More exercise - but not just at the gym! A good workout/weights program will benefit anyone, and I highly recommend it, but we should also commit to a "car-last" approach (for those of us who still own them) to daily life, which will benefit personal health and the planet simultaneously.

For many people, to do this may mean some pretty substantial changes in one's life - but we'd better start practicing now while it's our choice rather than due to external circumstances, as this readership well knows.

Three years ago I left my (dream) job that unfortunately also required 2 hours of commuting by car, and opted for one that is located less than 2 miles away - the 30% pay cut, I figured, would be amply compensated by getting 10+ hours/wk of my life back, plus commuting expenses reduced (including big ones like needing to replace the rapidly aging '95 subaru). Five years before that, we had left our beloved (and totally car-dependent) mountain town for a dense urban center, the first of our big re-localizing choices.

The new job came with a system-wide transit pass, as well as the option to walk/bike/telecommute. So it was a pretty easy switch in commuting habits. It's just snowballed from there; with a transit pass and new commuter bike, I now plan my travels based on walk- or bikeability, or transit schedules. I often choose not to go somewhere if it's inaccessible - its a good excuse to avoid lots of those things you probably didn't want to do in the first place, like go to the big box store in the suburban mall. Indeed, it tends to mean we patronize local businesses or the downtown business district, as our historic neighborhood still retains many small shops. We can't manage to ditch the car yet for various reasons, but once the subaru finally dies, maybe we'll be ready.

So for a better 2009, pledge to reduce your private-vehicle miles traveled and get more exercise in day-to-day living as a wonderful side benefit! If you live in the US, the 2 mile Challenge, www.2milechallenge.com/#/home is a good place to start.

But we must remember that it's also not just about personal choices - the system within which we live really dictates our options. And though we may tend to "other" it as something outside our realm of control, the "system" is designed by people and can be changed. So the second pledge must be to step up our level of civic engagement to help build the kind of world that removes the barriers that keep people from making healthier and lower-carbon choices - its not just lack of personal motivation, commitment, or knowledge.

I'd rather be working collectively for a survivable future than be stock-piling ammunition, whiskey, and vitamins, quite frankly. The pioneers who settled this valley, and the native peoples they displaced, did not survive and thrive on rugged self-reliance, but on strong community ties, values, and interdependence.

So pledge to get more active in the civic realm, too - help get a good candidate get elected, if only to the local school board or community council. Consider becoming a candidate yourself! Go to community meetings and speak up. Contact your elected officials on a regular basis - local officials are particularly approachable and a lot of the most interesting action in the sustainability realm is at the city and county level right now. Learn to be an effective grassroots organizer. Network. Form an eco-team - see www.empowermentinstitute.net - with your neighbors. Demand better public services - like transit and intercity rail. Advocate publically for a carbon tax (raising the gas tax is a good first step). And then remember to celebrate the successes along the way - despite the inevitable setbacks. For a bit of inspiration, pick up Paul Hawken's book Blessed Unrest www.blessedunrest.com from the library or a locally owned bookshop and give it a read.

Building strong, positive social networks is also demonstrably good for one's health, and will add to the benefits from more exercise.