyle as well.

According to U.N. scientists, we’ve got 12 years left to get climate change under control. With a problem as big and unwieldy as global warming, it's easy to feel like individual actions won’t solve the problem. (Or that it's not your responsibility to try to, since 71% of carbon emissions are from 100 companies.) While it's true, tossing your La Croix cans in the recycling bin isn't going to save the world, your individual actions do still matter, especially in the US, where even the best conservationists among us still emit more than their fair share. As the world gets closer to 2ºC warmer than pre-industrial levels, we’re all going to have to make adjustments.

It's important to acknowledge that not everyone can afford to make these changes for a whole host of reasons pertaining to finances, accessibility, health, and safety. But if you can afford to do better, you have an obligation to try. Plus, several of these carbon-saving initiatives will ultimately be money-saving, too. On that note, here are six relatively doable ways for you to be less of an environmental dirtbag this year:

Go carbon neutral.

Next to eating meat, flying is one of the worst things the average person does, and it’s often unavoidable. (No, “I’m trying to fly less to help the earth” would not have gotten you out of going home this past Christmas). One way to help counteract this is to calculate how much carbon your flights are using and purchase carbon offsets to match it. (Don't worry, no math is required; plenty of sites like this one will do the calculating for you). Most flights, even international ones, cost fewer than $15 to offset. Just mentally add the cost to your ticket when you purchase it.

What are you actually buying with those $15? A carbon offset is a way for a normal person to invest in projects that pull carbon out of the air, via planting trees (the OG carbon offset), actual carbon capture, or supporting green energy initiatives. Feeling really generous? You can use the EPA carbon calculator to check your estimated carbon footprint for the entire year, and pay to offset that. On average, that'll only run you around $150. Sites like TerraPass and Green Mountain Energy let you do this in one fell swoop, and they show you which projects your money goes to. Doing this doesn’t give you free license to go out and buy a Hummer, particularly because a lot of carbon offset projects, like planting trees, take years to show results. But hey, it’s a start.

Nix the beef.

I know, you've heard this one before. That's because cutting out beef is pretty much the number one thing you can do as an individual to help the planet. A single hamburger requires 660 gallons of water, or roughly the equivalent of thirty nine showers. Eliminating all meat from your diet would be even better, but quitting cold turkey (sorry) is a lofty goal. Switching to chicken, which has the lowest carbon footprint of all common meats, is a good place to start.