During the season of giving, I tend to reflect on the year and ponder what good I have or have not done for the community. Most of the time, I think about my carbon footprint and how I could reduce it. With the constant fear of climate change peering over all of our backs, it’s easy to feel guilty about the amount we consume and waste. The underconsumption movement has been under the spotlight recently, which is great from an environmental standpoint. However, this rise in being mindful of waste management has caused people to shame others for not being as sustainable. No matter how hard you try to retain your carbon footprint, it is sometimes out of your hands.
Most of the man-made carbon footprint comes from large corporations that mass-manufacture products. In 2024, the estimated carbon emissions reached 41.6 billion tons, one billion more than last year. Although this sentiment is widely known, there are plenty of smaller-scale ways to make a sustainable choice.
Sometimes, the most sustainable option doesn’t exist when going out for food or a snack. In most coffee shops, all cups are one-use plastic cups, whether you are dining in or not. Although this seems like a small aspect of poor waste management, thousands of plastic cups are being thrown away after just one use, only to be intact for thousands of years in landfills or oceans.
There aren’t many options to counteract this unsustainability; regardless, it still hurts. However, in some coffee shops, you can bring a reusable coffee cup instead of using a plastic one. Another option is supporting local coffee shops with reusable cups and mugs.
If going out to eat doesn’t seem like a great way to lower food waste, then making food at home is the option most people prefer. However, when going to the grocery store, every sale you see depends on buying more food. The slogans “buy two, get one free” and “buy one, get one 50% off” are scattered across every shelf. Stores are begging consumers to buy more; sometimes, the opportunity is too good to lose. When coming across these sales, I always ask myself if I would have gotten the item even if it was not on sale. I put it back on the shelf if I didn’t think I would have gotten it.
Not only do grocery stores and cafes make it difficult to make sustainable choices, but the fashion industry does the same. Nowadays, most affordable clothing is made incredibly cheaply and cannot withstand wear for more than a year. It isn’t realistic for people to invest exclusively in expensive, high-quality clothing, but spending money on replacing cheap items is also costly. Unfortunately, fast fashion is the only option some people have.
When looking for high-quality, inexpensive clothing, I tend to get my items secondhand, whether searching my local Goodwill and thrift stores or visiting second-hand sites like Depop. But searching for a good find can be time-consuming, and not every store will have what you’re looking for. Thrifting is always a gamble, but it’s how I have come across my most cherished pieces in my closet.
Everywhere you look, global warming warnings are covered by popup ads of the latest sale at your local Publix. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the need to reduce your carbon footprint and just as easy to feel guilty about not doing so. Therefore, it’s necessary to take a deep breath and realize that, sometimes, it’s not your fault.