April is Earth Month, and last Monday specifically was Earth Day. The focus of Earth Day this year was plastic, but as I’ve written before: although plastic waste is definitely an issue, there are many cases in which replacing plastic for something else actually ends up having a higher impact on the environment. Single-use plastic is also still necessary in many medical settings, for example. Demonizing and singling out plastic often ends up being ableist, and can move attention away from bigger issues.
So, in this post I want to talk about the things that in my opinion – based on years of learning and reading about this topic – are much more important to focus on as individuals. Although I always try to make sure that my opinion is based on reliable scientific research and data, I am not an environmental scientist so I often rely on science communicators to explain the research*. With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s dive in!
1. Reduce your consumption
One of the things that we have most control over as individuals is our own consumption. One of the main drivers of climate change is that we simply consume much more than we need. This means we are depleting the earth’s resources, but it’s more than that: the production of pretty much everything emits greenhouse gasses like CO2. This production stage is the largest part of a product’s total impact. Then there’s also the waste involved in creating the product, the transportation of the product, and the waste when we eventually get rid of the product. And in the current fast-everything model (adopted from fast fashion), almost nothing is created to last anymore – so we get rid of things faster.
While of course there are things we don’t have much control over as a consumer, such as planned obsolescence or whether something can be repaired, we do have control over how much we buy and how we take care of our things. Instead of looking at products like clothing, furniture and tech as disposable and replacing them often, we need to really use our products, take care of them, and repair them when possible. We can also buy secondhand more often instead of buying new. Or think about whether we really need something, or if maybe we already have something similar or if we can borrow or rent it instead. Personally, I really like the concept of eco-minimalism, which is pretty much what I’ve described above.
2. Reduce your food waste
According to the UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024, around 19% of food available to consumers is wasted, and 60% of that waste comes from households. This means that individual households are responsible for a much larger part of food waste than the food service and the retail sector. And food waste emits 8-10% of global greenhouse gasses. So reducing food waste is another thing where we actually have an impact as individuals.
There are several ways that can help to waste less food. I personally find that meal planning really helps to only buy what we will really eat when it comes to more perishable foods like fresh fruits and vegetables. I’m still far from perfect though (I’ll sometimes just keep forgetting I have grapes in the fridge – real life example that is going on at the time of writing this post). You can also look up recipes that use food scraps and use parts of food that you’d otherwise throw away. And of course it is important to compost if you can, either through curbside composting if that’s available to you or you could look up methods to compost in your own backyard or even apartment.
3. Reduce your intake of animal products
The animal agriculture industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world. It does not just produce CO2, but also methane: a much stronger greenhouse gas. Especially the emissions of beef and lamb are extremely high. In addition to greenhouse gas emissions, a lot of land is used to produce food for livestock. This makes the total impact of eating animal products a lot higher than eating plants.
Therefore, one of the best things we can do as individuals to combat climate change is eat less animal products and opt for a diet high in plant-based foods instead. This does not necessarily mean everyone has to go completely vegan – many people are not even able to do so for various reasons. I’m personally also not vegan or even vegetarian. But reducing your intake of animal products and opting for plant-based proteins more often is definitely a good idea if you want to reduce the impact of your diet.
There are several ways in which you can do this. Of course, eating more vegetarian and vegan meals and swapping animal products for plant-based alternatives where you can are good options. But cutting out or strongly reducing animal products with the highest impact, such as beef, lamb and cheese, can also drastically reduce your impact. And when you do include animal products in a meal, simply including a smaller amount of it also makes a difference.
4. Switch to a bank that doesn’t fund the fossil fuel industry
When we deposit money in a saving account with a bank, that money doesn’t just sit there. Banks use the money that people put in saving accounts (and in practice “lend” to the bank) to invest in and lend to companies. This means the bank can pay us interest in return. (I’m aware this is a simplistic explanation, but hey, I’m not an economist).
However, a lot of banks use that money in our saving accounts to fund the fossil fuel industry (and other industries that we might not want to fund). They do this because they invest in industries that they believe will create the most profit, and the fossil fuel industry is quite profitable. But it is also destroying the earth: the fossil fuel industry is the single most polluting industry in the world. So your bank might be using your money to essentially fund climate change.
Fortunately, there are banks that do not invest in the fossil fuel industry, or that give you the choice to opt out of it. Some of them even choose to invest only in companies that meet certain social and sustainable standards. So switching to a “greener” bank, when available to you, is a great way as an individual to cause societal change.
5. Vote, sign petitions & support green policies
Last but definitely not least, I think political action is still one of the most powerful ways to make our voice heard. Voting remains important, even if you feel like it isn’t making a difference. Even if nothing changes on a national level, it can still make a change on a local level or for instance an European level.
Additionally, there are many other ways to try and change policies. Obvious ways are signing petitions or even joining protests. But you can also financially support organizations that are lobbying for better sustainable policies or making changes in other ways. Online activism is often looked down upon, but I personally do believe it can play a role in creating more awareness by sharing information or petitions to sign. What people say and do on social media – although it may be more extreme than real life – does often influence the public opinion, which, in turn, often influences politics. Nothing in the past ever changed without people who kept fighting and speaking out about it.
In addition
Of course, there are many more things we can do as individuals: we can use public transport or bike instead of using the car, we can fly less, we can switch to a green energy provider, we can insulate our homes better and use less water, gas and electricity. However, many of these things are highly dependent on where you live, your financial situation or things like disabilities. I previously wrote posts about how sustainability is not always accessible and what we can do to make it more accessible. But in this post, I wanted to focus on things (almost) everyone is able to do in some way or form, and that I believe make the largest impact.
*Two sources that I would recommend are The Eco Well, a science communicator and cosmetic scientist who talks about sustainability mostly in the cosmetic sector but also in other areas; and Shelbizleee, a YouTuber with a degree in environmental science. I also find that Dutch website milieucentraal.nl is a great source for reliable information about sustainability.
Len's Cup of Tea 