Lightening our impact on Planet Earth is important but it can easily become overwhelming. We want to cut our carbon footprint, reduce our environmental impact, live a cleaner lifestyle, and just do better. Here are a handful of simple but impactful things you can do in your daily life to get started on cutting your footprint.
1. Start Small
Change doesn’t have to happen on a major front. It can be small, and sometimes that’s the best way to start. Liz Carollo of GrowNYC told the Brooklyn Eagle back in 2019 that “Cooking at home is a huge step in the direction of sustainability.”
Carollo’s other suggestions? “You can buy food directly from a farmer, save your food waste and take it directly to a market for composting, or drop off your old clothing so it doesn’t go into a landfill. All great efforts in reducing your carbon footprint.”
2. Buy Local
Buying local produce and goods (eschewing the carbon footprint and waste that comes with shipping) can make a large impact, especially in your community. A CSA — community-supported agriculture membership, which provides local farmers with a guaranteed market — makes it easy. The CSA at Brooklyn Grange, which even has rooftop farming, offers a box of produce (weekly? Bi-weekly? From when to when? I’m guessing it’s not functional through winter? Or is it?)
You can also support farmer’s markets and the greenmarkets that are all around Brooklyn and NYC. Find them at GrowNYC, which is a major organizer of greenmarkets and farmstands in NYC.
3. Eliminate plastics
National Geographic reports that 91% of plastic is never recycled. Therefore the best way to deal with plastics is simply to avoid them. Emillie O’Brien, founder and CEO of Earth Angel, told the Eagle, “Plastics are a petroleum based product and a lot of them aren’t safe so I always advocate for using reusable straws, shopping bags, or avoiding ordering from delivery services.” However, be mindful when switching to reusables — if you throw away what you currently have just to swap for a reusable, that’s still incredibly wasteful. Instead, use up what you already have, and phase in reusable products when you need to replace broken, old, or finished products.
To take it a step further, package-free stores can keep you from needing to buy plastics at all. Package-free stores sell items in bulk so all you need to do is bring in a reusable container, fill it up with your dry goods, laundry detergent, beans, etc. then weigh it and check out! There are many package-free stores in Brooklyn, including: Precycle, La Nature Store, and Maison Jar.
4. Bike or take public transit
Bluedot’s Dear Dot has suggested that one of the best ways to start cutting back on your personal emissions is to change up your transportation. It isn’t always convenient (though who ever sees a bike traffic jam?), but as Dot says, “It’s definitely greener.” Consider making a pledge to use public transit when available, or to walk, bike, or skateboard as much as possible.
New York City, thankfully, makes it really easy to give up a car. With the MTA’s fleet of buses going electric, the subway’s convenience, and the availability of both battery-assisted and unassisted Citi Bikes, Brooklynites have options. The past few years have seen an incredible push to make more bike lanes and prioritize biker safety on NYC streets, making biking as good an option as ever. What’s more is the LIRR and Amtrak can take you to many places that you would need a car to drive to, giving you even more reason to alternate your transit.
5. Cut back on waste
New York City has some very good recycling programs. The Department of Sanitation not only collects papers, plastics, metals, and glass, they will also recycle your Christmas trees, and there’s a new curbside compost collection system in many neighborhoods. If your neighborhood isn’t one of them, let BKRot help out.
We’d love to hear about steps you’ve taken or tips you’ve learned — so we can celebrate your achievements with you! Email [email protected]
