I hate telling people what to do. I don’t want to preach to people and nag them to pick up their rubbish or refuse a plastic straw. It feels impolite. It feels rude. And yet I have been wondering, could sustainable living get to the point of being standard etiquette?
All environmental activists have their niche cause; whether it be deforestation, plastic pollution, agriculture and cattle farming or green-house emissions - we all have something that is of particular importance to us. For me, it’s plastic pollution. While I am quietly vegetarian and don’t advertise my efforts to avoid using the car where possible, I will speak up about single-use plastics and encourage my friends and family to avoid unnecessary plastics. Similarly, you have likely been told by someone that you use your car too much. Or maybe you have been lectured about the benefits of a vegan lifestyle and how you should ditch meat forever. The point is, people tend to talk about what they think is best for humanity and to try and valiantly save our species by converting others to their own ideologies. We all consider ourselves the savior of humanity and we all think that we have the key to our prosperity as a species.
However, the reality is that not everyone will be won over. While we all want to save humanity, we are also inherently opposed to change. We seek comfort and familiarity and when someone asks us to change our beliefs or our daily routines, we resist. Some people resist more than others but there is no escaping the fact that humans don’t like change. In fact, it is part of our biology where by our body is seeking a state of equilibrium called homeostasis by maintaining a constant heart rate, body temperature, metabolism etc. So when someone says “we all need to go vegan to save the planet”, we want to help but the idea of such a change just feels too radical and we dismiss it, we become defensive and sometimes even angry.
But when it comes to sustainability and the protection of our environment, the threat to humanity is more serious. A 2019 study, The Psychology of Existential Risk: Moral Judgments about Human Extinction, showed that humans do not always find the idea of human extinction uniquely bad; it is bad but not necessarily the worst thing we can possibly imagine. So here comes the conundrum; how can we change people’s behaviour in order to save them from a fate that they aren’t entirely worried about - namely, extinction. Now of course, I am beginning to preach in the way I said that I try not to; however, for the purpose of this article, I think it is important to agree that we must change the way we live on this planet in order to sustain human life and the Earth. According to the Global Footprint Network, if everyone lived like the average Australian, we would need 4.07 Earths to sustain society. This is huge. We need to change, we have no choice.
All environmental activists have their niche cause; whether it be deforestation, plastic pollution, agriculture and cattle farming or green-house emissions - we all have something that is of particular importance to us. For me, it’s plastic pollution. While I am quietly vegetarian and don’t advertise my efforts to avoid using the car where possible, I will speak up about single-use plastics and encourage my friends and family to avoid unnecessary plastics. Similarly, you have likely been told by someone that you use your car too much. Or maybe you have been lectured about the benefits of a vegan lifestyle and how you should ditch meat forever. The point is, people tend to talk about what they think is best for humanity and to try and valiantly save our species by converting others to their own ideologies. We all consider ourselves the savior of humanity and we all think that we have the key to our prosperity as a species.
However, the reality is that not everyone will be won over. While we all want to save humanity, we are also inherently opposed to change. We seek comfort and familiarity and when someone asks us to change our beliefs or our daily routines, we resist. Some people resist more than others but there is no escaping the fact that humans don’t like change. In fact, it is part of our biology where by our body is seeking a state of equilibrium called homeostasis by maintaining a constant heart rate, body temperature, metabolism etc. So when someone says “we all need to go vegan to save the planet”, we want to help but the idea of such a change just feels too radical and we dismiss it, we become defensive and sometimes even angry.
But when it comes to sustainability and the protection of our environment, the threat to humanity is more serious. A 2019 study, The Psychology of Existential Risk: Moral Judgments about Human Extinction, showed that humans do not always find the idea of human extinction uniquely bad; it is bad but not necessarily the worst thing we can possibly imagine. So here comes the conundrum; how can we change people’s behaviour in order to save them from a fate that they aren’t entirely worried about - namely, extinction. Now of course, I am beginning to preach in the way I said that I try not to; however, for the purpose of this article, I think it is important to agree that we must change the way we live on this planet in order to sustain human life and the Earth. According to the Global Footprint Network, if everyone lived like the average Australian, we would need 4.07 Earths to sustain society. This is huge. We need to change, we have no choice.
So I want to know what we can expect the average person to do in their daily lives in order to reduce the risks of climate change and environmental destruction. Not everyone will become an eco-warrior and join Extinction Rebellion protests on the streets but I wonder if there is a certain level of action that should be considered standard etiquette. How can we make meaningful changes that are sustainable and realistic?
