Individual Environmentalism: The Easiest Way to End the Climate Crisis
When it comes to the Climate Crisis, it seems all hope is lost: the government isn’t doing its part, so what chance do individuals have? When it comes to this mindset, I always draw this comparison: technically, one single vote in an election doesn’t do much. However, when you have several people cast one vote each, things start to build up, and your vote makes a difference. The exact same logos should be applied to environmentalism - cutting back on your plastic use may not seem like a whole lot, but when you learn to educate yourself and your community, you can create change and see the amplitude to which you make a difference.
For example, take a heavy coffee drinker. Suppose Steven drinks one cup of Joe at Starbucks to go every single morning. That’s three hundred and sixty plastic cups, not to mention all the sugar packets, stirring rods, and creamer cups that factor into it! If Steven just used a reusable cup (Starbucks sells them in house - each time you use it, 10 cents gets cut off from your drink!), he would be able to save plastic waste and save money! Take it one step further - what if Steven just bought Starbucks coffee beans in bulk and brewed himself coffee rather than spend all that money in a store? He’d cut out all the extra waste and save even more money!
By using reusable cups, saying no to extra waste, and buying in bulk are the little things that make up individual environmentalism -- the little things that, if continued, could make a huge difference on how we handle the climate crisis.
Rather than just sit and complain about my government’s lack-of-action, I decided to take matters into my own hands. In politics, that means voting and campaigning for what I believe in. In environmentalism, it means doing what I can tolower my carbon footprint. I do little things that build up to lots of plastic saved - like using soap and shampoo bars, using zero waste toothpaste and toothbrushes, bringing my own shopping bags, and having reusable utensils on me (you never know when hunger strikes!) The list is never-ending when you realize just how much plastic we use.
But before you go all plastic-free, remember the biggest part of reducing your plastic usage is just that - reducing. Reducing can be as simple as not buying more clothes (you have enough!) or denying those little gift baggies you get at the dentist. When you are getting rid of all that unneeded clutter from your life, not only are you drastically reducing the amount of plastic, you can start to value your items a little bit more.
If this seems like a lot, need not worry! Everyone’s environmental journey varies! I’m not known for my minimalism and I admit, I have too many clothes. The best part about individual environmentalism is that you can pick and choose what you value most. For me, it’s getting rid of all the physical plastic in my life, be it in my toiletries or kitchen utensils. For you, it could be thrift shopping (saves water, plastic, money, and it’s bad labor free!) or saying no to unneeded plastic. At the end of the day, reducing your carbon footprint is lenient to how much you want to put an effort in. The rest is up to you!
As my friends and family know, my environmentalism would be nothing without Vox’s environmentalist videos. Check out this one on how going green shouldn’t be - and isn’t - as hard as it seems.
P.S.: Going green can also help your mental health!
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