“To stop a bad habit you have to replace it with one that is more salubrious or at least as enjoyable.” (The Future We Choose, pg. 28)
I have focused on habit-building multiple times on this channel, but I think it is also important to acknowledge the need for habit-breaking. You often see videos like “make sure you are doing these 5 things every morning,” but I think it is just as important to avoid certain actions. If you haven’t seen it, awhile back I made a video listing some of the unsustainable habits I had before becoming an environmentalist. You may also have some habits harming the planet. Today, I am going to be helping you break those.
TEN HARMFUL HABITS TO BREAK
Impulse buying- This habit is one that needs to end immediately. If you have been here a while, then you know I love focusing on intentional living. Impulse buying is quite the opposite. Impulse buying can end up making you buy things with high carbon footprints and/or buy things you absolutely do not need. This will ultimately result in things ending up in the landfill if you can’t dispose of them properly. To prevent yourself from doing this, you need to shop with a purpose. One piece of advice is to write a shopping list. Online shopping is a real killer here.
Littering- Even worse than things ending up in the landfill, is things not ending up in the landfill. When people litter, our waste can more easily than ever end up in oceans, pollute our air, and release fossil fuels everywhere. This is what causes climate change! To break this horrible habit, reduce the amount of packaged things you buy in general. Often, we litter because there is no trash can at our convenience. You can also keep a plastic bag with you whether that be in your car, backpack, etc. This way you will have an easy way to store your waste.
Tossing rather than repairing- This is what I call an understandable habit of laziness. It is so easy to put something broken in the trash. At least, it is much easier than repairing it. But taking just a few extra seconds to glue something back together, or sending it to a local repair shop, can prevent the whole item from taking up space in the landfill and prevent you from needing to buy a new one. This tendency to dispose of rather than repair is harmful because it is so preventable. Still, so many people choose to send something to a place they will never see. At moments like this, it is important to think about the actual impact of that item going to a landfill. What is the cost for not just your wallet but also the planet? Is it worth repairing? Is it really that hard to find someone to repair it for you or to find a tutorial on YouTube?
Recycling rather than reducing- Recycling is something that we need to be retaught. Not just how to recycle but the whole process entirely. As kids, we are taught to reduce, reuse, recycle. With an emphasis on recycling. Recycling is in my opinion only slightly better than throwing something away. More than half of the time the item goes to the landfill without you knowing anyway. Of course, this is bad because it contributes to the production of waste and in turn results in CO2, methane, and ethylene production. Avoid this pitfall by buying less stuff that will create waste and by reusing something many times before attempting to recycle.
Putting food in the trash- Of the harmful habits, this is one of the worst. Putting food in the trash does not need to happen. I encourage everyone to compost when possible. Composting exposes the organic material to oxygen, unlike a landfill. This allows waste to break down and become useful and nutritious for plants and animals. When food waste gets sent to a landfill, it can take years to break down because there is hardly any oxygen there. Prevent this from happening by signing up for a local composting service if your community has one, or building your own backyard compost. Either works. To remember to compost and break the habit of putting food in the trash, we keep a container in the kitchen for food scraps and empty it daily. Some people who live in apartments store their compost in their freezer. This habit also applies to general waste. Putting things in the trash before reusing, repurposing, repairing, reselling, regifting, etc. is very harmful to the environment.
Eating so many animal products- Speaking of food, animal products do not help our climate crisis. It is as simple as that. The habit here is less of a habit and more of a discipline. For example, when you or whoever buys your groceries get groceries, do not buy or ask for animal-based options. When you go out to dinner, order the most plant-based option possible. Whenever given the choice (which is just about always) eat an earth-friendly meal. By consuming animal products, you are asking for a greater supply of them. Animals and humans have to share food, water, land, and air. The production of fossil fuels worsens the situation and depletes resources. The habit is more about knowing what you are eating and why. Know what happens behind the scenes with your food. One way I do this is by making the majority of my food from scratch (or even growing it). This not only saves animals but buying unprocessed meats saves packaging and is very healthy for you.
Ordering stuff from third world countries- This often happens along with impulse buying. When we continuously click “buy”, “buy”, “buy”, we don’t research where our stuff comes from. Often, our stuff is from a place like China, India, Mexico, etc. Not being intentional is a problem. If you feel concerned about being “ethical” then there is more to be done than not eating cows. Being ethical also means avoiding fast fashion and other cheaply made plastic products that will quickly break and end up in the landfill. Also, unless you live in one of these countries, there is probably a long journey the item has to go on to get to your destination. Transportation hurts the planet too. The best thing you can do is always look at local stores and second-hand shops first, small businesses are often more cautious about where their stuff comes from.
Choosing not to research first- This is a bad habit you need to break for sure. As well as knowing where, how, and what you are buying, you need to research other things about the item to fully understand it’s carbon footprint. Things you can research include what it is made of, the recycling process it can take after (e.g. where will it end up when you are done with it), and are there any other more sustainable options? There is a full list of questions I ask myself before buying things in my blog about minimalism (HYPERLINK). Write those down (electronically to save paper) and remember them!
Recycling improperly- This is also not good for our planet. Often when you recycle incorrectly, you contaminate the whole batch of recycling and the whole thing ends up in a landfill. This is why so much of what we try to recycle doesn’t actually get recycled. To stop yourself from doing this, do your research on what can and cannot be recycled. Also, check out my video where I talk about just that (HYPERLINK)
Buying first hand- Similar to buying from third world countries, there are much more sustainable options than buying new stuff. The question is, are you willing to look? By being willing to look at second-hand stores first, you reduce the number of new resources needed to create the product. You can save a lot of energy. You also prevent an item from the landfill by buying second-hand because someone wants you to have it. Try looking online if you don’t have a second-hand store near you. If you have a store near you where you can buy items, do that! So many people have never even been to the second-hand stores near them.
Breaking bad habits is hard, but anyone can. One final tip is to make the bad inaccessible and better habits more accessible. Hope this helps. For now, peace.
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