With easy access to world news in the palm of our hands, it’s become increasingly difficult to ignore impending catastrophes. One such matter being Climate Change and the human impact on the environment.
While some do debate the validity of Climate Change, one cannot ignore the human impact on the decline of natural resources, clean air, polluted waters and more.
Our factories spew pollution. Our trash in the ocean has created its own island. And our carbon emissions are permeating at a rate in which the Earth cannot self-regulate.
Matters of the environment have often been brushed aside or seen as passing fads that trend on social media. Nonetheless, we continue to harm the Earth that we cannot not survive without.
First-year environmental science major Elizabeth Mak states, “If we continue at this rate of using materials and fossil fuels, then we’re going to destroy the Earth;” further elaborating that, “A way to slow that down is if everyone changes their lifestyle a little bit to be more sustainable and stop using so many single use items.”
While we cannot control decisions made by others, there are habits we ourselves can change in order to better preserve the Earth. One goal we should all have is striving to live sustainably.
Sustainability is the act of reducing our intake and using what we already have, in order to decrease demand.
However, changing your habits can prove to be a difficult task, but it’s not impossible. Here’s how you can start.
Thrifting your clothes or upcycling
One choice that has gained in popularity in recent years has been thrifting your clothes. Not only does the fashion industry oftentimes use cheap labor and mistreat workers, but it’s also responsible for roughly 35% of microplastics found in the ocean, mentioned in a NY Times article by Katie Okamoto. In some cases, used clothes end up being thrown away or even burned. So, why not give some more love to used clothing and look fashionable doing it?
Reducing your meat intake
The meat industry contributes to 14.5% of total man-made emissions, according to a Forbes article by David Vetter. Each of these animals are farmed in mass to keep up with the population’s appetite. Some choose to change their diets to vegetarianism or veganism, but not everyone is willing to give up meat altogether–which is fine. My suggestion would be trying meatless Mondays or skipping out on meat for one meal a day!
Reuse items you already have
Some companies may attempt to make a profit by marketing sustainability, but the point of sustainability is to reuse what you have, rather than buying something new. Make use of reusable items such as water bottles, straws, towels and so on.
Alternatives to try
Alternatively, some companies have created items that are more sustainable and worth trying such as bamboo toothbrushes, toothpaste tablets, homemade cleaning products, beeswax wrap and so much more. There are now even shops dedicated to refilling your soap containers in order to reduce the need to buy a new bottle. Few such places exist in Columbus, but one that recently opened is the Rewash Refillery.
Trying to live sustainably isn’t like a switch, it takes patience, understanding and perseverance. However, there are endless ways to live more sustainably and it would be a shame for us not to try.
