A while back I made a video (hyperlink) where I talked about some of my pet peeves that harm the planet. Today, I thought I would continue that list and talk about more of my biggest pet peeves in terms of the environment. Enjoy! (And if you can, avoid doing all of these...)
Buying plastic plants for the eco aesthetic- I have a number of friends who also consider themselves environmentalists. Unfortunately, so many people look at the eco-friendly lifestyle as more of an aesthetic, rather than a way to save the environment. One particular instance was not too long ago. I had a friend who wanted a houseplant for her bedroom and her first instinct was to look at Amazon for fake plants. This is anything but sustainable.
When people leave battery-operated objects on- I have realized this is a huge pet peeve of mine. I find myself turning off anything that runs on batteries the second I’m done using it. Because of this, when people leave battery-operated objects on, I get super frustrated. This happens a lot with our kitchen scale. It really doesn’t make the biggest difference to save a few seconds of battery life, but I think it adds up significantly.
When people judge vegan food before trying it- Aside from people eating meat on top of meat on top of dairy on top of the meat (another pet peeve-- when people eat huge amounts of animal products), when people don’t even give vegan food a chance I get extremely mad. My brother, for instance, will eat plenty of vegan replacements without even knowing they’re vegan. However, the second you tell him that food is vegan, he pretends to gag or insult the food.
My teachers who are going back to paper… and the notes in my math class- Where I live, we have begun the transition to go back to a more regular school schedule. Unfortunately, with this, a lot of teachers are taking the opportunity to start printing papers again. This is so frustrating because, in a typical year, we go through tons of paper. Literally pounds per person! This year looked different because so many things were virtual. In a typical year, we run out of our yearly supply of paper between January and April. (Yes, we literally went into paper debt!) This year things were different, and I am sad some teachers aren’t using this as a turning point to go paper-free.
Long showers… and not turning off the water for shampoo/soap/conditioner- In Spanish class not too long ago, we were talking about showering #reflexiveverbs #meducho
Multiple kids answered with anywhere from 20-25 minutes! I’m not completely oblivious to the real world, and I know there are people out there who do this, but I didn’t know it could be considered “normal”. I personally get extremely anxious hearing the water run so this is a huge pet peeve.
The lights on when there is any light outside- I am weird and need to admit that. I wake up at five in the morning before the sun is up and as long as I’m the only one up I usually don’t turn on the lights. If I’m the only one at home at night, you’d easily find me in a dark room. But again, that might just be me. The pet peeve for me is when the lights are on when the sun is out. I always find myself running around the house chasing lights. Unless you are trying to do something that requires a lot of precision and hand-eye coordination, try keeping the light off.
When people buy books- Last on the list today is when people buy books. I have no problem with books themselves. I think they are essential to learning especially about topics like saving the planet or personal development. Or simply reading a nice story. The thing is, every time you buy a book, you are demanding another tree to be cut down. It bothers me A LOT when people don’t exhaust their other options first. Prioritize your local library, borrowing a book from a friend, or finding an online copy. There are so many more sustainable options. (Plus you save money!)
With all of this being said, I could probably list another five or ten environmental pet peeves that I come across every day. If you would like to see part three of this, let me know. I hope you found this enjoyable or entertaining, and at least if you see me in real life, try not to do the things. Not only will you avoid annoying me, but you’ll also help the planet significantly. Until next time, peace.