I am incredibly anxious for the future of our planet — and I’m obviously not alone in that fear. Surveys constantly show Gen Z and Millenials are worried about the lack of action from governments, companies and people in general when it comes to combating climate change. While a healthy dose of fear can be a good motivator for personal change, too much can become debilitating. And over the last few years, I noticed it was quickly going that route for me and knew I needed to make some immediate changes.

Starting the Journey

I may not be a complete newbie to the topics of climate change and environmentalism, but I quickly realized just how much more there was to this conversation. When I heard people talk about environmentalism, I often heard them mention things like limiting the use of single-use plastics, stopping deforestation, or protecting the coral reefs. Though those things are important conversations to have, that is just the tip of the iceberg.

There are so many inspiring environmentalists not only around the world who have done and are currently doing essential, life-saving work, but also people in my own neighborhood. Because it’s easy to become overwhelmed by all the work that needs to be done, I set some goals for myself that make it easier to implement changes over time and become more educated on topics that are impacting my community as well as the global population.

Making Personal Changes

My goal is to share some more in-depth information in future blog posts, but I wanted to share just a few changes I made right away. These were the first steps that made it easier to build upon and make bigger changes in a sustainable way.

• Reduce my use of plastics
  • Plastic is everywhere. And unfortunately, it seems impossible to live a fully plastic-free life. But, there are ways I’ve been able to more consciously avoid plastic whenever possible. When I go grocery shopping, I take a look at all the different options out there and opt for plastic-free versions when possible. I try to buy package free whenever I can and I’ve been able to find lots of stores/options for most of what I need. One caution I have here is do not judge someone else for the plastic they use. Not everyone is in the same life situation as you and to say the amount of plastic you use is OK but the amount they use is not OK isn’t fair or productive.
• Integrate more plant-based meals into my diet
  • I’ve never been a huge carnivore, but I did eat quite a bit of chicken over my lifetime. For me, cutting down on meat and eating more plant-based meals was an easy way to make a change not only for my own body but also for the planet. These days, I’m mostly eating a plant-based diet and I do feel better for it. I’m not suggesting you go vegan tomorrow or anything, but it’s helpful to consider implementing more plant-based meals into your diet.
• Learn more about environmentalism
  • There is so much that goes into environmentalism and countless books on the subject. One topic I’m trying to read more on right now is intersectional environmentalism and understanding the toll the climate crisis is taking on different communities.
• Better understand my city’s recycling and composting rules/opportunities
  • This is one may feel like a no-brainer, but I do encourage you to look at the rules one more time to make sure you’re not doing any “wishcycling.” You may also find that there are composting facilities or options closer to home than you realize.
• Identify easy swaps and update when making my next purchases
  • There is no shortage of “best eco-friendly products to buy now!” content out there, but don’t fall into the trap of feeling like you need to go out and swap out everything all at once. Eco-friendly products can be really great, but it also can be incredibly costly to swap tons of things out — especially at all once. To help make it more manageable for me, I took an audit of everything I had and identified what swaps I could make for them when the timing made sense. I also was able to identify things I had that could easily be repurposed into something else (e.g., old empty candles jars into drinking glasses) instead of throwing them out. One thing I immediately was able to swap because I purchased it so often was toilet paper. I switched to Who Gives a Crap toilet paper to use a more sustainable option.

And those are just a few to name. Stay tuned for more thoughts and learnings as I work toward my goal of being more eco-friendly.