September Is the New January: A Season for Fresh Starts

September feels different, doesn’t it? The air shifts (even if it is just slightly in the evening), the pace of life changes, and routines that slipped away in the warmth of summer begin to return. There’s a certain energy in the crisp mornings and earlier evenings that makes everything feel possible again.

We usually give January all the credit for “fresh starts,” but I’ve always believed September is where real resolutions take root. This is probably because it is my birthday month and I like to take some time reflecting on what life has been like this last trip around the sun. And likely also because of the general back-to-school vibes. Unlike the gray days of midwinter, September offers a better time (with more sun) to focus on new ideas. It offers rhythm. And it offers the chance to set habits while life itself feels like it’s starting over.

This year, I’m leaning into that feeling by embracing Learn Something New—but not just in the textbook sense. Instead, I’m looking at what new lessons sustainable living has to offer me, my family, and my community.

Small Shifts, Big Lessons

In our house, this September also marks a personal shift: we’ve just sent one kid off to college. The table feels a little emptier, and we’re learning to adjust portions so we don’t cook too much food. It’s been a surprising challenge—after years of feeding a household with two growing boys, the muscle memory of meal prep runs deep.

But there’s a gift in this transition. We’re paying closer attention, cooking just enough, and planning for intentional leftovers. A tray of roasted vegetables becomes the base for tomorrow’s grain bowl. A weekend roast becomes a pot of soup for lunches during the week, neatly packed into reusable containers. Even a big pasta night now comes with a plan for cold pasta salad the next day.

These small adjustments—right-sizing meals, thinking a step ahead—feel like their own kind of sustainability. Less waste. More mindfulness. And a rhythm that actually makes life easier, not harder. I may also try my hand at baking bread!

Learning Together

Of course, learning something new isn’t only about what happens in the kitchen. This September, we will be starting back up our climate change book club after a summer break at the Medford Public Library. There’s something powerful about sitting down with others, opening a book, and talking through the challenges—and the hope—woven into its pages. It makes me feel less alone in the work of change and more inspired to carry what I learn into my everyday life. Below is the line-up of books we are reading this fall, the books alternate between non-fiction and fiction, and all are available to borrow from the library.

And maybe it’s just me, but there’s nothing more fall than the glow of the library at night. Walking in, you can almost feel the promise of discovery—whether it’s finding a new hobby book, a recipe collection, a slice of history, or a good ghost story. Libraries are where September’s spirit of learning comes alive, and every checkout feels like a small resolution in itself.

And learning doesn’t stop at the page. This month, Medford heads into local elections, with the City Council preliminary election on September 16. Participating in civic life feels like another kind of sustainability—one that supports the resilience of the community itself. Reading, engaging in discussions, voting, showing up: they’re all ways of saying “this place matters.”

A Slower Way of Living

There’s also joy to be found in slowing down and not letting the hum of fall activities overwhelm you (which is easier said then done). I’ve been reaching for hobbies that connect me back to nature and to myself: baking with local apples, sewing and knitting, and taking evening walks to notice how the leaves are beginning to turn. These practices remind me that sustainability isn’t just about saving the planet—it’s also about saving space for creativity, for calm, for living at a human pace. I have also begun to think about the handmade gifts I want to create for the holidays as now is the time to get them underway.

September’s Promise

This year I hope September teaches me that fresh starts don’t require grand resolutions or dramatic reinventions. They begin in the small, steady choices: cooking just enough for who’s at the table now, packing leftovers with intention, turning pages and ideas with neighbors in a book club, casting a ballot, or lighting a handmade candle in the quiet of an evening.

This season is an invitation to begin again—not with pressure, but with possibility. For me, for my family, for my community, and for the planet.

So I’ll ask you: what’s one new sustainable habit you’re ready to try this fall?