Summary: My activities to do my part in addressing climate change seemed disjointed and hard to track, so I took some time to map out what I already do and what I’ve already changed. This exploration could be helpful in planning out future behaviors and actions.
Although the act of typing it up and publicly sharing is new, the idea of participating in actions to address climate change has been with me for a few years. Some actions I grew up with, and some I learned along the way. Life generally dictated what I could do and when, but now I’m older and in a stable enough position that I can focus on making lasting, positive changes.
I grew up with the idea of environmental awareness from many directions. My family recycled at home. One of my earliest chores was to bundle up the newspapers to go out to the curb every other week.
My elementary school hosted neighborhood cleanup days. Teachers would arm us students with rubber gloves and some bags and direct us around the school property and the neighboring park to pick up whatever we saw. We’d have a sorting party afterwards, separating out the various plastics and cardboards and whatever the heck else they let us pick up. They taught us what happens to trash, where it goes, and why. They explained how recycling works and that some things can be recycled and others can’t.
In many other ways, most of my life has been incredibly carbon unfriendly. I grew up in a middle class home, which is inherently pretty wasteful. It wasn’t until the second half of my 20s that I ever thought about where energy comes from, where my clothes come from, how water is processed, or what chemicals are in the products I use (privileged, I know).
I don’t blame anyone. My parents were amazing and I received a decent education (for a public school). Information, studies, and science has improved since then, and the correct thing to do is to respond when an issue becomes apparent.
Doing Better
Climate change is undeniably an issue. Everything is suffering. Everyone is or will be affected. I know there is more I can do, but in order to best move forward I want to get a better understanding of my starting point. There are surveys online which claim to measure your carbon footprint (here’s one). My feelings on the results are mixed. Generally, my home does a little better than comparable homes, but I still feel like I can do better.
I’m splitting my current actions into three categories: Home, Purchased Goods, and Charitable/Conscious Contributions.
Home
Recycling
Recycling, as it currently exists, is inefficient, and often materials that are sent for recycling end up in a garbage dump anyway. This video from YouTube provides an excellent explanation of the lies around recycling, but it ends on a hopeful note. If as this video states, 5% of what goes for recycling actually gets recycled, that is still better than zero.
It also depends on what is being recycled. Aluminum, for example, is an excellent recyclable material because it can be done over and over again with little to no loss in the quality of the material. Plastics are incredibly difficult to recycle. Glass falls somewhere in the middle.
I recycle according to the standards of the borough I live in. They accept paper, cardboard, and bottle-shaped plastic. Plastic bags and sheets gunk up the machine, so bottle shapes only.
Interestingly, they don’t accept glass. They claim it’s too rough on their machines. I’ve never spoken with one of their machines, so I cannot speak to the validity of this. However, there is a glass recycling drop-off point a few minutes away from my house, so I drive our glass there every few weeks.
Energy
The transition to renewable energy is picking up steam. I’m fortunate to live in a region which has opportunities to purchase from energy suppliers who exclusively produce energy via renewable sources. Solar and wind are both popular options around here.
I purchase my energy from a company which provides only wind energy. I’m not partial to wind energy over any other form of renewable. This company simply had the best price compared to other options. As technology improves and adoption increases with renewable energy, the price will go down across the board.
Purchased Goods
Clothes
I got really interested in this topic a while ago. Fast fashion is horrible for the environment, but the horrors don’t stop there. It is terrible for workers in certain countries. Garments are made cheaply to keep the consumer’s costs low, mostly at the expense of workers, and the quality of the clothes plummets. Many materials clothes are made of leak microplastics into the water when washed. It’s bad.
The most responsible thing to do is to fully take advantage of existing wardrobes rather than to get rid of past poor choices. As my clothes become unusable, I donate what I can and recycle everything else. Replacing clothes is a conscious effort in identifying materials used and researching the company’s practices. Some companies are quick to promote all the good they do, which makes figuring out who’s greenwashing extra tricky. The ins and outs of buying clothes sustainably could be a post in itself, so here’s a quick snapshot:
- Read the labels to see what materials the clothes are made from
- Read the About page on the company’s website
- Buy timeless pieces rather than the latest trend
- Buy quality pieces which are easy to care for and will last several years
Accessories
Non-clothes items can be treated in the same way as making environmentally friendly purchases for clothes. Shoes and bags were a particular problem for me for many years. It was a difficult but conscious effort to change my behavior around those items.
