Courtney Roth, the Hokies Abroad marketing intern, writes:

During our study abroad in North Queensland, we learned about the pernicious human impact on the environment. Upon my return to the U.S., I made a conscious effort to live a more sustainable and environmentally friendly life.

With 2015 right around the corner, many of you may be having a difficult time deciding what your New Year’s resolution should be. If this is the case, fear no more, here are three easy-to-keep lifestyle changes that can help you to live a greener life and decrease your carbon footprint.

1. Instate Meatless Mondays: Research has shown that meat consumption can be damaging to the environment, requiring mass amounts of water and gas for production and transportation. Going without meat one day a week may help prevent overconsumption. Furthermore, there is data to support that decreasing meat intake may decrease your chances of getting cardiovascular disease or cancer.

2. Plant a tree: Everyone knows that trees are good for the environment; they offset carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and provide shelter for wildlife. An easy way to decrease your own carbon footprint is to plant a tree sapling in your yard. Better yet, make a fun day of it and encourage your friends to get together and plant trees together. I guarantee you’ll be glad you did. Planting trees does not require a huge lifestyle change but does create a long-lasting positive environmental impact.

Virginia Tech students look out over a reforestation project in the Daintree Rainforest

3. Utilize energy efficient light bulbs: Replacing traditional incandescent light bulbs with halogen incandescent can decrease energy consumption by 25 to 80 percent. Furthermore, eco-friendly light bulbs can last up to 25 times longer than traditional light bulbs, actually saving you money! If you like saving money, helping the environment, and hate replacing light bulbs all the time, then buying halogen light bulbs may be the best decision you make in the New Year! For more information about eco-friendly light bulbs, visit: energy.gov.