Environmental Emergency
We only have one Earth, one shot to get it right, and right now we are heading down the wrong path. We are polluting the Earth at an unsustainable rate and if we continue with this trend we are likely to destroy entire ecosystems. In light of the recent Earth Day, I wanted to talk about this because I kept seeing a concerning dialogue on social media.
The sentiment I kept seeing that persuaded me to write this post is, “Individuals can’t do anything to change climate change. It’s all big corporations there is nothing we can do that is meaningful.” I understand this sentiment, I really do. It is easy to look at these behemoths of industry and just be demoralized by their seemingly endless size and political influence. It is easy to fall into the idea that there is nothing you can do. I am here to say that we need to change that mindset.
First, there is something you can do as an individual to fight back against these corporations: boycotts. The truth that everyone likes to point out is that these corporations value the mighty dollar above all else. This can be used against them by not purchasing their products and not using their services. Journalists can help in this regard by helping organize and expose the practices of these companies. Not just journalists but everyday people, like yourself, can organize these boycotts and movements. However, I don’t want to dwell on this aspect because it isn’t as actionable. I want to talk mostly about changes I have been actively making that can be implemented by most people to help preserve the environment.
My first suggestion is to start small, going headlong into something as big and broad as this can be daunting. The biggest change I have tried to make in my life is trying to reduce the amount of waste I am producing. I started simple, trying to be more conscious about the amount of paper towels I am using. The easiest way to reduce it for me was to just use alternatives. I tried to start using reusable towels instead of paper towels. When I did need to use paper towels I tried paying more attention to the amount I was using. Another simple one is using reusable or non plastic bags at the grocery store. This has been a popular one for a while, but it is also important to be getting good bags and actually using them which has been the most difficult part for me. This is a good video to explain the difference in types of reusable bags.
Reduction in water consumption is another thing I have been trying to get better at. This is one that it never really occurred to me why it's important until I thought about it for a minute. Unless you have well water, your water is most likely coming from a water treatment facility. These plants require electricity and chemicals to process the water to be fit for human consumption. So, using less water can help reduce the impact. The biggest ways I have been trying to reduce my water consumption is in the shower and washing dishes. When I am in the shower I turn the water on to get wet, then shut it off when I am lathering up. I realized I don’t really need the water running once I am already wet. When we are washing the dishes, I try to maximize packing in the dishwasher as it is much more water efficient than washing by hand. This helps minimize electricity usage from the hot water heater as well as reducing the amount of water used.
The final simple thing I have been trying to do is switch to products that are more environmentally friendly. The most difficult thing for me is trying to switch away from animal products. I drink a lot of milk and my diet contains a lot of meat. I have been trying to substitute milk with oat milk as it is the most environmentally friendly milk alternative. I have also just reduced my consumption of milk overall. My first step towards moving away from meat is to try to have one meatless day a week. As I said before, it is best to start small and work your way up. I am definitely excited for synthetic milk and lab grown meat though!
I have also been trying to switch waste products to more environmentally friendly options. I reached out to Grove Collaborative, the company we have been going to for environmentally friendly products, to try to become a partner but was unfortunately denied. I am still going to promote them though because I think they are a good company that is making an effort to be better for the environment. They offer bamboo alternatives to traditional paper products as well as environmentally friendly cleaning products. The bamboo products are pretty good and bamboo is much better for the environment than traditional paper products. I have also been trying to be more aware of what is recyclable to make sure I am recycling as much as possible.
I am going to get into some more difficult ways that I have been trying to be more environmentally friendly. The first is to switch our energy generator to green energy alternatives. This option isn’t available for everyone but it is a good way to support the green energy industry. I have also made sure that our appliances are all electric. By switching away from fossil fuels to electricity it allows the generation of energy to be shifted to green alternatives. This is another expensive one that isn’t easy but if you have the option of gas or electric, electric is the more environmentally friendly option.
I want to keep this going and I want to encourage others to be more environmentally friendly. We have a duty to the planet to keep it in the best condition that we can. This won’t become a common theme of the posts but I might do an update at some point if people are interested. Feel free to leave some comments with your suggestions and thoughts in the comments below!