According to the ABC’s Australia Talks survey, the majority of Australians are willing to personally spend $200 more per year in order to help prevent climate change. While this is an average, it sounds pretty positive. The ABC did the numbers and found that this could translate to $4 billion per year of climate prevention funds. Of course, everyone has a different financial situation and such an expense is not possible for everyone. And indeed, 4% of respondents said they would spend upwards of $2000 per year so this is highly theoretical. In saying this, eco-friendly solutions can be more expensive than their conventional counterparts and when we talk about the reality of climate action, cost is a very big part of this. So I wondered how much we can expect people to spend on protecting the planet…
$200 per year converts to approximately $3.85 per week. Now that isn’t much for the average full-time employed Australian who earns somewhere around $900 per week. Again, financial situations vary but $3.85 seems, in my opinion a reasonable ask for most people. So what could people realistically do spending an extra $3.85 per week to reduce their impact on the planet and climate? I work in a bulk foods shop where we sell nuts, flours, dried fruits, chocolates, spices and more more more - all plastic free. While the spices definitely come up cheaper than buying them in plastic from the supermarket, some things are more expensive. Take olive oil for example…
Cole’s brand refined olive oil costs 0.60c per 100mL. It doesn’t appear to come from Australia and comes in plastic. At source, we sell extra virgin olive oil on tap for $3.05 per 100mL. You can bring in your bottle to fill up and the oil is sourced from Wagga Wagga. This is obviously a big price difference. But if we say that each person uses, on average, 35mL of oilve oil per week, you are paying 85c extra per week (20c/week at coles and $1.05/week at The Source) for the plastic free option - not to mention it is Australian grown and produced AND completely plastic free. Now if Australians use 1.85L of olive oil per year (per person) and there are 25 000 of us, we could potentially save over 46 000 plastic oil bottles going to landfill every year if we all just spend an extra 85c per week.
So we still have $3 to spare. Let’s say we all bought a keep cup. The original Keep Cups range in price from $15.00 to $30.00 so let’s take $30 for a conservative estimate. Keep Cups are designed to last so the chances are that we won’t be (or shouldn’t be!) buying more than 2 in our lives. So say we spend $60 over the course of 82 years (average life expectancy in Australia). That comes to about a cent per week. Ok so that doesn’t even really make it into our $3.85 and we could save 1 billion coffee cups from landfill every year.
According to the ABC’s Australia Talks survey, the majority of Australians are willing to personally spend $200 more per year in order to help prevent climate change. While this is an average, it sounds pretty positive. The ABC did the numbers and found that this could translate to $4 billion per year of climate prevention funds. Of course, everyone has a different financial situation and such an expense is not possible for everyone. And indeed, 4% of respondents said they would spend upwards of $2000 per year so this is highly theoretical. In saying this, eco-friendly solutions can be more expensive than their conventional counterparts and when we talk about the reality of climate action, cost is a very big part of this. So I wondered how much we can expect people to spend on protecting the planet…
$200 per year converts to approximately $3.85 per week. Now that isn’t much for the average full-time employed Australian who earns somewhere around $900 per week. Again, financial situations vary but $3.85 seems, in my opinion a reasonable ask for most people. So what could people realistically do spending an extra $3.85 per week to reduce their impact on the planet and climate? I work in a bulk foods shop where we sell nuts, flours, dried fruits, chocolates, spices and more more more - all plastic free. While the spices definitely come up cheaper than buying them in plastic from the supermarket, some things are more expensive. Take olive oil for example…
Cole’s brand refined olive oil costs 0.60c per 100mL. It doesn’t appear to come from Australia and comes in plastic. At source, we sell extra virgin olive oil on tap for $3.05 per 100mL. You can bring in your bottle to fill up and the oil is sourced from Wagga Wagga. This is obviously a big price difference. But if we say that each person uses, on average, 35mL of oilve oil per week, you are paying 85c extra per week (20c/week at coles and $1.05/week at The Source) for the plastic free option - not to mention it is Australian grown and produced AND completely plastic free. Now if Australians use 1.85L of olive oil per year (per person) and there are 25 000 of us, we could potentially save over 46 000 plastic oil bottles going to landfill every year if we all just spend an extra 85c per week.
So we still have $3 to spare. Let’s say we all bought a keep cup. The original Keep Cups range in price from $15.00 to $30.00 so let’s take $30 for a conservative estimate. Keep Cups are designed to last so the chances are that we won’t be (or shouldn’t be!) buying more than 2 in our lives. So say we spend $60 over the course of 82 years (average life expectancy in Australia). That comes to about a cent per week. Ok so that doesn’t even really make it into our $3.85 and we could save 1 billion coffee cups from landfill every year.
Maybe we could spend our $3 on an ethical t-shirt made from natural fibres. Target has organic cotton t-shirts for $8. Great! Except it is actually made from a blend of cotton and elastane which makes the fabric impossible to recycle (blends of any materials being the most difficult to recycle) and still includes a synthetic fibre. There is little transparency about the brand’s actions to ensure environmental sustainability and workers rights and honestly, there is no way that a t-shirt can be ethically manufactured and transported and then sold for $8. Boody, on the other hand is a sustainable fashion brand based in Australia that makes ethical and fair trade basics from bamboo fibres. Their Women’s Crew Neck T-Shirt may cost $39.95 but it is designed to last a lifetime while having a minimal impact on the environment and supporting the people involved in its production. So where you might have to continually replace an $8 Target shirt and continually have a negative impact on the planet and people that created it, purchasing a more expensive shirt from an ethical clothing brand that will last years and protect the planet is a sustainable choice that we can all make. Choosing to consume less is also important - particularly in the fashion industry. While it can be tempting to buy a new outfit for every weekend, simplifying your wardrobe and curating a style that is uniquely you with staple pieces that can be easily re-worked with other items is so much better for the planet. I think that we can expect each other to make a t-shirt last a year - and by that I don’t mean living off a single t-shirt but not replacing a white shirt with a new one every week - and if we choose the ethical $39.95 t-shirt over the cheap and less sustainable one, we are only spending an extra 60c a week.
