Happy Earth Day!

April 19

Environmental Awareness

Happy Earth Day! I love the notion of celebrating nature and renewal. I think this is why I really became a psychologist. When people ask me why I became a psychologist, I tell the story about how I had a friend in middle school who wanted to be a psychologist, so I said to myself, that sounds good. That was it.

 But, over the years, I’ve realized that idea felt so right because I am a psychologist at my core. I think humans are fascinating. I think figuring out who we are, how to find purpose and happiness, and how to grow and make changes is why we’re here.

What does this have to do with Earth Day? I, like many people, consumed during the COVID lock down. This consumption helped make things a little easier and more enjoyable, but when it was over, I looked around and realized that I wasn’t living according to my values. I value not focusing on stuff, not contributing to the landfill, and helping our earth become revitalized. It helped me shift back to buying less and refocus on eco-conscious living. It also led me to learn more about climate anxiety.

If you want to read more about climate anxiety, click here. The bottom line is this, there are things we can do to help reduce our impact on the environment and feel happier in the process. Identify your values, accept what you can’t change, and make a commitment to change what you can through action. If you have identified that supporting a more eco-friendly lifestyle is a commitment you are willing to make, here are some tips to get you started.

Reduce Food Waste And The Carbon Footprint of Food "Travel"

  • Only buy what you need and shop locally
  • Try composting or collect veggie scraps to make vegetable broth (I must admit, this sounds like a lot of work.)
  • Eat more plants than meat and when you eat meat, choose sustainable options like humanely raised and free range
  • It’s likely safe to ignore most expiration dates unless it smells/looks bad

Save Water

  • Wash your clothes on the cold cycle
  • Use the eco-cycle on your dishwasher and washing machine
  • Using the dishwasher over hand washing usually saves more energy and water
  • Some people turn off their water when they soap up in the shower (I can’t do that!)
  • Catch rainwater or even shower water to water your plants (I’m going to try this!)

Go Easy On The Plastic And Paper

  • Use reusable bags or wash and reuse plastic ones
  • Replace items with reusable items when you can with things like this.
  • Try shampoo bars or body bars or use refillable products 
  • Use reusable plates and cups
  • Buy travel utensils and ask restaurants not to give you plastic forks and knives with take out
  • Take packing foam to your local pack-n-mail place
  • Ditch the paper towels and napkins for reusable or use more sustainable brands

Want more ideas?

Read here about Green Flow.

Next time you’re in the office, bring me your used clothing, books, anything that you want to donate or don’t know how to recycle, and I’ll take care of it for you. Bring me your empty beauty supplies, and I’ll send them to Pact (Pact Collective) to dispose of properly. Read The Conscious Closet. Or, just get outside and remember how lucky we are to be on this wonderful planet.

Be peaceful and live with purpose,

Dr. Katrina

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earth day, eco-conscious

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