Lucky for us, Santa is very kind. Otherwise, we would have received lumps of coal in our stockings for being major contributors to climate change. Instead of giving us more stuff, I imagine Santa probably sneaked into our houses and swapped out those incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescents. He probably is pretty peeved that there is warming happening at the North Pole and that his flying reindeer may join all the other Arctic creatures on the endangered species list soon. Indeed, we Americans have been very, very naughty.

Most of us realize that we can't go on this way. We are running out of planet to consume and will need three to five more Earths to keep up our current consumption. We cannot continue to gorge at the all-you-can-eat buffet created by our fossil-fueled agricultural system. Nor can we keep adding more and more coal-burning power plants to feed our lust for power or continue driving gas-guzzling SUVs. We already have burned through our share of the world's resources, and now we are dipping deeply into our descendents' meager allotments.

A new optimism infused the climate conference in Poznan, Poland, earlier this month. The rest of the world sees us as finally willing to take responsibility for our part in global warming. But a new administration cannot make this change all by itself. Each American household has to commit to change — changing light bulbs and paradigms. Let's embrace a culture built on conservation of resources instead of on waste and excess.

Here are a few New Year's resolutions that will set us on the right track:

— Go on a "low-carbon" diet. Author David Gershon of Woodstock, N.Y., leads you through energy-slimming actions to lose 5,000 pounds of carbon or more. Considering the average American household has a carbon footprint of 22,000 pounds per year, there's plenty of carbon to cut. For more information, go to www.EmpowermentInstitute.net.

— Take the "100-mile diet" challenge. Eating local is the single-best thing you can do to curb climate change. The average American forkful of food traveled 1,500 miles to reach your mouth. By eating local, we save the livelihoods of local farmers, and we save emissions from transporting food. Eating local also allows us to eat fresher, more nutritious food and become intimately connected to the land and the seasons. The Web site www.100MileDiet.org can help you on this quest.

— Set the "zero-waste" goal. Make recycling, composting, washing and reusing a common practice. Carry your own mug or reusable water container to avoid generating more petroleum-based plastics. Stash a set of tote bags in your car for shopping, and refuse to accept any disposables. The Grassroots Recycling Network has plenty of tips on their Web site, www.grrn.org.

— Take the 10 percent challenge. Try spending 10 percent of your income at locally owned businesses. Move your mortgage to a local bank or credit union; buy from consignment stores instead of chain stores; and eat at locally owned restaurants. This keeps your money flowing locally, where it grows and multiplies as local businesses frequent other local businesses. This one act will improve your local economy and save Main Street and your neighbor's job. Visit the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies at www.LivingEconomies.org.

— Convert to renewable energy. Curb 30 percent of your family's emissions by switching to renewable energy. If solar panels or a wind turbine are out of your price range, consider buying wind energy through your utility company for about $15 per month. For more information, go to www.NewWindEnergy.com.

— Exercise your political will. We need real leadership at all levels of government willing to address climate change. It is time for creative, direct actions. We can convert every light bulb in America to a compact fluorescent, but until we have a moratorium on coal-burning power plants, we still are contributing to global warming. Go to www.1sky.org for more information.

— Create Community. Be the change you want to see. Take time to know your neighbors. Walk to the store and see what small businesses you could be frequenting that you didn't even know existed. Spend precious time and energy getting involved in your community by volunteering and becoming politically active. Become deeply rooted in your community, and bloom where you are planted!

Shawn Dell Joyce is an award-winning sustainable activist and director of the Wallkill River School in Orange County, N.Y. You can contact her at [email protected]. To find out more about Shawn Dell Joyce and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.