Here’s a question for you: Do you worry about the way human beings are impacting the natural environment? If so, what is it that you think you should be doing in your own life to address that concern? I have spent most of my life worrying about these questions, and I’ve helped the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency inspect hundreds of industrial and waste disposal facilities to address public concerns about their impacts to human health and the environment. I believe I’m uniquely qualified by my experience to propose some simple steps to address environmental concerns, and I’m really curious to hear what you think about my proposal.
First, we must acknowledge our own power to affect change in the world. Second, we must realize that some things are out of our control, and not worry excessively about those things. I’m not going to discuss actions you can take on a political level here, only personal actions. Here is a list of simple and discrete steps, that also happen to be healthy and frugal choices:
- Walk and bike when you can – strongly consider living near where you work and spend your free time to maximize walking and/or biking as your modes of transport. Use public transport if it’s safe and doesn’t cost you too much extra time. Note that most people vastly underestimate the cost of personal transportation[1]. With that said, public transportation is a politically controversial topic, and I don’t care to wade into the controversy here. I have personally witnessed violence more than once while using public transit, so I would recommend carrying pepper spray if you have any doubt about the ability to defend yourself the old-fashioned way. If you must use a personal vehicle, consider an efficient and reliable choice (e.g., 7-year-old Toyota Corolla).
- Don’t be a power pig – climate models are notoriously inaccurate, and the percent of climate change that is attributable to power generation is far from settled science. Unsettled, by Dr. Steven Koonin, is a great book to read if your immediate reaction to these statements is to call me a ridiculous climate-change-denier who should be silenced. Dr. Koonin was the Department of Energy’s Under Secretary for Science under the Obama administration, and he is the closest thoughtful source of balanced, impartial analysis on this subject. Despite the controversy, reasonable people will agree that all forms of power generation come with environmental impacts (solar and wind power included). Consider the reasonable steps you can take to reduce your own electricity consumption without impacting your quality of life.
- Live in a reasonable house – especially if you live in a climate where a good deal of heating or cooling is required for personal comfort, large houses consume more energy and resources than small ones. Try to live in the smallest space that you find to be truly comfortable. It is up to you to decide what is just right for you.
- Don’t overeat – speaking as an American, almost everyone in my country eats more than they should. The extra food is not making you happier, and it’s bad for you and the environment. Reducing your calorie intake is about the only thing that experts agree will improve your health from a dietary perspective. Count your calories honestly for a few days, including all snacks, and see if you have room for improvement. It’s generally accepted that a vegetarian diet is much easier on the planet than a more omnivorous or even carnivore diet, all other things being equal. However, hunting and fishing introduce environmental benefits that can far outweigh their impacts if managed responsibly. The best thing you can do for your family and the planet is to connect closely to your food where possible, through gardening, foraging, aquaculture, fishing, or hunting. The closer to home the better.
- Dress reasonably – many companies like LL Bean, Darn Tough, Patagonia, and ArcTeryx are offering to repair clothing that has been worn and torn. If possible, try to use their products to limit the environmental impact of the clothing you wear. If you want to be cost efficient, consider second-hand clothing from thrift stores. Most people would be surprised by how many good-as-new, beautiful items they can find in these stores, and it can be fun to hunt for them.
- Filter your water – the best thing that you can do is drink tap water with a carbon filter or a point-of-use reverse osmosis filter. I bought this one a few years ago to avoid the chemicals that Alex Jones told me are reducing my endogenous DMT production and turning the frogs gay. Just kidding about the last part. I’m super happy with my purchase! Anyway, packaging and transporting water is a huge source of unnecessary environmental impacts.
- Don’t buy things that don’t make you happy – stop buying things that don’t make you happy! When you see something you want, consider waiting a week or even a month to purchase it, to make sure you still want it. This will increase your savings rate, and decrease the clutter in our houses and landfills.
- Cut out the extra plastic – use trash bins that can be lined with grocery bags, or use reusable grocery bags. Look at what you’re throwing out every week and see if you can cut down on plastic waste by purchasing more reusable items.
- Be healthy – take care of yourself. The U.S. spent more than 17 percent of its Gross Domestic Product in 2022 on healthcare[2]. The money associated with this 17 percent resulted in many diverse environmental impacts that are too numerous to list here. Consider that our defense budget is less than one third of that number, and the U.S. Department of Defense is widely believed to be the single largest polluter on the planet. So help us trim the fat on this 17 percent. Eat right, exercise, and don’t let your vices put you in the hospital.
That’s about it. Sure, there are other things that you could do, but mostly they yield smaller returns. Making massive changes to your life is less likely to be sustainable. Instead, aim for making fewer, high-impact changes that you can sustain for the long term. Finally, I think it bears repeating that it is unproductive to obsess over the small things, or to worry about the things that are currently outside of your circle of control. Please let me know if you think this advice could be better – I’m so curious to know what you think!
[1] https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/10/06/the-true-cost-of-commuting/
[2] https://www.cms.gov/data-research/statistics-trends-and-reports/national-health-expenditure-data/historical