Happy Earth Everyone! I want to start this blog post off with this article about how our global battle against COVID-19 could also help us fight climate change. It’s definitely a small silver-lining in everything we’re dealing right now, but still some good news to share. I don’t consider myself a total eco-freako (and I use that term with love) but there are a bunch of things that I do on the reg that do help the environment and I want to encourage you to do the same.
But before we get to the post, I want to share one of my best friend’s incredible photo essays for ecofeminist ecotopias. Kalen has worked so freakin’ hard to get her Masters Degree and she’s literally a genius. This body of work is so impressive and it honestly just blows my mind that she brought all of her research and photography together to explain how patriarchal and imperial ideas have oppressed women and controlled and exploited land and natural resources. You can check it out here (trust me, it’s amazing).
I’m not perfect when it comes to being the most ecofriendly, but I do try to be as environmentally conscious in my everyday life. And it’s not about being perfect! Small changes can make a big difference. Here are a few things I do to be more ecofriendly:
Rent or thrift your clothes: If you follow me on Instagram, you should know how much I love Rent the Runway, ThredUp and Poshmark. “Fast Fashion” is not only super unethical, but also terrible for the environment. The average American throws away 81 pounds of clothes PER YEAR. That adds up to around 26 billion pounds of clothing going right to landfills. Thrifting and renting clothes in basically recycling and also great for your wallet.
Aim for zero waste when shopping: The notion of ‘zero waste‘ is actually pretty impossible and was originally designed for major corporations to decrease their waste, but by purchasing items that prevent unnecessary waste. The goal is for no trash to be sent to landfills, incinerators, or the ocean. Currently, only 9% of plastic is actually recycled. few items would be reusable grocery bags instead of plastic bags, reusable water bottle instead of plastic water bottles, bees wax wrap instead of plastic wrap, a diva cup instead of tampons, and shampoo bars instead of shampoo in plastic bottles.
“You cannot do all the good that the world needs, but the world needs all the good you can do.”
Shelbizleee
Meatless Mondays: Did you know that global livestock production creates more greenhouse gas than the entire transportation sector? Or that livestock production uses 75% of the earth’s agricultural land? Think of all of the environmental resources we could save just by not eating meat one day a week. I know it can be hard for some people, so I’m not pushing full vegetarian or vegan diets on anyone (I’m not either of those things) but decreasing your intake of meat and dairy benefits the environment and also can benefit your health. For more info on Meatless Mondays, click here.
Raise Your Voice: A sad truth about all of the negative things that impact the environment is that most of it is out of our immediate control. This is an old article but there is still some truth in it, around 100 companies are responsible for 71% of global emissions. So it may seem kind of useless to try to lessen your own carb footprint when these major corporations are the ones really impacting global warming. But one of my favorite Youtubers always ends her videos with “You cannot do all the good that the world needs, but the world needs all the good you can do” and I absolutely love that. And I think it’s important that you have a voice and can stand up for what you believe in, so I encourage you to contact your local representatives in government and support officials who are passing legislation to fight climate change.
So those are just a few small things you can do to make the Earth a little happier. Something I’d really like to do during my quarantine is to make a compost at my house. It’s been on my to-do list forever, but now that I’m stuck in my house it’s probably a great time to figure that out. I’ll probably make a blog about it whenever that happens.
What are some things you do everyday to be more environmentally friendly? Comment below!
Thanks for reading! xx