Sustainability - December
We have reached the end of 2020.
Many people thought it would never come, but here we are. Although 2020 was a tough year on many levels, it was also a beautiful year full of adventure, growth, and (thanks to the goals that I set) sustainability.
I set a looser theme for December than I did for the other months but one that I felt was particularly appropriate since it is the end of the year. I decided to focus on reflection.
Reflecting on the progress I have made in 2020 started out pretty naturally. I ended up having several conversations with friends and family members early in the month about all the things I have learned during this year focused on sustainability. As I shared with them, and discussed a lot of the important issues that I now care deeply about, I was shocked to see how much I have knowledge I have gained (and remembered!). The information that I have shared in my posts (or even the information from all of them combined) only represent a fraction of what I have learned and the research that I have done.
These conversations that I had at the beginning of this month also helped to solidify just how important sustainability has become to me. It has definitely become one of my major values, and something that plays a part in just about every decision. I plan to carry my focus on sustainability forward into 2021 - and all other years for that matter.
I also found it interesting to see that as Christmas and my birthday rolled around, almost everyone either acknowledged my personal focus on sustainability or got me something to help me live an even more sustainable life. While I didn’t necessarily expect this, it was nice to see. I appreciated the time and effort that those closest to me put into giving me intentional gifts that support my values. It was also nice to see the impact that my sustainability project has had on them. Even if they haven’t set about systematically reevaluating their life as I have, sustainability is now something that they are thinking about and engaging with in a new way - at least where I am concerned.
And that increased awareness is the first step for many of us to live a more sustainable life.
This month I also re-read How to Give Up Plastic: A Guide to Changing the World, One Plastic Bottle at a Time, the book that I read in 2019 that inspired me to think about sustainability in a new way and to spend a whole year focused on it.
Most of the information in the book I have read again in other places this year, both through other books and my hours of research. As I read the book again, I was struck by how much it didn’t stand out against everything else that I have read this year. Whereas when I first read it, it had the power to dramatically change the course of this year and in some ways, my life.
The part of the book that most stood out to me when I first read it and that motivated me to action, barely registered this time through. But that’s okay. I have learned and grown so much that, of course it made a different impact on me this time around. I was also more attuned to notice that the book only really discusses the issue of plastic pollution - when the issues surrounding sustainability are much larger. And that is something that I really only came to understand and recognize through all of the additional learning I have done in 2020.
I also spent some time this month analyzing and assessing the habits I have established, the products I have bought, and the changes I have made over the last year. I did this both for the sake of reviewing all of them, but also to ensure that they are all things that I want to carry with me into the new year and beyond.
I won’t go over all of those things here, but pretty much universally, I have decided that yes, all of the new sustainable habits, items, and changes are things that will continue to serve me. And they will allow me to continue to live out my values in the future.
In my review, I did note that some products that I buy now are more expensive, and certain tasks that take longer, and things that I have to do that I didn’t before. But, I decided, even if these things do take more time and effort and energy, it is worth it - for the sake of my life, and the planet.
And if we’re being honest, trying to save even fractional amounts of time, effort, and energy is what has caused many of the environmental problems in the world to begin with.
Sustainability is not a “one and done” thing. It is something that I will keep learning about and practicing in all the years to come. But the work I have done this year and the knowledge I have gained, have helped to lay the perfect foundation.
Until next time,