Climate change sometimes feels like a lost cause. I see these horrific predictions in articles, documentaries, books (I just finished Attenborough’s Life On Our Planet, which is perhaps slightly more optimistic than most, but still terrifying), and I can just feel dread and anger against humanity build up under my skin.

The situation is frankly horrific. The pace of global action seems lethargic. Still, celebrating our personal achievements is important. Huge steps need to be taken to save the world, but many of these huge steps can only be achieved if we aggregate a billion smaller steps combined with larger policy action necessary.

I should note that I still contribute more towards the extinction of our planet than an average human being. Chances are just by being wealthier than the average human being, most of you do too. That makes it ever more important to examine our behaviors. Maybe you’ll find some inspiration. Maybe you’ll share some acts you have done, which I can introduce myself.

In the past couple of years:

  1. We downsized our apartment. We moved from an 80sqm/900sqft apartment to a 51sqm/550sqft apartment. Honestly, it’s not only been an environmentally more sustainable arrangement, but we are much happier. Less cleaning, less clutter. We tried to make everything multifunctional. The kitchen has a bar table with comfortable stools, perfect for working and eating. The Sofa is a pull-out and both it and the bed have storage room inside of them. My window platform is also my bedside table. Maybe later I will write a post about our awesome experiences with downsizing.
  2. Diet is perhaps one of the largest contributors to our impact on the environment. My wife and I have cut down on our meat consumption substantially. She is almost completely vegetarian. I think I am down to about one-two portions of meat a week, perhaps plus one more if you include the occasional fish. As for meat with larger climate impacts, such as beef or pork, I’m down to about one portion a month. I also try to eat more seasonal vegetables, and ones with lower footprints. I’ve heard that limiting a craving is more difficult than eliminating it, but I think limiting meat works for me. I am enjoying more and more the vegetarian options out there, but having an option to eat meat makes my commitment easier.
  3. We sold our car. My theory is the biggest environmental impact of owning a car is not even driving, but rather the cost we inflict on society producing and transporting a huge chunk of metal that 98% of the time just stands there. In fact you are anti-using it, taking up other people’s and plants’ space outside. If I really need a car, I rent or use car-sharing. Most of the time I don’t.
  4. Energy efficiency. Besides the smaller apartment, having moved to Europe 6-7 year ago came with moving from a drier to a dry rack. This move not only cut down on my energy consumption, but allowed me to keep my clothes for longer—a double win for the environment. I am also washing clothes slightly less frequently; I definitely over-washed them before. I designated some clothes as ones that can get a little dirty: e.g. my dog walking pants. It’s okay if they have a bit of mud on them. But I am also much better with turning off everything that I am not using, and always considering energy efficiency options when I buy new appliances.
  5. Buying less. Okay recently with the apartment rental we bought a lot to get our place furnished, but in general, we just buy less, and instead buy quality. A quality lens for my camera instead of another three or four photo/camera gadgets. A versatile laptop instead of a laptop, a tablet, and PC. I also just spend less. At the risk of sounding cliché, I had to internalize that materialism does not bring me happiness.
  6. Packaging and waste. Mostly thanks to Germany, but we recycle significantly better. We also cut down on our waste. We compost, we use bio-plastic, we have been buying as much as possible without plastic, we take not only our shopping bags, but bags that we place unpackaged vegetables, mushrooms, fruits, breads into. If something does have packaging, I try to go with paper.
  7. Walk more. Transit pollutes less than a car, but there are instances when walking works too. Walking is good for the mind and soul, and your body. As minuscule as the step is, I even find myself avoiding elevators —I get an exercise, and save more energy.
  8. We travel less, and when we do, we consider offsetting. Okay recently this has been thanks to COVID. But even before then, we were traveling more locally, and slightly less in total. I am sure I will still be making 1-2 bigger trips a year in the future, so I have started offsetting some of my travel. I have only opted in a couple of times so far, but I hope to make this step regular. This act doesn’t solve the problem, but it does reduce our impact.
  9. Plants. Much of the decoration in our home consists of plants. Plants that don’t require too much water. They are beautiful, and the impact they have on the environment is probably close to none; however, if you think of the alternative cost of having bought something that’s not a plant to decorate that spot… or the indirect impact plants might have on others… Plus I love plants more and more.
  10. Civic action. I donate to environmental causes, and pro environmental candidates. I share my concern and thoughts with others, and I listen to what they have to say, learning from their perspectives.

There’s still a lot I need to improve. For example, my showers are unacceptably long. I think of this struggle as one that will take many more years to perfect. I just wanted to share that what began as a struggle isn’t much of a struggle, but rather a lifestyle. Much of the sacrifices turned out to be blessings in disguise. So I encourage anyone who hasn’t started on this journey to do so. You will feel better on so many levels–and so will the planet.