My work bag might outlive me. It’s a sturdy-as-shit canvas and leather concoction with the best reviews on the internet. But it was expensive. It was not, however, more expensive than the constant replacing of broken, worn out computer bags and messenger bags. For years, every 9-12 months I had to purchase a new work bag. Broken zippers, detached straps, holes in the material… it was a nightmare. Pulling the trigger on an expensive product was stressful after years of constant replacement, but quality comes at a price. I’m not saying all expensive things are high quality, but I am suggesting that cheap things are likely not.
Shoes were a similar issue for me. I used to work a job where I was constantly on my feet. I replaced boots roughly twice per year, going out of my way to find the cheapest option possible. Unfortunately, as with the work bag, I needed to investigate and spend the money for quality. It’s been three years since the last time I purchased a pair of boots, and the money saved from not having to constantly replace cheap pairs has more than made up for the initial price paid.
All products go through some process of manufacturing, transportation, and retail. The argument has been made that there is no conscious consumption in capitalism. However, since that’s the deal we get, the best we can do is purchase quality products which reduce the cycle of purchasing over and over again.
Bulk Goods
As if this post isn’t already privileged-white-girl enough, my next topic is on Costco. Costco is not perfect and I will not spend any time here in this post discussing the imperfections; I am bringing them up because there are some benefits to buying in bulk.
Buying in bulk can be more environmentally friendly in two ways. The first is that bulk purchases generally have less packaging. Much of the packaging that goods come in are not recyclable, so reducing this is helpful. The second is that it saves on transportation. If I have to get in my car and drive to buy the things I need less frequently, then that’s less time I’m in my car consuming gas.
The caveat here is that not everything is beneficial to buy in bulk. Foods need to be consumed before they expire, so perishables aren’t a good idea but dry goods certainly are. I happen to not live near anywhere that does refillable services for products like shampoo or detergent, so that’s another point where packaging needs to be taken into consideration. One big bottle is generally better than two smaller bottles, and those are often recyclable.
Charitable/Conscious Contributions
Ecosia
This is not a charity – Ecosia is a search engine. This organization takes revenue from advertisements and uses them to plant trees. They partner with tree-planting organizations all over the world to help get trees in the ground, improve communities, and capture carbon.
An excellent podcast, How to Save a Planet, looked into Ecosia on an episode from December 2020. They found the organization to be legit. Ecosia is upfront about how their organization is structured, how much money goes towards planting trees, and how much money stays in-house for providing services. Also, if you’re not already listening to it, check out that podcast.
Planting trees is as easy as searching for crap on the internet. I found it to be generally just as good as Google. Ecosia does not sell your data for profit the way some other big tech companies do, so they’re environmentally friendly and privacy friendly. Cool.
One Tree Planted
Actual Charity. This is a nonprofit dedicated to planting trees – as if the name wasn’t enough to give that away. Also, yes, I like trees.
One Tree Planted works in partnership with tree planting organizations all over the world to get trees in the ground where they’re needed most. Alternatively, donors can pick which region they’d like to support. I did the latter. Having already established participation in global tree planting through Ecosia, I wanted to do something local. I live in a beautiful region which has been decimated by coal mining, and I’m so grateful to have found a way to support organizations trying to restore the region.
What’s Next?
Honestly, I don’t know yet. This whole 2000 or so words post was a personal journey for me to take stock in what I’ve already done and am already doing. Actions to support the environment need to be taken at both the personal level and the government and policy level. I can vote for politicians which support the environment and I can write letters to government officials expressing my concerns, but ultimately, I have the most control over my personal decisions.
I also believe that changes need to be implemented at a gradual and sustainable pace. Most people can’t handle a full overhaul of their lifestyle. I certainly can’t. Introducing incremental changes and working them in to daily activities helps to set new behaviors with lasting effects.
Whatever my next move is, it will be thought out and tracked. It may seem small, but it will have a lasting effect. More importantly, I will be one more person doing something good for the environment.