Anyone who knows me or who stays relatively up to date on my YouTube channel and blog knows that I am fifteen years old. As a teenager, I have the blessing (and the curse) of living with people over whom I have very little say. Unlike a marriage, I didn’t choose my family. Nor did they choose me. And every day I have to deal with them making unsustainable choices right in front of my face. Or I could look at that as a learning opportunity. That is just one of many tips I have for kids, teenagers, young adults, or anyone who wants to live more sustainably and who lives with other people (who may or may not) want to live more sustainably. That is what today’s entire video is about. Tips I have for all my fellow young people. Before I really begin, I would like to give a huge shout out to The Simple Environmentalist! We are collaborating on this video, so after you watch mine, go watch hers. She has been making content on YouTube longer than I have and her posts are really great. So with that being said, let’s begin the video.
Tip 1: Involve them… but don’t overly involve them. This is a tip I have found to work well. One example I can give is with my bidet. I have a video coming very soon on that so make sure you are subscribed and click the bell so you will be notified when that video comes out. The best way to live sustainably is to get others to do the same. I got my bidet as a holiday gift. First off, my dad helped me install it, but we got it for me. With that being said, we still own toilet paper but we use less. And I think because there is a sustainable option very accessible, they have been experimenting with the bidet too.
Tip 2: Buy nothing- this is very simple. Buying nothing cannot increase your carbon footprint. This is of course a good thing. It is pretty straight forward. Just stop asking for stuff. Buy things within reason, for example, keep getting groceries and medicine, and actual things you need. Although there are sustainable ways to do those, focus on the big things. Don’t buy useless plastic toys, or cards with glitter, or stuff you legit don’t need. You will save money too, so you can’t lose.
Tip 3: Teach them as you learn- this is simple. As an environmentalist, I am still learning every single day. So whenever I learn a new fact or concept I tell them. They love learning new things because who doesn’t. Also, if they do something unsustainable, teach them rather than yelling at them. I’m still working on this every day, for sure.
Tip 4: Watch Netflix (or YouTube!) with them (Emma touched on this)- There are so many Netflix documentaries, movies, and shows that focus on the climate crisis. To name a few, you could watch The Green Lie, Deforestation Affects Everything, Kiss the Ground (which I have recommended before), Brave Blue World: Racing to Solve Our Water Crisis, Our Planet, Plastic Wars, A Life on Our Planet, Mission Blue, A Plastic Ocean, Down to Earth, When Two Worlds Collide, Chasing Coral, or I am Greta if you have Hulu. And there are so many more options. I haven’t even watched half of them so it looks like my family is gonna have some fun movie nights.
Tip 5: Compost- composting is relatively simple. You can build a backyard compost without any cost. My dad did this and actually was the first person who taught the family how to compost. It is easier than ever. And that brings me to my next point.
Tip 6: Grow a small garden with them. This was something I did again with my dad. I did it for the first time this summer. I only grew like six plants because it was my first time, but I plan to do even more this year. Gardening is not only something all ages can enjoy, but also helps the planet a lot. Grow food so it can be completely local and organic and seasonal and not overly expensive.
Tip 7: Replace your shampoo and conditioner with bars once your bottles are done- I don’t know why this came to mind, but experiment with more sustainable alternatives. When you are done (I repeat: when you are done!) with a shampoo, conditioner, or body wash and hand soap even, replace it with a more Earth-friendly alternative. Making these kinds of switches that are small and simple but very impactful can open the door to sustainability and help them grow an interest. They often can’t tell a difference between a sustainable choice and a non-sustainable choice except for the impact of course.
Tip 8: Make them vegan meals- This is also a fun idea. They don’t have to go fully vegan (neither do you which can be hard as a kid) but when they go grocery shopping, go with them. This way you can encourage them to buy food that is in season (it’s cheaper too!), food with a lower carbon footprint, food that grows near you, a food with minimal packaging, and tell them to buy plants! This way a vegan diet will be more accessible for you. Then, offer to cook dinner. There are plenty of simple meals that you can make of just plants! And they taste great! Then as you become more experienced in the kitchen with vegetables, you can make them vegan burgers, or desserts, or anything. You can make vegan anything! My brother is not vegan, but we have a lot of good vegan meals already made so he eats them and can appreciate vegan food.
Tip 9: Look into connecting to a solar farm- this is one that you will definitely need some help with from parents or people you live with. Again, do the research for them! You do the hard part and they can follow. This is definitely a more advanced tip but definitely worth trying!
Tip 10: Get them sustainable gifts for their birthdays or holidays- If you are a nice person and want to buy people gifts, the best gifts-- and really the only gifts I would buy others-- are sustainable ones. Buy them something reusable that they don’t already have. Or buy them something consumable. If you haven’t seen my video about the sustainable gifts I got throughout 2021, you can go check that out here. Hope it gives you some inspiration.
Tip 11: Tell them you want to walk home- This is something you have ultimate authority over. If it is within reason, tell them you want to walk or bike. I did this this year. I walk to and from school whenever I go there. This will save on emissions substantially. Especially if your parent has to go out of their own way to get you to school. It saves their time and it saves your planet.
Tip 12: Read books- this is something I do with my mom. Every night we read together. We read books specifically about the planet. This helps our bond and relationship and also helps keep us educated. We are currently reading The Future We Choose which I have talked about before. I’ve been reading it for like 3 months because I’m also reading it for a book club. That's why I also included it in my gifts of 2020 video.
Tip 13: Take their hand-me-downs and do clothing swaps with them. This is a great way to prevent the need to buy new clothes which can be very harmful to the planet. By sharing, you get a bigger wardrobe and prevent clothes from going to a landfill. I strongly suggest it. I share a lot of clothing with my mom and take the majority of my brother’s clothes as he grows out of them. (The shirt I am wearing right now was his!)
Tip 14: Find them sustainable alternatives- Whenever my parents want to buy something, they almost immediately turn to Amazon. Before they impulse buy, I like to stop them to, first of all, make sure they have good intentions with what they consume. Then I show them a more environmentally friendly option. Whether that means natural ingredients, zero waste, vegan, local, or whatever, there is almost always a better choice than amazon. It’s just slightly less convenient which is why I again do the research for them.
Tip 15: Be patient with them (don’t make it a toxic experience)- I can get very frustrated with my entire family because these activities can take a while to become a “go-to habit”. I find myself yelling at my family multiple times a day telling them to turn off the lights, use cold water to wash dishes, or buy the vegan version of whatever food. It is important to remember this is a new way of life for them, They have lived decades doing completely different things. I am grateful for all of their efforts.
Tip 16: Bring a container when you go out to dinner (bring reusable bags… take responsibility)- This is an important tip that can be very impactful. When you go out to dinner or the grocery store, be responsible and take action by bringing reusable grocery bags or containers. This will assure that you don’t need any wasteful plastic or styrofoam or anything. Also, if you randomly take out a reusable container after dinner, that will leave an impact.
Tip 17: Offer to do the chores so you can do them sustainably- This is one of my favorite ways to save the planet. I offer to do the dishes so that I can avoid wasting water. There are numerous chores that you can do around the house in more sustainable ways. If the chore is done in the end, it doesn’t really matter how it is done. I just chose to do it to avoid being bothered by wasting water.
I hope this was a helpful video. I’m going to leave you all here. Again, please go check out Emma The Simple Environmentalist. She is easily one of my favorite YouTubers. If you enjoyed this video and actually made it this far, please consider subscribing, leaving a like and comment, and sharing the video. And make sure you click the bell while you’re there. Until next time, peace.
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