It has become a tradition here at GFY every Earth Day to talk about what we’re doing to be more mindful of our environment (and also for me to get tips from people about composting in an apartment, which I still have not done). Past chats are here and here and here. And, of course, as the sand has run through the hourglass, it has become more and more clear that the MOST important thing any of us regular dingdongs can do to help with climate change and the planet’s health is vote for people who care about that and who can enact much larger changes than we can. So this is a good reminder that, yes, this is an election year for Americans — I got my voter’s guide on Saturday for the California primary, and I was like, “ALREADY?” — so make sure your registration is up to date! Other than that, I remain interested in hearing what you are doing that is earth-friendly! For me, I obviously already recycle and whatnot (although god knows if what we put in the bin actually gets recycled), but over the past year-ish, I have been trying more often to buy things used rather than new. Some of this is honestly because the flea market by my house is open again and I would always rather buy a groovy old vase than a new one in general, some of it is because during the pandemic I started buying vintage Levis online to help boost my serotonin, and then some of it is because I feel less guilty buying things used than new. I love those wool dryer balls many of you previously suggested. I’ve switched out almost all my Tupperware for glass storage boxes (like when the Tupperware meets its natural end or gets lost, I’m not gleefully tossing out perfectly good plastic bins). (Those are both affiliate links to Public Goods.) A lot of this is, as folks have noted, slightly like the climate change version of security theatre, but you know. I always feel like every little bit helps. So what’s your little bit?
