You can help make a better 2024

The start of a new year often comes with a fresh outlook. But this one appears daunting. Intractable challenges linger worldwide. You might feel helpless in your desire to solve them. Yet, each of us can make 2024 a better year if we resolve to focus on some of the enduring problems in our own region. Striving to achieve attainable goals at home could make Long Island a better place.

Take our roads, for example, which surely will be better if we all make better choices for ourselves and those around us. Cease the texting and the quick glances at cellphones that serve only to distract. Stop weaving in and out of lanes and beware drivers who play that dangerous game. Elected officials at all levels of government can make roads safer by cracking down on tinted windows and covered license plates, addressing dangerously bright LED headlights, and redesigning roads to calm traffic.

Another area of widespread agreement on Long Island involves the hazards of a changing climate. We understand that we live on an island where rising sea levels will have permanent consequences. We feel the impact of regular flooding. Now we need a collective focus on finding solutions and ways to minimize risks.

Similarly, we need to address together Long Island's looming trash problem. Compost, recycle and find ways to reduce your waste stream. Encourage elected officials to focus on regionwide solutions.

Most Long Islanders also agree that housing costs are too high. Now we need to acknowledge that one way to increase affordability is to build more housing units in appropriate places. Let's find opportunities and seek compromises on how to do it.

As we tackle these issues, let's also remember the many Long Islanders struggling economically and emotionally. Think about them. Volunteer your time or give when you're able. Even as the holiday spirit fades, these neighbors need our help. And tend to your own physical and emotional health. Avoid excesses that endanger you and others. Exercise, and enjoy Long Island’s parks and beaches. Support the expansion of pedestrian walkways, bikeways and parks.

Keep your mind open to new ideas and remember this enduring one: In an election year likely to prove fraught and divisive, be accountable for how you treat and speak to others. Don't help grow the conspiratorial web that surrounds us. Take responsibility for information you gather and share, check sources, and think carefully about what's true and what's not, especially as technology floods social media with deepfakes and misinformation.

The laws, rules and norms that have guided us in the past will help us meet these challenges. Respect your fellow Long Islanders and seek to understand views different from your own, speak kindly and thoughtfully and, please, listen to one another.

Happy New Year to our loyal readers. We look forward to engaging with you in 2024.