24 Habits To Turn Eco-Anxiety Into Eco-Conscious

I recently saw the term “eco-anxiety” and I haven’t related this much to a word in a very long time. It is a term that describes “feeling overwhelmed with the existential challenge of climate change”. One of my favourite quotes from this year is:

“We have two homes: the Earth and our bodies. Take care of them”

Luckily, my training and journey of personal growth has taught me that when faced with the fear of the unknown, first acknowledge what you’re feeling and allow yourself to feel it, and then channel those emotions into something meaningful. That’s when I reminded myself that although I am feeling helpless at the moment, I should focus on what I can control – which are adopting lifestyle behaviours, habits, and mindset that can contribute to a livable Earth for the children of today and tomorrow. That’s when I decided to take action, and share it with others so that hopefully they can be inspired to do the same. 

Imagine what we can do together. The past cannot be changed, but our future can. 

Strap in folks – this is a relatively long list. That just means that you have a lot of options on how you want to add to your lifestyle. I also love how a lot of these hacks save you money, AND is beneficial for your personal health directly. It’s what people in the business like to call a “win-win-win”. 

In the laundry room

1. Wait until you have a full load to do your laundry. If you need certain small items to be cleaned quickly, consider hand washing them or combining your load with others who live in the same household. 
2. Use cold water to wash your clothes (not just the black ones!). I’m not sure where this started, but the notion of needing to use warm or hot water to have clean clothes is a myth. 
3. Invest in eco-friendly detergents like Seventh Generation and Eco Max, or make your own using Dr. Bronners liquid castile soap. If you have a front load washer, I highly recommend using the Smart Klean laundry ball. No chemicals, lasts a very long time, saves you money in the long run, and also is the only thing that has gotten out stubborn gym smells from my workout gear. 
4. Skip the dryer sheets. Trust me, you don’t need them. 
5. If the weather and type of garment allows it, consider air drying your laundry (including shoes, floor mats, thick blanket, etc). This can be indoors using drying racks or railings, or outdoors using rope or another feasible drying surface.

In the kitchen 

1. Turn off your tap when washing dishes. It bothers me to no end when I see the water running while people are scrubbing their pots and pans. The tap needs only to be on when you’re rinsing your dishes (and you should also save that until the end, so you can do it all at once). 
2. Wash vegetables and fruit in a big mixing bowl in the sink. Don’t dump it out after you have washed your produce! Use this water to soak your dirty dishes or wash off residue until you are ready to clean them. 
3. Compost whatever you can every time. This INCLUDES things like shredded paper and egg cartons! You can also use a lot of compost for your plants, such as egg shells for calcium (fun fact: it looks like there are eggs incubating in the soil around all of my house plants).
4. When eating takeout at home, use your own cutlery instead of the plastic ones that come with it. Better yet, just bring your own cutlery in your bag, so you can eliminate the use of plastic everywhere you go. Note: this doesn’t mean go out and buy fancy “to go” cutlery – I literally mean put a fork and spoon from your kitchen in a bag or wrap it in a cloth, and place that into whatever bag you use the most when going to work or out.
5. Re-use your dishes. This may be disgusting to some, but often times I use the same container and utensils that I bring to work for lunch as my dinner cutlery. Give it a quick rinse after eating lunch to make sure stains don’t set and you’re all set to use them again.
6. Buy local whenever possible. I guarantee your local farmer’s market needs your $5 more than No Frills does, and you get much fresher produce. 

In the bathroom

1. I always thought the phrase “If it’s brown, flush it down. If it’s yellow, let it mellow” only applied to cottages with bad plumbing, but then I thought to myself “Why shouldn’t I be doing this everyday?”. We are privileged to have plumbing period (I learned this first hand when volunteering in Haiti), so why not take advantage of that while also saving money AND caring for the environment. I pee at least 3 times in the same bowl before I flush (TMI? Sorry). 
2. Convert to bar soaps and shampoos if you can, or purchase bulk size bottles and find out whether you can refill these bottles with the same product (note: Toronto actually has opened a new zero waste shop in 2019 called Unboxed Market). This significantly reduces the waste build up from throwing away the bottles, and most often times you can buy these in bulk.
3. Invest in facial products you can feel good about using. As someone who has experienced skin issues almost her entire life, I get how hesitant one can be about changing up their routine. I started small by changing one thing at a time and gave it at least 2-3 weeks to see if my skin agreed with it. I personally like products from Sukin (who create carbon neutral products!!!), Acure, and Andalou.

