Dear community,
Today is Earth Day, but of course, we call this planet home every single day of the year. On this day, let’s each make a plan to incrementally reform our collective actions towards a less polluted and more sustainable planet Earth.
Here are relatively simple ways to decrease our carbon footprint — across two big domains:
Cultivating minimalism and combating fast consumerism
Getting rid of plastic
Fight fast consumerism
When my son was born in 2021, I took an oath that definitely makes life slightly more complicated (and my husband likes to grumble about it), but also much more sustainable.
I decided I would use this new chapter in our lives to make a change — and vowed not to buy anything new for our child outside of formula and diapers. Everything else — toys, books, clothes, utensils… you name it — came from our community of friends and our local Buy Nothing groups — and when we were done with these items, they went right back to the communities. Yes, it takes extra time and effort, and I think the upside is definitely worth it: less clutter, using only what we need, and sharing it back for reuse.
Considering just clothes alone: You may be surprised to learn that the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions — as much as the entire European Union, and more than all international flights and shipping combined.
At the beginning of this century, we bought clothes half as often and kept our clothes twice as long. In our lifetimes, we have seen this shift hugely — by 2014 (compared to 2000), we bought 60% more clothes and kept our clothes for half the time we used to.
The Ellen Macarthur Foundation estimates that a truckload of abandoned textiles is dumped in landfill or incinerated every second. In fact, 85% of all textiles are dumped each year.
Washing synthetics like polyester releases the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles a year into our waters — more on this below. Plastic fiber and toxic dyes are polluting oceans and streams. In fact, fashion is responsible for 20% of all industrial water pollution.
It’s up to us to decide what we do now.
Let’s work together to make our threads last.
Let’s invest in circular fashion: thrifting, reusing, holding on to our own clothes for as long as they last — not as long as they are trendy. (And they’ll be trendy again if we hang on long enough!)
Take the pledge today. Though I focus on clothing as an example, this extends to all consumer goods.
How you can fight fast consumerism:
1. Thrift, reuse, and keep your items.
*Check out the video at the bottom of stuff I’ve thrifted that I LOVE wearing.
2. Repair holes and breaks.
When an item frays or wears thin, rather than throw it out, get it patched or repaired. The best thing you can do is hang on to pieces of clothing and other well-used items in your life — preventing the need to replace them with something new.
3. Participate in the shared economy.
Have a reading list? Borrow books from your local library or friends’ shelves rather than buying them new.
Use public transport or a shared Uber/Lyft (or bike, walk, run, etc.) over driving your own car when you can.
Join your local Buy Nothing groups to swap items that you no longer need. Below are the kinds of posts that abound on mine [ISO = in search of].
4. Gift experiences over things: one of my favorite pieces from 2023.
Get rid of plastic
Plastic is literally everywhere — from our water to our arteries (you read that right)! Getting this to change is so important that I put it under its own heading.
And all the plastic we encounter has very real health impacts: In a recent New England Journal of Medicine study, more than half the sample had nanoplastics and microplastics in their arterial plaques (58.4% of the total sample, N=150 of 304). And those who did were found to have a much higher — by 4.5 times — risk for heart attacks, strokes, and death over the prospective study period of 34 months. Scary stuff!
And despite having that cute triangular recyclable logo, plastic recycling is largely a myth — in fact, ~95% of plastic ends up in landfills, our water supply, and land, and downstream of that, in our bodies.
The only real solution we as consumers can create is to eliminate the use of plastic — especially single-use plastic — from our lives. We can vote with our money and preferred practices.
Say no to single-use plastics like straws, cups, and water bottles
Carry around a refillable metal water bottle.
On flights, I’ve started requesting drinks directly in the can, and saying ‘no’ the plastic cup with ice that comes alongside — every little bit matters.
In certain grocery stores, you can refill your (otherwise single-use) plastic containers for items like shampoo, conditioner, and body wash.
Replace plastic as the default
Where plastic is the norm, create a new norm:
Replace plastic wrap with aluminum foil and plastic bags/boxes with reusable cloth, steel, glass, paper, or compostable containers.
Many kids’ cups, plates, toys, and other items are plastic. This is dangerous — years from now, we will look back at this with bafflement. Be ahead of this curve and use steel for utensils instead — it is indestructible and won’t leach into our kiddos’ bodies.
Wishing us all smaller carbon footprints and better health,
Dr Devika Bhushan
I could not LOVE THIS MORE!!! I have recently taken up the banner of getting as much as I can used. I’m already getting pushback from my family about the prohibition against buying new baby clothes haha. I don’t think I’ll make it 100% but I am trying so hard to have as sustainable a baby as possible. Some things I do want new - like a rocker/glider. Did you use fabric diapers?
Looking forward to more pro tips from you.
Dear Dr Bhushan, I have been involved in compositing and recycling initiatives here in Seattle area.
2. Use of no or minimum plastic in any form
3. I had loved your idea of minimalist and have cut down on clothes purchasing.
4. Have been making an effort to use cloth bags when grocery shopping.
Will continue our efforts to send less to landfill.
I also make my own compost for plants I take care of.
No pesticides or chemicals instead I use egg sheets and coffee grounds as a fertilizer
Very best
Vindi kaur