Most 20- and 30-somethings love supporting causes in seemingly passionate ways. We are all rallying together for protest marches or sharing articles throughout social media because that helps people hear our voice. And one of the most abundant causes Millennials and Gen Zers are rallying behind these days? Environment conservation and safety.
With that being said, I notice things that really irk me relating to this trend. Many of my acquaintances as well as some close friends take to social media with their calls for saving the planet, yet they hang around at Starbucks in their new, designer threads with faces covered in cosmetics. So, which is it, guys? Do you really worry about the environment, or are you just enjoying the attention that supporting righteous causes brings to your social media feeds?
Here's the reality: If you truly cared about environmental surroundings, you'd start doing some of these simple things.
1. Conserve & Cooperate
People often whine about how expensive solar panels or smart homes are, but true conservation doesn't require expensive equipment or relaxing in the dark. Start by turning the lights off behind you, hang-drying your clothing, closing your drapes during the heat of the day, or using less hot water. These small changes only need a bit of extra effort, however they can make major impacts on our world (not to mention your wallet). By conserving just a bit of energy each day, you can lower your monthly energy bills and reduce power plant emissions.
And while you are reducing emissions, why not find ways to make your work commute more cooperative as well? Between mass transit, carpooling apps, and good old fashioned bicycles, you don't need to fork out thousands of extra dollars on a hybrid car simply to cut down on vehicle emissions. If none of this sounds appealing to you, almost always there is the option to request work-from-home days so that you can cut down on your carbon footprint at least a couple of days each week.
2. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Regardless of what your location is on the stupid plastic straw debate, something is clear: We can all reduce our plastic use and discover ways to reuse and recycle products. Even purchasing reusable water bottles and coffee tumblers can help. From shopping bags to condoms (yep, really!), a lot of products now come in reusable forms. When investing in reusable products, you lower your carbon footprint and improve the global life expectancy more than you may realize.
And whenever you just can't reduce or reuse, at least make sure you recycle. You can easily research recycling rules, and if you live in a residential area, they might even pick up your recycling for you (no sorting required)! Yes, it requires a few minutes of your time to rinse out that jar of pasta sauce or plastic Starbucks cup, but what's a minute in the grand scheme of 1000's of years on Earth?
3. Watch Your Waste
The other day, I looked down and realized simply how much sh*t I waste in a given day. While you sit at your desk and chomp with that bag of chips from the vending machine, you most likely never stop to think about how wasteful those dang post-it notes really are. Technological advances can certainly help us eliminate some of the everyday workplace waste, and we should all jump on board for the environment.
When you are looking at our kitchens, the waste is a whole lot worse. However, we can definitely find methods to watch what we throw away there, too. Rather than contributing to the 133 billion pounds of food waste that will reach a landfill every year, try finding methods to reheat or reuse that leftover chicken. When all else fails, you can also compost some of the people food products or feed the wildlife- either way, win-win!
4. Live Life Naturally
While it may not be feasible for you to definitely grow your own produce if you reside in an apartment or highly urbanized area, there are still many ways that you can adapt a far more “natural” lifestyle that benefits environmental surroundings. You can start by eating a more plant-based diet. This means either reducing the amount of meat you take in (think “meatless Mondays”) or removing meat from your diet entirely. You can also just decide to support local farmers' markets and farms that practice sustainability as opposed to huge corporate farms.
Outside of the diet, there are numerous other ways to “live naturally.” Although aerosol cans no longer contain those dangerous CFOs, they do still contain hydrocarbons and other compressed gases that change up the environment, so let your hair fall naturally. Same goes for makeup: Most Countries in europe banned thousands of chemicals over environmental concerns that US-based cosmetics companies still use. Essentially, by simplifying or eliminating parts of your “beauty regimen,” you can help save the planet.
I promise I am not a hippie, and I'm not perfect at all. However, I do believe that it's important to put your money where your mouth is, especially in times like these. The next time you feel like climbing on your soapbox about climate change or gender equality, make sure that your lifestyle actually matches the reason which you're supposedly supporting. And if you really want to positively impact the future of our disintegrating planet, consider a few of these simple ways that can improve your habits and ultimately change the world.
