How to Make Eco-Conscious Choices Every Day
Distrito Fijo Club de Ciclismo in CDMX, A local coffee shop and small business that fixes bicycles.
One of my favorite books, Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lee, talks a lot about how our much our daily surroundings impact our attitudes, perspectives, sensory experiences and mental health. She makes a great point about how our modern environment has been almost entirely designed to make our daily lives as easy and comfortable as possible. While this has obvious benefits, it can also work against our very survival as a species.
Back in our more primal days - long before the conveniences of paved roads, cellphone service and indoor plumbing - our senses were consistently heightened and attuned to our surroundings in order to sense when we were in danger. As I’ve ventured into living a more eco-conscious life, I’ve noticed that it’s when I make the comfortable, habitual and somewhat “unconscious” day-to-day decisions that my choices have the most damaging impact on the planet. For example, when I go to a restaurant and it’s not until the end of a meal when there is still food on my plate that I realize I over-ordered and now have to a) waste food that likely won’t be composted and result in excess methane in our atmosphere or b) receive a to-go container that may or may-not be styrofoam or otherwise un-recyclable due to food contamination…damn.
The thing is, especially given that our environment is working against our own consciousness, we can’t be expected to think through all the pros and cons of every decision we make all day every day. It makes me tired just to think about. So, I put together a flexible set of guidelines that I can do my best to abide by in my day-to-day life and when I travel, to ensure that the choices I make are as sustainable as possible.
eco-conscious living guidelines
Avoid Fast Fashion — You can read in great detail about why fast fashion is harmful to the environment in this article. To make following this guideline easy, I keep a list of brands to avoid top-of-mind when shopping and always try to shop vintage/thrift and buy brands I know are eco-conscious. I recommend you unsubscribe from emails from and unfollow the companies you know aren’t doing the environment any good, so your feeds are only sharing information with you that you can feel good about.
Eat Plant-Based and/or Farm-to-Table — I love food, there’s no buts about it. Some basic guidelines I set for myself are to follow a plant-based diet whenever possible, because the animal by-product industry wreaks havoc on the environment (to learn about eco-friendly ways to eat meat, read this). I always try to shop at farmer’s markets to ensure the produce I purchase didn’t have far to travel. For eating out, I focus on eating at farm and sea-to-table restaurants that put a big emphasis on sustainable practices. A huge bonus for this is that you almost always get the freshest seafood and flavorful seasonal produce, making for unforgettable meals!
Avoid Single-Use-Plastics — If you’re a frequent reader, you know that single-use-plastics are the arch-nemesis to our environment. They fill up landfills and oceans like it’s going out of style (which, for the record, it is). When traveling and in everyday life, I usually always have a reusable water bottle, coffee cup and shopping bag in tow. Bonus items are a straw and reusable cutlery for places like street fairs and farmer’s markets where I’ll be sampling food and drinks. For some of the chicest reusables, check out my recommendations here.
Support Local Businesses — This guideline isn’t news, we all know there are myriad benefits to keeping money in local economies. But, don’t forget to apply this concept when you’re venturing out. Shopping and eating local are great ways to immerse yourself in local culture, supporting the local economy and being eco-friendly. It’s a win-win-win!
Purchase Carbon Off-Sets — Because emitting carbon is sometimes unavoidable, if you can afford to, purchasing carbon off-sets is a no-brainer way to ensure that somewhere out in the world, your emissions are being combatted by organizations dedicated to reducing carbon in the atmosphere. This applies to more than just air and car travel, it’s possible to purchase emissions that off-set many everyday life choices. Read this article for my three favorite places to buy carbon off-sets.
There are plenty of other ways to help combat climate change and make eco-conscious choices. Following these guidelines is just a simple way to start putting yourself on eco-friendly autopilot so that you don’t fret or agonize over every choice you make.
