Five Ways To Make Your Life More Sustainable – State of the Planet

As exciting as it is when certain records are bested, others are better left alone. 

Case in point: Last year was the warmest year on record. Global temperatures in 2024 were 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit (1.28 degrees Celsius) above NASA’s 20th-century baseline (1951-1980), which tops the record set in 2023. The new record comes after 15 consecutive months of monthly temperature records.

We need to do a lot more to stop that number from rising, because it’s affecting our day-to-day lives. For instance, there were 27 billion-dollar climate and weather disasters in the U.S. in 2024. (Meaning, of the several climate-related events in this country, 27 of them inflicted damages exceeding $1 billion.) 

Many modern conveniences have created an excess of carbon in our atmosphere, which impacts our health while creating meteorological havoc. This Earth Day, pledging to make a few adjustments in your lifestyle isn’t a radical change—it’s also a practical one.

“Talk with others about your efforts to be more sustainable. Ask your friends what they are doing. Ask businesses you frequent what they are doing. Ask in the restaurant where they source their food or wine. Advocate in your workplace for more sustainable policies,” says Sandra Goldmark, associate dean for interdisciplinary engagement at the Columbia Climate School. “Talking about what you are doing to be more sustainable, and asking others about their practices, is a key part of making these efforts a collective undertaking, and then a cultural shift.”

With that in mind, here are five places to start.

Cut Out Fast Fashion

Fast fashion, or inexpensive, quickly produced clothing by companies like Shein, H&M and Target leverage cheap, synthetic fibers to capture the latest trends. 

Here’s what’s wrong with that: They’re often produced using exploitative labor practices and production methods heavy on carbon emissions and water pollution. And each time you wash one of these garments, microplastics from them trickle into our water systems. And when you’re ready to throw them away—these articles of clothing are designed for short lifespans—they won’t degrade like natural fibers do. 

Technically, the best thing you can do is stop buying new clothing (or repair and recycle old clothing), and direct your new purchases toward secondhand clothing stores and sites. But if that doesn’t feel doable, simply avoid fast-fashion chains and invest in brands offering more sustainable clothing. Breathable fabrics—like cotton, wool, linen and jute—help your skin breathe easier and avoid bacterial growth. (Bacteria love synthetic fabrics.)

Avoid Microplastics

Microplastics, or particles less than five millimeters in size, can be found in everything from fast fashion (see above) to toiletries (like toothpaste) to beauty products to single-use plastic bottles to detergent pods. Alarmingly, they do not degrade and so end up in the land, sea and air, and throughout the human body. Some studies suggest they can cause DNA and cell damage, ultimately increasing cancer risks and fertility issues. 

Although it’s near impossible to eliminate microplastics completely from your life, there are ways to minimize their presence by reducing the plastic products you use. That means you should store and reheat food in containers made of glass or silicon, for instance. The same goes for water: Avoid plastic water bottles, and switch them out for glass or aluminum bottles, filling them with filtered water. Use a wooden cutting board instead of a plastic one. 

In terms of the food you eat, cut down on processed food as well as shellfish (aka filter-feeding animals), because both are known to contain more microplastics. Outside of the kitchen, stop using laundry and dishwasher pods. Find alternatives to beauty products with microplastics. And finally, if you can, invest in a HEPA air purifier to help remove microplastics floating in the air. 

Eat Less Meat

A third of greenhouse gas emissions caused by humans come from food, and the majority of that from agriculture and land use. Red meat, dairy and farmed shrimp are the biggest culprits due to emissions and deforestation.

Here in the U.S., researchers are particularly concerned by the amount of methane cows expel as they digest food, the excess nitrous oxide that comes from animal manure, as well as the water demands, pesticide pollution, and other industrial emissions that the use of corn and soy (to feed animals) create. Meanwhile, factory-farmed chicken comes with a host of concerns, including the spread of airborne diseases and other dangerous pathogens linked to climate change.

No, you don’t have to become vegan (unless you want to). But swapping out your meat consumption (especially red meat)—even a few times a week—for a meal rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains and legumes can make a palpable difference to the environment. Just as importantly, as climate change swells, so does the prevalence of zoonotic diseases and pollution, both of which impact your health.

Compost Your Food Scraps 

We throw out a whole lot of food, and it’s causing more harm than you’d think. The EPA estimates that food waste occupies 25 percent of our already-packed landfills, in addition to releasing methane gas as it breaks down. Methane traps 28 times more heat in our atmosphere than carbon dioxide.

Composting is one of those things that sounds complicated, until you realize how simple it really is. Essentially, you take your organic waste—i.e., discarded/spoiled food, yard waste or even certain paper products—add in an optional decomposition agent (such as worms or woodchips) or compost microbe activator (which you can buy in stores), then let the magic happen. The resulting compost is rich in nutrients, helping fertilize crops and home gardens alike. 

Meanwhile, states including New York, California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington have gone the extra step and enacted mandatory-composting laws in some communities. This makes it easier to compost, albeit under the threat of a fine. Typically, you’d put your organic waste into a specific bin that’s picked up during normal trash collection.

Plant Your Own Garden

Although soaring grocery prices are as good a reason as any to turn to gardening, planting your own home garden comes with many other benefits. 

Our earth is warming in part due to deforestation. Growing your own personal forest is beyond ambitious. Still, the advantages of planting trees in your yard are multifold. Strategic tree planting can lower your energy consumption by providing shade in hot weather and protection from winds during colder times. Trees are carbon sinks and foster wildlife. They also absorb more rain water. Meanwhile, native and diverse plants nurture pollinators like bees, regulate pests, improve soil and discourage erosion. 

There’s also a case to be made for planting a fruit and vegetable garden as our unpredictable weather patterns make crops less reliable. Growing your own heat-tolerant fruits and vegetables lessens the carbon footprint associated with the farming industrial complex, and keeps your body free of unwanted or unknown pesticides. (Plus, it encourages you to eat your veggies.)