For your period

1. Yes, this one deserves a section on it’s own because it is 100% worth it. Consider switching to a menstrual cup along with reusable pads (such as Luna or Tree Hugger cloth pads) instead of using pads and tampons. I’m not even exaggerating when I say the Diva Cup has changed my life, and I think it’s the best female based product that exists. There are other reputable menstrual cups that are great, but the Diva Cup is just the only one I’ve personally experienced. By switching over, you cut down on your exposure to chemicals in a very sensitive area and reduce your feminine hygiene product waste (which, if you think about, is A LOT over the lifetime of the average female – average 3 per day x 5 days per month x 12 months in year x minimum 30 years of your period = A LOT (5400 pads/tampons to be exact, and this is being conservative). And that’s just one female). 

Around the house

1. Adopt a “one on, one off” mentality. Every time you turn on a light, turn off another. For example, when you go to the washroom, both your room light and the washroom light do not need to be on.
2. Vinegar is a power house cleaner. Combine with water as an excellent mirror (my favourite for this, actually), table top, and tile floor cleaner (add dish soap for this last one). Combine with baking soda as an awesome way to get rid of grime, rust, and other stubborn stains. 
3. Congregate to the same room as your family/roommates, so that only one room light has to be on. I like my personal space as much as the next person, but when you’re living in a 5 person house and everyone is in their own room, that’s 5 different lights on when it can be only 1 or 2. 

In life 

1. Buy plants as gifts instead of other material things – for yourself, for others, for your friendly neighbour (cue Oprah: “You get a plant, You get a plant, EEEEeveryone gets a plant!”). Plants help use up CO2 and also filter the air. Name a more thoughtful gift than clean air, I dare you.
2. Get your new threads from your friend’s closets or good quality second hand shops. Stop the consumerism cycle and the tonnes of waste caused by fast fashion. I almost exclusively buy from amazing “pre-loved” places such as Plato’s Closet, Kind Exchange, and my friend’s closets at a significant fraction of the cost. As an example, I found the dress that I wore to my brother’s wedding for $20.
3. Drink tap water and always have a reusable bottle with you. This is a loose recommendation, because whether drinking tap water is safe or not definitely depends on where you are in the world (and even where you are in the city). But here’s what I love about tap water – 1) it’s free, and 2) it significantly decreases your plastic exposure from plastic water bottles (which mess up with your ability to lose weight, have children, and even manage your stress, on top of being awful for the environment). I leave a reusable bottle at work that I rinse out for water, tea or coffee depending on what I’m feeling.
4. Purchase your essentials in bulk whenever you can. This reduces mini trips to the store to grab things you know you will need on a daily basis, including toothpaste, soap, toilet paper, etc. 
5. Plan out your route and try to combine your errands on the same day. For example, every time I have an appointment, I think about the area I’m in and what else I can accomplish that day, whether it be catching up with an old friend, purchasing things only found at a particular store near there, or evening combining multiple appointments in one day. That way, I can feel good about being productive, and I don’t have to spend more (money and emissions) on travel costs another day.
6. Decrease your online shopping. If you have to, wait until you have multiple items instead of ordering one thing at a time. It’s the same box and tissue paper whether you buy one bottle or five. Better yet, keep a running list of things that you need and keep those in mind for days when you have errands (see #5).

I always say that it’s progress over perfection. Living environmentally friendly does not have to be overwhelming or seem unattainable, and is certainly not an “all or nothing” ordeal. Any efforts you make towards being more conscious about your decisions (regarding both the environment and your health) matters. Don’t ever doubt that small changes make a big difference. 

Do you have any suggestions that you don’t see here? I’d love to hear them. Connect with me on social media on Instagram and Facebook. 

Disclaimer: I am based out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and many of these suggestions relate to living in an urban, first world environment. This is article is meant to be an informative opinion piece only. I have not received any financial benefit or compensation for mentioning specific brand names listed here – they were meant solely to share from a personal perspective.