My Best Advice
If you want permanent lifestyle changes, you have to do it slowly and incrementally. You have to know your why. And then you have to understand everything top down, back to front. Yes, it is a lot. But after a while, it really becomes second nature. Just like anything, there is a learning curve.
I started to wake up to this in 2007, and since then it has been a slow and steady learning curve. The bulk of my knowledge acquirement was probably in the first three years, then it was about learning the best solutions to all the mountains of problems that we face daily. For me, it started out with food, then plastic/rubbish waste, then clothing (living minimalist). Then it got to be more specific: locally-sourced organic foods for a greater impact; solid and concentrates for personal hygiene and household cleaners, and then it was going out of my way to support social enterprises. Baby steps. Normally, I am an all-or-nothing type of person but given the era that I started, pre-smart phones, pre-internet-everywhere, information was hard to come by, it was all learned first hand, and there definitely were not YouTubers breaking things down. I think the only positive back then was there was less misinformation floating around, but there was also less information in general. My background in science helped me access some scientific journals to start with, but in general, I was also surrounded by people who had excellent book recommendations. The first book I read about sustainability was The China Study. And I was inspired by BBC’s Blue Planet, Planet Earth, and my new hobby of scuba diving and freediving.
So, what’s your why?
Is it food?
This is not a be vegan campaign, it is a meet you where you are situation. Do you want learn more about where to source happy meats? Are you on the fence and need more information before deciding? Do you want to vegetarian/vegan but having a hard time? Are you finding that you are allergic to new things?
Do you have little human on the way?
I cannot speak from personal experience, but I have a few eco warrior mom friends who are in and have been through baby until kindergarten. By knowing them, I can tell you that when new parents start their eco discovery for the sake of their child, they are the fiercest. To cloth diaper or not to cloth diaper is a biggie. Living in a toxic-free home is the highest importance as babies start exploring their floors and walls. Then it is responsible clothing. And responsible and developmental toys that kids will actually play with.
Is it reducing your rubbish footprint?
We use plastic, we rely on it, we eat it. Things come in glass and aluminum cans and plastic bottles. Takeaway food and drink in styrofoam and plastic. Groceries get double bagged, and single items get bagged. Unless you consciously make an effort, the default mode for most shops and food vendors is trash rubbish and more plastic. In Singapore, sometimes it is a straight-up battle for them to even use your takeaway cup. I think zero waste is, unfortunately, an impossible task, but there is no reason why we all can’t attempt a low-waste lifestyle.
The best way to reduce your rubbish footprint is to be prepared and to carry what you need with you. You can do this for free, using what you have a home: glass Tupperware, mugs, spare drink bottles, utensils, cloth/canvas bags. But for those corporates reading this who can’t be carrying a backpack full of supplies, an investment of $250 is all your really need in order to go low-waste daily, compact, and lightweight.
Are you shocked to learn about the issues and injustices affecting society and people around the world?
With social media, there is soon to be no way for corporates and governments to hide from their unfair and immoral treatment of the people who work for them. It is not just typically limited to the working-class industries, but suit and tie industries as well. Covid has thought us how essential frontline workers which include: farmers, delivery people, baristas, servers, grocery store clerks, to name the obvious. Around the world, we are seeing the exploitation of everyday people as the chief executives of whatevers get richer. “We blame society, but we are society” summarised Wilber Alberto. So as long as we choose the convenient, we will continue to support big corporations and add to the inequity of the world. We need to take responsibility for the role we play, learn, and evolve.
