HOW YOU CAN SAVE THE PLANET BY BEING LAZY

Eco-anxiety is a spectrum of mixed emotions - the most persisting being the devastating feeling that you are never doing enough. If this is an anxiety you have, good news - you can do a whole lot by doing a whole little. Little consistent habits carry more power than you think. Here are seven small ways you can actually save the planet by being lazy:

1. Be an outfit repeater: Not in the mood to keep picking new outfits? You can help the environment just by loving a fit so much, you show it continuous love. When you repeat an outfit, you are asserting that an outfit can have a long life with multiple uses. The next time someone asks you if you're wearing the same fit you wore last week - answer with confidence, not insecurity. An outfit that reduces garment waste is something to proud of.

2.  Repurpose old plastic bags and containers: Reprogram your brain to see clutter as something useful. Old boxes can still be reused - save them and use them to send out packages, or use them as storage containers. Package containers can be used as food storage, planters, or arts and crafts supplies. You might think of it as hoarding but what you're actually doing is eliminating the need to go out and buy more items with every item you reuse.

3.  Have a capsule wardrobe with only a select amount of garments: Less is more. We all want an outfit for every occasion - the answer should be a few select pieces rather than a lot. If you have a closet full of clothes that you saved for special occasions and never wore, or spend more than an hour deciding on an outfit - downsizing is going to take a lot of time (and stress!) off of your hands.

4.  Give away old junk instead of trashing it: Can't find it in you to get rid of things that have been lying in your storage for years? If you don't want them, there are plenty of people who will be glad to take them. If you can't find a Goodwill or Salvation Army near you, the answer might be lying in your phone - and it's more convenient than getting up and going anywhere. Listing items on sites like Facebook Marketplace or FreeCycle.org is an easy way to find people who are willing to buy your unwanted items.

5.  Make face masks using ingredients you have in your kitchen: It's good to go a little DIY when it comes to skincare. For those who have elaborate step by step skincare routines, you can give yourself a break from all that by giving yourself a homemade beauty day every now and then. There are many ingredients in your refrigerator that you can use to make a face mask or a body scrub.

6.  Use old newspapers and wrappers for a junk journal: If you have a bunch of junk laying around - don't throw it out, just yet. USPS postal stamps, receipts, magazine clips, paper and fabric scraps - all of that can be repurposed in a creative way, and all while keeping waste out of landfills. Keeping souvenirs from different events could also be a unique way to commemorate these events. 

7.  Take shorter showers: Longer doesn't always mean better. If you feel like you don't have time to always take long showers, cutting down on time could not only be convenient for you but also for the environment. When you shorten your shower time, you are actually saving gallons of water weekly. 

Your commitment to sustainability doesn't have to be a large gesture. Starting small is where it's at. When it comes to decreasing your impact on the environment, work smarter - not harder.

Sources:

Medium, "Why I’m Proudly Repeating Outfits: A Step Toward Sustainability via Nancy Chaudhary

47magazine, "Outfit Repeating: Reuse Pieces, Reduce Clothing Waste, and Recycle Outfits" via K. Pereira