Resolution #1: Try the ‘rule of 5’ when buying new clothes
The fashion industry is responsible for up to 10% of the world’s emissions and 92 million tonnes of textile waste ends up in landfill each year. Emma Håkansson from not-for-profit Collective Fashion Justice wants to fix our broken fashion system, and suggests committing to the ‘rule of 5’: only buying five newly made garments in 2025. “That’s the number Hot or Cool Institute estimates people in the western world can afford to buy if we care about living within planetary boundaries,” Emma says. “Bonus points for opting for fairly made, animal-free and fossil fuel-free materials in those purchases!”
Resolution #2: Phase in home electrification
For Georgia Windrum, Bank Australia’s climate action strategy manager, one of the most impactful things you can do is get off gas and electrify your home. “In 2025, why not swap out one of your gas appliances for an electric option? Or plan for how you’ll electrify your home over time,” she says. “Figure out which of your gas appliances are likely to reach their end of life and make a plan to switch them to electric.” Need some inspo? Here’s how MasterChef’s Simon Toohey has made the switch to an induction cooktop, making his cooking more efficient, climate-friendly and cheaper.
Resolution #3: Get in the garden
For Nick Rose, CEO of Sustain, the Australian food network that runs three urban farms in Naarm (Melbourne), a dose of the great outdoors is always a good idea. He suggests you resolve to spend time in a garden – your own, a community one, any garden – a few times a week. “There is so much peace, beauty and healing in a garden,” he says. “Watch the flowers moving gently in the breeze, bees collecting their nectar. As a respondent to the Pandemic Gardening survey so beautifully said, being in a garden is a 'sweet and quiet lesson in motion – a balm for the soul'.”
Resolution #4: Get on your bike
Been a while since you’ve taken to the street on two wheels? Jane Kern, Bank Australia’s Head of Impact Management, reckons the new year is the perfect time to kickstart a new cycling habit. “Riding is a great way to get around without emissions and for a bit of incidental exercise on the side,” she says. “If you haven’t dusted off the bike for a while, why not try a ride to work/school/uni one day while the daylight hours are still long?”
Resolution #5: Deepen your engagement with the disability community
ASTERIA Services, a Bank Australia community customer grant recipient, is a not-for-profit community-based organisation providing tailored disability support in Central Victoria. For a more inclusive 2025, they suggest doing away with assumptions and engaging directly with the disabled folk in your life. “The disability community is diverse,” Claire de Natris, ASTERIA’s Groups Coordinator says. “If you know one person with a disability, then you know one person with a disability. Don't assume if it didn't work for one person, it won't work for another. Making small simple changes can make a huge difference in someone's life. If you're unsure, ask them.”
Resolution #6: Ditch single-use packaging
Did you know Australians use 1.8 billion single-use hot beverage cups every year? And a lot of them end up in landfill. The team at Katanning Landcare, a Bank Australia community customer grant recipient, think enough is enough. “Become part of the planet-producing family and stop dumping trees (paper) into landfill by avoiding all single-use packaging,” they say. “Instead, get into the habit of always carrying reusable cups, cutlery, containers and plates in your car or in a bag.”
Resolution #7: Find your climate community
Tegan Lerm from Project Planet has a suggestion for anyone looking to step up their climate action in 2025: “Find your climate community!” she says. “When you join a community of like-minded people, you’ll find the support, motivation, and sense of belonging you need to not only get engaged but stay engaged.” So how do you do this? “Volunteer with a local environmental group, attend your local MP’s town hall meetings, or connect with online communities that align with your values,” she suggests.
Resolution #8: Become a food citizen
Daniel Eb, Sustain’s Strategic Communications Manager, believes we can all play a powerful role in making Australia’s food system healthier and more just. “As a citizen, you have the power to be someone in your community who does food differently,” he says, “be it through an urban farm, community garden or growing in schools. As a parent, you have the power to reconnect your family to nature and the source of your food. As a customer, you have the power to support local food businesses doing right by people and planet over the big box supermarkets who, frankly, are not.”
Resolution #9: Try composting and growing your own food
On the topic of food, Jane Kern also suggests taking steps to grow your own food, no matter how small. “I started composting a few years ago, which then led me to getting planter boxes for my balcony and starting to grow small amounts of our own food,” she says. “It’s very small-scale, but it’s nice to be doing something tangible – and our kids love watching the tomato plants grow.”
Resolution #10: Support diverse businesses
To make a real difference in 2025, Donna De Zwart, CEO of our community customer grant recipient Fitted for Work, believes in putting your money where your ethics are. “Make a conscious effort to support businesses owned by women and gender-diverse entrepreneurs,” she says. “Your purchases and dollars directly shape the future you want to see, so choosing to shop at women-owned and minority-owned businesses can help promote a more diverse and inclusive economy in 2025.”
Resolution #11: Stay curious with the kids in your life
Are you a parent or kid-adjacent person? Bank Australia customer and early childhood researcher and specialist Rachel Pollitt says the most important thing you can do for the young people in your life is to stay curious. “Notice what engages them and join in with their explorations,” she says. “Planning time to do this in natural environments provides open-ended opportunities to engage with children’s interests, expands on a sense of belonging and connection to Country. These interactions promote children’s wellbeing and learning as well as your own.”
Rachel also suggests exploring TACSI’s Many Threads prompt book to further reconciliation, self-determination and change for First Nations Peoples.
Resolution #12: Protect local biodiversity and nature
The team at Katanning Landcare are passionate about protecting Australia’s unique nature and biodiversity – and it can be as simple as planting a seed. “Plant a local native species in your garden to help our precious birds, bees and insects,” they say. And there’s plenty more you can do beyond that. “Contact your local Members of Parliament (state/territory and Federal) to demand better protection for nature through stronger environmental legislation.”
A reflection on the year that was
Finally, we want to wrap up with a wonderful reflection from Bram Mason, Bank Australia’s nature and biodiversity manager, on how nature fared over the last year, and his hopes for the future.
“In the last 12 months I have seen a positive change in the number of people exploring other means to protect and restore nature,” Bram says. “The time is coming where traditional government policies may become ever more outdated as society moves forward to do something about the changing climate and nature crisis. At Bank Australia, we’re also removing barriers where we can to help with this movement. I believe that the future is still bright, even in light of recent political events. If anything, those events have made many of us more determined to do what is right for future generations.”
