Damn, loud WWF footprint calculator we would need 3.33 Earths if the entire human race were to "live as large a footprint" as I do. Yet I don't have a car, live in a multi-family, low-energy house, eat very little meat and it's been a while since my last long-haul flight, and I would never board a cruise ship. And yet: there are 3.33 earths in the room that we don't have. And somehow, at that moment, it feels like it would be easier to make Mars habitable than to save our planet by making small adjustments to my everyday life. Is it perhaps already too late, not five to twelve, but long after twelve? This feeling creeps in that I haven't known for so long: the shame of leaving this ailing planet to my child while I smear the next avocado on my toast.
I'm probably not alone in feeling this way; my friends are all diligently using their jute bags instead of plastic bags, cycling and vacationing in Toggenburg this fall instead of South Africa. And yet - when I hear about the conversion to menstrual cups for environmental reasons for the 38th time, I get angry. Or when Leo DiCaprio is stylized as the pope of the environment while at the same time polluting the world's oceans with his giant yacht. The almost flirtatious celebration of flight shame without changing anything about our behavior makes me angry. We live as if we don't know any better - and I actually don't believe that we as individuals can save this earth. Instead, we should hold politicians and companies, the big players, more accountable. We should vote sustainably or make policy ourselves, boycott companies that don't care about sustainability and support those that do. And if we don't save the world by doing so, we should set an example to our children for a more careful use of resources. I don't like to point fingers, but when asked about my tips for a more sustainable life, the following comes to mind:
What I didn't realize:
Online videos are CO2 guzzlers. (So it's better to watch the video just once and then pass it on). Before your next series marathon, consider whether a book might do the trick that evening. The novels by Sally Rooney.
Which I was aware of, but with these simple tricks
in everyday life:
Animal products are by far the most environmentally damaging part of the diet, eat more fruit and vegetables. Seasonal and local products are generally the most sustainable. Get this seasonal calendar. If you buy exotic fruit, buy it with an organic label and from fair trade. With citrus fruits, you should make sure that they have been grown in the warm regions of Europe. Onions, potatoes, leeks and carrots are safe to eat all year round. Chinese cabbage, lamb's lettuce, cabbage and celeriac are also in season here almost all year round. Write a menu plan for the week on Sundays to reduce food waste. And buy ugly vegetables too - true values and all that ... Unfortunately, I rarely have time to shop at the market, so the vegetable subscriptions that many farms now offer are great. Drink good Swiss tap water with cucumber, ginger and berries in it.
I always want to remind myself of this:
My closet also contains fast-fashion pieces. However, the older I get, the more value I place on pieces that I invest more in, that I cherish and care for and that I wear for years. Pieces that only become really beautiful with patina. Invest in a good shoemaker and a skilled alterations tailor instead of constantly buying new things. I may not be making any friends at this point, but - online retail has turned shopping into a pastime. You wait at the doctor's, at the hairdresser's, on the streetcar and quickly order a sweater, oh, that shirt is really cute too and those trousers are on sale. The virtual shopping basket is full in no time at all, it's so easy and you don't have to lug anything around - until the parcel arrives at home and you realize that you don't actually need any of it. Bulk orders and full returns are a burden for the company and the environment that can be spared for both. My trick: before I send off my order, I do something else first, a little breathing meditation or a load of laundry (which immediately makes me realize how much stuff I already have). In the meantime, the shopping frenzy passes and I look at my shopping cart with sober eyes. I don't want to force anyone to go without - hello, I work for a fashion magazine - but I do want to encourage more conscious action. I want to think more often about where and what I buy.
I want to buy more fairly produced clothing and support companies that produce sustainably. I want to buy more second-hand clothes, used clothes are great for passing on to friends or to kids. I would like us to inform ourselves more and act accordingly. Because we can do that these days if we want to.
