10 Actual Ways to Reduce Your Impact in 10 Months
When saving the world seems overwhelming, try these steps.
When saving the world seems overwhelming, try these steps
The easiest way to accomplish various tasks or goals is generally to make a list and keep the ideas in mind as you move throughout your weeks. Set a theme at the beginning of each month to make this accessible for yourself.
For instance: set a goal for your first month— aim to reduce; this can take shape in reducing your food waste (finishing your leftovers), reducing the amount of trash you produce, purchasing less plastic and non-recyclables or eating less meat and/or dairy for the month. This can take shape in so many ways, a simple one being to flip through a cookbook and choose a few staple vegetable-forward dishes to repeat. Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden is great for this. Or, do a combination of all of these wherever it fits in: this is typically how I like to manage things.
Keeping any of these in mind helps with last minute decision-making and allowing us to be less overwhelmed by all of the changes that we could be making. Implementing change takes time and you’ll not do all of this perfectly every day: try not to let it get to you.
02. The following month, perhaps your theme is composting. Maybe you’ll finally set up a compost bin (or compost freezer bag) or look up where you’ll be able to drop off your compost bags. And then slowly, you’ll start to follow through on this more often.
03. For the third month, offset. You could offset some past or current travel emissions, offset for a friend, plant a tree, plant another tree, donate to the latest wildfire crisis and buy from brands who support or manufacture using clean energy.
04. Month four: bulk bins. If you’ve never taken the time to venture into the bulk section of your local grocery, dedicate a month to it and focus on getting things that you would normally get in packaging from there (taken home in a mason jar or reusable bag). Think chickpeas, beans, flour, nutritional yeast, spices, granola, chocolate chips.
05. The next month, transit. Aim to carpool, bike or walk more than usual. Or if you’re considering a new car at any point in the future, think about a hybrid.
06. Month six, hone in on your mail. The carbon emissions involved in shipping packages can be neutralized (but not eliminated) by planting trees. I like to plant a tree per every package I get in the mail using One Tree Planted. Consider offsetting and take time to ruminate on your purchases and see if you can order less online and shop locally. You can also register to stop receiving unwanted junk mail.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BESS FRIDAY; DESIGN BY LAUREN NELSON
07. For the seventh month, think water and energy consumption. Take shorter showers, do laundry less often, (this will help you think about buying less clothes and focusing on shopping quality pieces that might not need to be washed every time), hang dry every time if you’re able to (or run appliances at night— this saves a good bit of energy).
08. For the eighth month, focus on shopping locally, buying from farmers markets, and bring in your reusable produce and shopping bags to eliminate waste.
09. For the ninth month, think about your clothing purchases. How often are you purchasing new clothes? How often are you getting rid of clothes and where are you sending them? What materials are your clothes made out of, and how do they affect the environment?
A staggering statistic that initially lead me into reevaluating my shopping choices is that it takes 1,800 gallons of water to create one pair of traditional jeans. Water is an expendable resource that could very easily run out, so it’s important to know how much water is being used to produce the clothing you like to buy. If this info is not readily available on a brand’s website, send them an email and ask. If you never hear back or can’t access this info, this generally means that the company is not manufacturing product in a way that’s mindful of the earth’s resources, and you should consider giving your money to companies who are prioritizing resources, or shop secondhand.
10. On your final month, consider your self care products: toothpaste, moisturizer, floss, makeup, shampoo — are they single-use? Consider purchasing these products in recyclable glass packaging. Generally speaking, sustainable products are often natural as well, so this benefits you in multiple arenas.
Overall, I believe that this guide is highly actionable and can certainly give you some new things to think about as you go through your days — without overwhelming you with too many options all at once.