So after all that, we only spent $1.45 of our $3.85 extra per week. Say we apply the same principles of our t-shirt to our skirt and maybe we also invest in some tupperware containers for take-away leftovers… and let’s choose to buy our dishwashing liquid in bulk as well and maybe our rice as well… There are so many things we can do within our $3.85 budget that have a huge ripple effect. What I have realised from doing this research is that climate action isn’t about buying more things that are sustainable, it is about consuming less of the things that are unnecessary and harmful to our planet. By consuming less and investing in sustainable alternatives, chances are you might even save money!
But of course, cost is not the only factor that impacts an individual’s ability to make sustainable choices. Time is another big consideration; do you have time to make your own fruit juice in the morning or walk to work instead of driving? Walking will certainly save you money over driving but it is a luxury that not everyone has access to. Fortunately, here in Sydney we have great public transport so there is often (but not always) an alternative to driving. And in fact, public transport has huge advantages; no need to worry about or pay for parking and tolls, you can sit down and relax or get some important work done during your commute and you can strike up a conversation with someone next to you. But can we realistically expect everyone to ditch their car? No, definitely not. But I wonder, could we expect people to take a bus instead of driving their car where possible? Probably yes but this is going to require Australian’s to get out of their comfort zone and have more confidence in the public transport system. According to the University of Sydney’s Transport Opinion Survey completed in 2019, 82% of Australians use a private car, 36% a bus and 33% a metropolitan train/tram. Their records show declining confidence in public transport which reveals a problem but also a huge potential for positive change. I think that we can encourage more people to use public transport services on a day-to-day basis and can realistically expect that people will embrace this more and more as the system improves.
I consider myself an environmental activist and I do not expect for a moment that everyone convert to my lifestyle. I know that the things I do in my daily life to be more sustainable are not always easy changes for others and I don’t like telling people that they should “be more like me” because I know that everyone has their own challenges and concerns. The person who just took a plastic bag to carry their newspaper might have sold their car and not using any green-house emitting transport - that’s more than I can say! But can we please all agree that spending an extra $200 a year on more sustainable choices and catching the bus are achievable and reasonable expectations? Naturally there will be exceptions but I would like to think that we have more power than we think. I imagine a world in which etiquette goes beyond “please” and “thankyou”; children are not only taught to look people in the eye when they are talking to them but also to look for sustainable options when shopping for groceries or clothes. How amazing would it be if we expect people to catch the bus to work where possible in the same way we would expect them to warmly welcome a new member of their team. And when we all harness our agency and our influence through exercising our rights of choice, we can make a colossal collective change that will well and truly change the narrative from climate destruction to climate restoration.
But of course, cost is not the only factor that impacts an individual’s ability to make sustainable choices. Time is another big consideration; do you have time to make your own fruit juice in the morning or walk to work instead of driving? Walking will certainly save you money over driving but it is a luxury that not everyone has access to. Fortunately, here in Sydney we have great public transport so there is often (but not always) an alternative to driving. And in fact, public transport has huge advantages; no need to worry about or pay for parking and tolls, you can sit down and relax or get some important work done during your commute and you can strike up a conversation with someone next to you. But can we realistically expect everyone to ditch their car? No, definitely not. But I wonder, could we expect people to take a bus instead of driving their car where possible? Probably yes but this is going to require Australian’s to get out of their comfort zone and have more confidence in the public transport system. According to the University of Sydney’s Transport Opinion Survey completed in 2019, 82% of Australians use a private car, 36% a bus and 33% a metropolitan train/tram. Their records show declining confidence in public transport which reveals a problem but also a huge potential for positive change. I think that we can encourage more people to use public transport services on a day-to-day basis and can realistically expect that people will embrace this more and more as the system improves.
I consider myself an environmental activist and I do not expect for a moment that everyone convert to my lifestyle. I know that the things I do in my daily life to be more sustainable are not always easy changes for others and I don’t like telling people that they should “be more like me” because I know that everyone has their own challenges and concerns. The person who just took a plastic bag to carry their newspaper might have sold their car and not using any green-house emitting transport - that’s more than I can say! But can we please all agree that spending an extra $200 a year on more sustainable choices and catching the bus are achievable and reasonable expectations? Naturally there will be exceptions but I would like to think that we have more power than we think. I imagine a world in which etiquette goes beyond “please” and “thankyou”; children are not only taught to look people in the eye when they are talking to them but also to look for sustainable options when shopping for groceries or clothes. How amazing would it be if we expect people to catch the bus to work where possible in the same way we would expect them to warmly welcome a new member of their team. And when we all harness our agency and our influence through exercising our rights of choice, we can make a colossal collective change that will well and truly change the narrative from climate destruction to climate restoration.