Earth Day and Conscious Consumerism: 3 Simple, Healthy Ways To Nurture Our Planet

by Kris Francefort

updated April 22, 2024

We just celebrated Earth Day and it occurs to me how rallying around the crucial topic of climate control is so important to bring people together with a common value and mission. We can look at these days of acknowledgement and community as a reset to our daily commitment to care for our planet.

The parties are over. Signs are tucked away in closets. Grandiose words and promises were spoken. How do we each find a way to honor that spirit with our daily choices throughout the year?

How Earth Day Began

Earth Day started in 1970 from the public’s intense interest in Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962). Carson was a marine biologist who showed the devastating effects of people on nature by documenting the effect of modern pesticides on the natural world. 8 years after its publication and many political twists and turns later, the Environmental Protection Agency was formed. Before her 1964 death, Carson’s words mark the connection of humans with nature: “Man’s attitude toward nature is today critically important simply because we have now acquired a fateful power to alter and destroy nature. But man is a part of nature, and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself? [We are] challenged as mankind has never been challenged before to prove our maturity and our mastery, not of nature, but of ourselves.” *

Doing Our Part

I’m inspired by Rachel Carson’s perseverance and how her persistent, lone voice galvanized the world. She showed how one person makes a difference – how we each make our own mark on Earth.

Let’s explore an activity we all take part in frequently throughout our lives that offers us the chance to make a positive impact on our wellness and ecology – shopping! We can level up our thought process by being conscious consumers.

Conscious consumerism means looking at where you’re spending your money. Then making human and eco-friendly choices wherever possible. From the smallest to the largest purchases, there are always options. Once we have awareness, we can make the best choice in that moment for us and the planet.

Take Action

Food

  • Choose local, seasonal, organic foods at the grocery store.
  • Plan ahead for more whole food, plant-based home-cooked meals.
  • Here’s my recipe for a big pot of Vegan Chili. Freeze 2-cup servings in glass containers for meals in a hurry during the week!

Lifestyle

  • Repair, re-use and re-imagine new applications for items you already own instead of purchasing new.
  • When you are considering the purchase of something new, ask yourself a few questions before laying down your cash.
    1. What’s the specific use or need for this item?
    2. Where will I put this item in my home and what other things will need to move to make room for it?
    3. Does this item replace something I already use and if so, could it be repaired?
    4. What will I do with the replaced (old) item? Can it be reused or reimagine a new use in my home? Can it be donated?
  • This is a great exercise to increase awareness and determine true need for something rather than “want”, while helping manage clutter.

Home

  • Finally, once you’ve decided you’re going forward with your purchase, you’ll want to make sure the materials are as human and environmentally friendly as possible (minimal toxic chemicals and ethically-sourced).
  • Remember what you bring in your home will impact air quality (off-gassing – the airborne release of a chemical in vapor form), and physical absorption, especially with clothes and plastics if used for heating food.
  • There are ways of mitigating off-gassing and absorption, which is something we explore in Homemade Health programs.

Turns out what’s good for us is also good for Earth!

 

* For a more in-depth history of Rachel Carsen, the USA history around EPA creation, and current status of Earth Day, check out these sources

Photo by Amy Shamblen on Unsplash

By on April 26, 2023   /   Articles   /   Leave a comment

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