Peer to Peer: Creating the New Normal

Beginning a more eco-friendly lifestyle can be overwhelming and stressful at times, especially if you are going through the journey alone. When no one else in your life is trying to change their daily habits it’s very easy to remain in the same routine of consumerism. Throughout your journey it’s important to remember that you are not alone. Even if you are the only person in your town changing your lifestyle to become more eco friendly there are thousands of other people around the world doing the same thing! Most days I turn to social media to learn how I can continue making better decisions for the planet. Here are some of my favorite accounts to follow on Instagram: 

  1. @livewithlesswaste 

  2. @going.zero.waste 

  3. @simply_sustainable_blog 

  4. @maxlamanna 

  5. @venetiafalconer 

  6. @gretathunberg 

  7. @lesswastelaura 

  8. @plantedinthewoods

And there are sooooo many more people out there that you can follow for daily inspiration because, let’s be honest, being eco friendly isn’t always the easiest thing. 

However, the more we continue to reduce and reuse, the more people around you will begin to notice. Recently while listening to a podcast about creating less waste I heard the slogan “Peer to Peer: Creating the new normal” and this really inspired me. The more that we stay committed to our eco friendly lifestyle then the more those around us will notice. If we can help “create a new normal” within our family and friends that is a huge step! 

So what exactly is the new normal? Well here are a few idea: 

  1. Using reusable shopping bags instead of the plastic or paper bags at the store.

  2. Avoiding the small produce bags at the store (they are truly unnecessary)

  3. Using a reusable water bottle or cup when going out. 

  4. Asking to NOT have a plastic straw put in your drink when you’re out at a bar or restaurant.

  5. Educating yourself on what is recyclable and how to properly recycle in your community. Remember each town has different policies for recycling.

  6. Finding ways to compost your food scraps and other materials from your home rather than throwing things away. that will be sent to landfill.   

  7. Buying less throughout the year and cherishing what you already own. 

  8. Learning to repair what you own rather than buying new (ex: learning how to darn socks and repair clothing) 

  9. Swapping for homemade cleaning materials rather than buying the more toxic cleaning chemicals. 

  10. When you do need something check out your local thrift stores first rather than buying brand new. 

  11. Eat less meat and dairy throughout your week to help the environment and to improve your health. 

  12. Buying less plastic and/or reusing the plastic you already have in your home. 

These are some simple steps that we can all take that would have major impacts on our communities. Just imagine if you were able to lead this type of lifestyle and influence others around you to do the same! 

For years we have all been following the steps of influencers that convince us we need to buy things in order to be happy, but this is so messed up! Creating a lifestyle where we buy less and appreciate what we have is a much better mindset to live with, and it also is highly beneficial to our planet. We all need to start being better influencers of a eco-friendly lifestyle in order to help create the new normal.

Through the past year I have learned that I shouldn’t be shy or embarrassed when I’m talking about my eco-lifestyle and my passions for the earth. For some reason I thought people would be annoyed with me if I mentioned how I make my own cleaning products, or how I started to change my diet to be more eco friendly. Well surprise! No one was annoyed with me! Actually most people find it very interesting because I think everyone truly does want to help the planet but they don’t know where to start. I’ve felt so lucky that I was able to find so many amazing people on social media that helped lead me through theses changes, but a lot of people in my life have not heard of those influencers. So I can do my small part in being a branch that helps those around me see all the different possibilities of an eco-friendly lifestyle and lead them to learn more from people who are WAY better at being eco-friendly than I am. Then together we can all grow to take better care of the ground that we stand on and create the new normal!