We only have one planet, and most of us are pretty darn attached to our home here on Earth. We want to take care of the planet, keep it beautiful, and do our part to minimize our impact.
But it’s easy to get stressed when we see all the headlines about climate change and the worsening conditions around the world. In fact, climate anxiety is on the rise and affecting our quality of life. So how do we care about the planet without getting hysterical?
Why We Get Climate Anxiety
What is climate anxiety, and why does it happen? We are constantly being inundated with news about global warming and climate change. As a global society, we’re keenly aware of different weather events, and we can see their impact on people worldwide. Even in the last few decades, we’re much more aware of what’s going on in the world on a constant basis, thanks to social media, 24-hour news, and other technological advances.
On the one hand, all this awareness is great and important, but in other ways, it leaves us stressed and anxious about things beyond our control. There’s a lot of fear going on about climate change, pollution, and natural resource depletion of our planet. As a biology person, I’ve long known that the human population and pressure negatively impact every aspect of ecological life on the Earth. But I also know that it’s neither productive nor healthy for people to feel stressed about climate issues that aren’t that far off from “normal” climate change and can be fixed.
Yes, climate change can be a scary concept, but there are many moderate and reasonable ways that we can be good stewards of our environment. We don’t need to make drastic lifestyle changes and give up the very things that make life enjoyable and worth living. We can still travel, drive, and eat at restaurants. We can still buy things we want and take nice warm showers.
So if we start to feel anxious about climate change, we first take a moment to realize that we can only control so much. We can only make changes in our own actions, but even small steps add up. We can start helping the environment in little ways, and if we all do a few things, then hopefully, we won’t need to feel as worried or anxious about the future of our planet.
Here are the easiest ways to start helping the environment without stressing out.
8 Easy Ways to Start Helping the Environment
If we want to begin helping the environment today, we can take a few of these steps right away.
1. Recycle
We’ve all been told (probably since grade school) that recycling is essential. It really is one of the easiest, simplest ways to reduce our garbage. Helping the environment by recycling takes almost no time or energy. Most cities offer recycling pickup, so it’s simply a matter of putting the item in the right bin.
We can take recycling a step further by thinking about each thing we put in the trash. Is there a way we can upcycle or reuse the item? When there’s something that we can’t recycle, can we repurpose it? Could we donate it? Many electronics and small appliances can be recycled if taken to the correct location. With a little bit of effort, we can find a new life for many different items.
2. Choose Products Wisely
The next step we can take toward helping the environment is to choose our products wisely. When we make a purchase, we should research what we buy and look for high-quality and long-lasting items. Whether it’s items for the house, items for the closet, cosmetics, or something else, always look for high-quality, well-crafted, durable products. For items like cleaning products, consider earth-friendly, natural products like those from Melaleuca.
Similarly, we can also look at product packaging. When we purchase consumables, consider the smarter, less wasteful packaging options. For example, buy items in bulk that feature minimal packaging or are locally crafted. Often these items require less work to produce and ship (and thus have a smaller environmental footprint).
3. Travel Smart
If we want to start helping the environment, we can look at streamlining our travel. That doesn’t just mean picking an eco-friendly hotel. Instead, we can look at all aspects of travel—when we commute to work, run errands, or go on a road trip, what can we do to cut back on our environmental impact?
We can save time, money, and gas by mapping out our route and taking the most streamlined path to our destination. Consider carpooling or doubling up on errands and trips to save not only time and money on travel but the planet as well. Fortunately, many ways to “go green” are good for our wallets too. Opt for public transportation and ridesharing—or better yet, bike or walk to nearby locales.
4. Reduce Your Consumption
Consuming less is good for our wallet, waistline, and planet. Now, consuming doesn’t always mean literally consuming food. We can reduce our consumption of many different products and purchases. Many of us are so used to going online and clicking “purchase” when we need something that we forget to consider alternative options.
The next time we need to make a purchase, we can consider if we already own something that could serve the same purpose. Could we borrow the item from someone or check our local neighborhood groups to see if someone has extra? If we’re looking at actual consumables, can we buy just enough to ensure nothing goes bad or gets wasted? How can we use up what we have before purchasing more?
5. Cut Back on Waste
On a similar note to reducing consumption, how do we cut back on waste? One significant way to reduce the amount of garbage produced by our households is to consider composting. Many foods can be composted—fruits, vegetables, grains, paper products, coffee grounds, and more. The compost will be great for the garden, and it minimizes the amount of waste that ends up in the trash.
Other ways to cut back on waste include learning small repairs and how to patch or alter clothing and other items. We have become very accustomed to tossing things out when they still have life left in them. Rethink ways to get every drop and wear out of a product before saying goodbye.
6. Plant a Garden
Another simple method of helping the environment is to plant a garden. Gardening helps us connect to the Earth. It gives us a chance to dig in the soil and touch the planet. We see the different plants, smell the air, and watch life happen before our eyes. Gardening can also be extremely calming and help soothe any climate-related anxiety we might experience. When we garden, we see how life prevails and goes on.
Even if we don’t have a big plot of land to create a huge garden, we can grow some windowsill herbs or patio vegetables in a container. There are ways to make our own tea and enjoy garden-fresh herbs with very little effort. Eventually, as we get a greener thumb, we might even grow enough food to cut back on our grocery bill—there’s no better way to enjoy local food than right out of the backyard!
7. Focus on What You Can Control
Are there bigger ways to reduce our environmental impact? Of course! But for most of us, focusing on the little items that we can control will make a significant difference in our own lives and help us feel like we’re doing our part.
We can look at the aspects of our life we could change. For example, check out resources from the local utility company to get ideas like installing a water-saving showerhead, changing lightbulbs to eco-friendly options, or finding local recycling events. These little ways allow us to get involved and take more control over the future of our planet.
8. Let Your Voice Be Heard
There are bigger ways to impact climate change and to do that, we have to speak up and advocate for policies and leaders who care and are willing to make a difference. For example, big energy solutions like fusion could make a massive difference on the planet as a whole. Fusion is one of the most eco-friendly energy sources. It’s more efficient than wind or solar energy. It doesn’t release CO2 or other harmful gasses, and it comes from hydrogen and lithium, which are plentiful.
Unfortunately, many people don’t know that these types of energy solutions are even out there and on the table. It’s essential that we research the many solutions for helping the environment and our ever-changing planet. The more we know, the less anxiety we often feel.
At the end of the day, the answer to fear is knowledge. When we realize that the Earth follows different patterns, that climate change occurs naturally, and that human impact can be minimized with a few steps, we may start to feel more in control and optimistic about the future. Technology continues to offer many new and innovative methods for producing food, energy, and products to help us all live longer, healthier lives on our beautiful planet.
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