7 Ways To Make A Difference in 2023: The Best Ways To Show Up For The Planet
Your actions matter! Explore 7 easy ways you can get involved in your community or at home to help make a difference for the benefit of the environment.
Estimated Read Time: 6 minutes
It can sometimes feel like your individual actions towards sustainability aren’t making much of a difference, especially when you hear about celebrities like the Kardashians making frequent flights lasting less than 15 minutes and Taylor Swift’s private jet making 170 flights in just 7 months.
It can feel like your switching from plastic bags to reusable bags is like a teardrop making a difference in ocean levels.
It’s easy to brush it off as someone else’s responsibility, but your actions do matter and there are ways you can make a difference for a better world.
In this blog, we’re discussing 7 ways you can make a difference in 2023!
You CAN Make A Difference
Photo by Joel Muniz on Unsplash
If you’re having trouble figuring out what you can actually do to help the environment, you’re in the right place.
Will you single-handedly reverse climate change by making sustainable swaps and cutting out plastic?
No. (sorry)
BUT imperfect action is better than no action at all!
This planet is our community, our shared space. It belongs to you, it belongs to all of us.
The way we fix it is through systemic and institutional changes. We know that corporations are causing the majority of emissions and environmental degradation. We know that to get through to them governments need to pass policies.
So what can you (we) do to be the change?
How Does Change Happen?
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
Change happens slowly. It starts with you, your friends, your family, and your community. What you’re doing now for the environment is paving the way for future changes. Whether those changes take effect next month, next year, or with the next generation.
When we all change our actions together, the culture shifts. And when the culture shifts, corporations, and governments need to, and will, respond in kind.
7 Things You Can Do To Make A Difference In 2023 And Help the Environment
1. Make Sustainable Swaps
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The most sustainable thing you can do is use what you already have. This is always our first piece of advice.
Making sustainable swaps comes after. Rather than throw away something that’s already working perfectly to buy a bunch of random sustainable things, we recommend going slow and being thoughtful with your swaps.
- Know the 'why' behind your journey
- Make a plan
- Implement your plan
- Ex: slowly replace each item in a room before moving onto the next
- Ex: replace each item in a routine as it runs out before moving on to the next routine
- Ex: pick you value, plan for potential objections, and make a plan on how you will implement it
- Follow us on Instagram to stay up to date with the latest sustainable tips and tricks!
2. Eat More Plants
The most sustainable thing you can do is use what you already have. This is always our first piece of advice.
Making sustainable swaps comes after. Rather than throw away something that’s already working perfectly to buy a bunch of random sustainable things, we recommend going slow and being thoughtful with your swaps.
- Fact: 38% of the earth’s land surface is used for agriculture.
- Fact: One-third of that agricultural land surface is used for crops, and the other two-thirds for grazing.
- Fact: 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture.
There are a few steps you can take to eat your way to a happier planet.
The first is to cut back on your red meat consumption. When getting started, aim for 1-2 plant-powered days per week and add more as you get more comfortable.
The second thing you can do is to completely eliminate all red meat, lamb, and dairy products as those are the highest agricultural emitters.
The third is to eat locally. Transportation, fuel, and refrigeration contribute to the emissions of the food supply chain. Whenever possible, make local fruits and veggies a staple part of your diet and local farms a staple part of your budget.
3. Shop Less, Shop Secondhand
In the U.S. alone, the average item of clothin is worn just 7 times and an estimated 11.5 million tons of textiles are thrown away each year 😭. Kick fast fashion to the curb once and for all by prioritizing gently-used clothing when you need something ‘new’. When thrifting, make an effort to select high-quality, timeless pieces that will last for a long time and can be worn in a variety of ways.
It’s also a great opportunity to practice slow(er) fashion by reducing the amount of clothes you purchase and increasing the number of times you wear each item. Put together a wardrobe with pieces you can wear over and over again. If you really want to test your creativity, try creating a capsule wardrobe!
4. Start A Native Pollinator Garden
Bees, butterflies, birds, and even bats are responsible for pollinating three-quarters of the world’s flowering plants and 35% of the world’s food supply. No pressure!
For a variety of reasons including habitat loss, disease, and environmental contaminants, pollinators are disappearing and dying at record rates.
You can help them by building a pollinator garden of any size!
DO:
- Select native plants because of their abundance in nectar.
- Select several pollinator-friendly plants that continuously bloom through Sping, Summer, & Fall.
- Add a shallow tray or bowl with pebble to provide a safe drinking spot for pollinators.
- Add a gentle fountain or stream to your garden. The sound of the water signals to pollinators taht your garden is a safe spot for them to stop in.
DON'T:
- Select modern hybrid breeds
- Choose plants that bloom only during one season
- Forget to provide some shady areas!
PRO TIP: Dandelions are the first food bees head for in the spring — don’t pull them out!
5. Volunteer/Get Involved
There is no better way to make a difference — in your life, your community, or the world — than by volunteering. The fight against climate change is a global one and very often local groups and organizations get overlooked for their contributions. But these local organizations are where grassroots movements begin!
Whether you start your own group or volunteer with an existing one, you’ll quickly find a community of like-minded individuals who are ready to get their hands dirty and stand up for the planet!
6. Get Involved In Local Government
Photo by Phillip Goldsberry on Unsplash
Local government is the place to make things happen. Which is exactly what Leslie Knope would tell you and the opposite of what the rest of the Pawnee Parks Department would tell you!
But in order to raise federal and even state-level awareness (and funds), everything begins at the local level. With local representatives and members of the city who care about these issues. Whether you decide to run for office, work on a campaign, or simply pull an Ann Perkins and volunteer your time, there are many ways you can get involved and make a difference through your local branch of government. Try hitting up a community forum and see how it goes!
7. Reduce Your Waste
Reducing waste can seem like a daunting task so it’s important to go back to your ‘why’ to get an idea of where to start.
Maybe you want to work on:
- Reducing virgin paper usage
- Reducing plastic consumption
- Reducing fuel usage
- Increasing energy efficiency
- Reducing your dependency on natural resources
- Increasing renewable energy usage
Whatever it looks like, pick one thing to focus on and get really good at it. Once you feel comfortable, move on to something else! You’ll be surprised how much you can cut back on your waste and how easy it will soon be.
An issue as large as climate change has no one solution. For that reason, it can feel as if your individual actions don’t matter and it can be extremely difficult to know where to even begin. But because it is such a large and complex issue, there is no one solution — just begin! Start somewhere.
The most important thing is that you’re doing and you’re trying. Just like anything else that’s important, results will come with time and consistency. So in the meantime, get out there, join your community, stand up for what you believe in, and that’s how you’ll make a difference.
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Written by Lauren Plug, content creator for ZeroWasteStore & Sustainability Enthusiast!
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