When I started this column a little over a year ago, I wanted it to be a space for me to unpack some of my opinions on sustainable living and share some of the things I have learned over the past few years. Little did I know that this column would turn into a place where I would educate myself on topics that I assumed were perfectly “green” and climate-conscious.
Sure, things like greenwashing, microplastics, the ethics of fast-fashion brands — even issues within the veganism movement, were all things that I felt an unexplainable duty to shed some light on. But this column has also explored other topics that were written and researched purely out of my own curiosity. What if my houseplants cause harm? What if my chocolate addiction affected more than the health of my teeth? Asking these kinds of questions forced me to dive deep into topics that I wouldn’t have considered researching, and there is still so much to learn. So if there is something that I didn’t touch on but you are curious about its sustainability of it or want to advocate for some greener alternatives, I encourage you to look into it, spend some time researching, and submit an article to The Cascade of your own!
I don’t want to be another millennial preaching that the world is ending, shouting that everyone sucks and that unless we all change everything in our lives, we might as well change nothing. I have learned while writing this column that almost everything that is convenient in the modern world produces and creates some kind of negative effect on our environment. We aren’t living in a zero-waste society that puts sustainability before profit and power. The point of this column wasn’t to scare you, it was to inspire you — inspire you to make one change in your life and give you a variety of issues and reasonable sustainable solutions to choose from.
I had a great conversation with a professor last week about the importance of making small changes — tangible and realistic changes in accordance with our own individual lives, in whatever stage of it we are. I think that this point is incredibly important to remind ourselves of as I wrap up this column. Although I am in a privileged position where I am able to make large changes in my life, sometimes I forget my reusable bags at the grocery store, sometimes I buy clothes new instead of second-hand, and sometimes I purchase chocolate without double-checking the company’s ethical policies. If we put pressure on ourselves to be perfect every second of our lives, in every aspect of our lives, we will never keep up with those changes long-term. It would simply be unrealistic to expect everyone (and anyone for that matter) to be 100 per cent sustainable.
So I challenge you to choose one thing. Choose one thing that is a reasonable and attainable change and stick with it. It doesn’t have to be anything big or groundbreaking, but it should be something that you are willing to commit to change long-term. Over time, you may find yourself being in a place where you can make another change, and then another, and another, and this snowball effect of making more conscious choices over time is how we will see lasting changes in our own lives, but also as a collective group. Mother Nature is counting on us, so remember to be realistic with how quickly you make her promises of change if you aren’t going to be able to commit to them. Start with one thing, and then build upon it.
Sydney is a BA English major, creative writing student, who has been a content contributor for The Cascade and is now the Opinion editor. In 7th grade, she won $100 in a writing contest but hasn’t made an earning from writing since. In the meantime, she is hoping that her half-written novels will write themselves, be published, and help pay the bills.