I would like to invite you to make a New Years Resolution for the greater good of our planet: resolve to love the planet better.
I know that the past several years have been difficult. We have been separated from loved ones, cut off from travel and forced to stay home. However, the pandemic is not the only crisis we are currently facing.
The climate crisis is real, whether you choose to acknowledge it or not.
Temperatures are rising, wild animals are becoming extinct or displaced from their natural habits and humans are reproducing at such a rate that our resources are becoming scarce.
I apologize for the existential dread these statements may have caused.
The fact remains, our world is in danger. This can put people into panic and when we feel like there is nothing we can do to stop the devastation and erosion it is tempting to enter a state of denial. However, I would like to offer five things you can do to save the planet instead.
Five Ways to Resolve to Love the Planet Better
1. Ask Your Legislators to Act
The NASA website suggests a two-tiered approach to addressing climate change. First, we must mitigate the amount of greenhouse gases being emitted. Second, we must adapt our lifestyles to already occuring climate change.
Global Change is Necessary
These changes must happen at many levels. First and foremost, a global change must occur. Governments must enforce changes and place limits on fuel emissions.
Your voice, your vote and your consumption matters. Prioritize electing leaders who care about climate change with plans of action in place. Demand that leaders make changes for the good of the planet.
Support Local Sustainability Efforts
Locally, we can make a big impact. Ask your city, community or State to implement changes and decrease fuel emissions. The NASA website suggests changes such as public transportation, energy efficiency, and sustainable city planning.
Money matters: look into the companies you buy from. Are their practices aligned with sustainable efforts? There are often alternatives to every purchase you are attempting to make.
Buy local, shop from sustainable sources and avoid spending money on products that have a large carbon footprint.
If you don’t think your voice counts try putting your money where your mouth is. Money talks.
2. Ditch Single-Use Anything
Honestly, I get a little disgusted when I see people using plastic. First of all, plastic is disgusting. Second of all, where are your reusable products?
There are so many products on the market that assist with reducing the amount of waste you and your family create.
Consider these simple substitutions:
- Bring reusable bags or ask for paper instead of plastic
- Keep metal straws handy or simply ask for no straws when ordering drinks
- Bring your own to-go cup if getting takeaway coffee *Bonus: some places will offer a discount for doing this
- Do not use the plastic bags offered for produce at the grocery store. Realistically, your produce is not gaining any more germs from your shopping cart than it has already from packing and shipping. If you must bag your produce, opt for washable and reusable produce bags.
- Masks are here to stay for awhile. Opt for reusable, washable masks instead of single-use masks whenever possible.
If you need extra incentive, look at photos of beaches or underwater animals getting stuck in plastic. Deep down, we are all animal lovers and once we realize the consequences of our actions, it becomes easier to develop mindfulness around our consumption.
3. Consume Mindfully
In his book, Peace is Every Step, Thich Nhat Hanh (1992) discusses becoming mindful of our consumption. He writes that if we are mindful of how our waste is broken down we may consume, and therefore waste, less.
I highly recommend this book. I listened to the audiobook version on the Libby app, provided free by my local library.
Mindfulness is a practice of present-moment, embodied awareness. If we remain aware, we are conscious of the consequences of our consumption.
Be Mindful About Food
In the grocery store, mindfully choose products packaged in paper instead of plastic. Avoid using single-use plastic produce or grocery bags. When possible, buy local products.
A lot of waste is created through growing, transporting and even consuming food.
Organic food helps to protect our soil, waterways and our bodies. Buying local reduces fuel emissions and helps reduce food costs. When we are mindful of our consumption we buy healthy food and we do not buy more than we can consume.
4. Watch your Waste
By now, I hope you have started to think about how you can reduce the amount of waste you are producing. This not only saves our planet but it will save us money as well.
However, it is unlikely we will be able to eliminate waste entirely. Yet, we can change the way we view waste and hopefully decrease the amount of waste in our landfills.
Thrift Store Like Macklemore
I don’t know if anyone told you but thrift stores are cool… You can find so many fun and interesting goods at a bargain price. My personal favorites are secondhand books. My local thrift store sells them for 10 cents!
On the flip side, consider if the items you no longer want could be useful to other individuals. Facebook marketplace often has local buy, swap or sell sites and some are even free.
You would be surprised to know many items can be useful to others. Crafty people might love your leftover wine corks, magazines, or junk! Give away as much as possible before sending it to the landfills.
Don’t Let Your Love Go to Waste
If you have gotten this far, it would be silly not to mention that recycling is important! I must admit, I was deterred from recylcling for awhile because I did not know how or where to do it.
Most cities have local recycling centers. These drop off centers are usually free. Simply google: (name of your city) + recycling center.
Most of the time, all you have to do it sort your items into containers. Locally, mine is sorted by cardboard, plastic and metal and paper. Since I know the way it is sorted, I sort my recycling this way at home. That way, I simply dump my bags into the proper containers and off I go!
5. Consider Your Actions as You Resolve to Love the Planet Better This Year
We can resolve to love the planet better this year, but we cannot stop climate change overnight. In fact, NASA states that we are deep enough in that even if we stop altogether right now we will still see the effects of climate change on our planet.
Consider Changing Your Habits Throughout the Year
We have to start changing the way we live if we want to resolve to love the planet better this year. Small changes that increase over time amount to a big difference overall.
For example, start your year by investing in reusable products. Place them in your car, purse or office as a reminder.
Consider your commute and alternative routes or methods of travel. If there is public transportation available use it! If not, consider investing in a low emission vehicle.
Begin to take note of sustainability efforts in your workplace, community or local government. Getting involved will allow you to connect with others while making a big difference.
I hope this post has motivated you to love the planet better this year. By the way, did you hear? Reusable products are so trendy right now and that thrift store outfit looks cute on you!
About the Author
This blog post was written by Olivia Schnur: mental health counselor, yoga teacher and freelance writer. You can read more blog posts by Olivia here: https://oliviaschnur.com/blog/.
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References
Hahn, T. N. (1992). Peace is every step. Bantam.
Is it too late to prevent climate change? (2020, December 16). NASA: Global Climate Change Vital Signs of the Planet. Accessed December 20, 2020. https://climate.nasa.gov/faq/16/is-it-too-late-to-prevent-climate-change/
Animals Stuck in Plastic. (n.d.). Plastic Soup. Accessed December 21, 2020. https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/plastic-problem/plastic-affect-animals/animal-stuck-plastic/