I’m an Anxious Millennial. Here’s How I Cope with Climate Change.
7 ways to manage “eco-anxiety” and avoid the despondent feeling that we’re all doomed.
This past year in Colorado we experienced record snowfall, followed by an unusually wet spring, followed by the third warmest August on record. In September, Denver set another record for hottest temps at around 100 degrees.
Just a few weeks ago, we got around 3.8 inches of snow and set a record-low temperature for October when it abruptly dropped down into the teens. We lost dozens of late-season tomatoes and squash. My husband and I could be seen putting boxes over our newly-planted perennials at 9 pm, ahead of the freeze.
At 34 and 35 respectively, we are “older” millennials, and we’ve been following the trend of waiting to hit the major life milestones. We bought our first house and got married this year, the culmination of a 10-year relationship.
And now here we are, on a treeless lot in arid Colorado, watching gallons of precious water being flung about from a single sprinkler in the front yard one day and protecting our plants from frost the next.
So yeah, climate change stresses me out, and apparently I’m not alone. “Eco-anxiety” is real. A recent study conducted by The Harris Poll surveyed over 2,000 US adults and found that:
92% of Americans are worried about the future of our planet
Nearly three quarters (72%) of millennials 18–34 say that watching, hearing and/or reading negative news stories about the environment sometimes has an impact on their emotional wellbeing (e.g., anxiety, racing thoughts, sleep problems, a feeling of uneasiness)
Among those who say they are worried about the future of our planet, about two-thirds say they take steps to reduce energy use in their home (68%) or take steps to reduce water waste in their home (64%)
Only 13% of American adults invest in environmentally responsible companies to address worries about the future of the planet, but millennials are ahead of the curve with 20% investing in companies that prioritize the environment.
And it’s not just Millennials. In a Pew Research Centre poll of 920 members Gen Z, a staggering 70% reported that mental health and anxiety was the biggest issue in their peer group.
We’ve got a problem, and it’s the overwhelming sense of dread that the current political maelstrom and the 24-hour news cycle inflicts upon us. As tempting as it feels, we can’t shut the blinds and assume the fetal position under the bed.
The answer to fear is action. There is no other way to alleviate the anxiety brought on by the state of the world, no other cure for the knots forming in your stomach or the sleepless nights. As the Irish Proverb goes:
You’ll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind.
Action trumps everything. Contrary to how the fearmongering news cycle makes you feel, there’s actually a lot you can do. Change often comes from grassroots movements — from the ground up. When it comes to climate change, there’s a whole lot more in your control than you think.
Here are my personal tactics for taking action in my everyday life:
Choose Alternate Forms of Transportation
We are a single-car household, and when we bought our house, we intentionally looked for the most central location we could afford in order to be able to bike to work. We are both longtime cycle-commuters and we knew that the total distance from our front door to the office had to be 8 miles or less if we expected to be able to consistently bike.
We are not absolutists. If it snows or we get freezing temperatures, one of us drives, or one of us works from home, or one of us carpools.
At my old office, I was one of the only cycle commuters. Because my bike was in my cubicle, people regularly commented on the fact that I rode to work.
They would say things like:
I used to ride to work.
I wish I could ride to work.
Riding to work sounds so nice…
Unless you live 13 miles from work, you can ride your bike to the office, at least a few days a week. Even then, I bet there’s a bus route and you could do a ride/bus combo. Yes, this requires planning ahead. It requires looking at the forecast regularly. It requires forming a new routine. But it’s totally possible, and the benefits are manifold: your mental and physical health will improve in addition to reducing your environmental impact.
Burn fat, not fuel.
You Eat Three Times a Day, Do So Mindfully
“If 50 percent of the world’s population restricts their diet to a healthy 2,500 calories per day and reduces meat consumption overall, we estimate at least 26.7 gigatons of emissions could be avoided from dietary change alone. If avoided deforestation from land use change is included, an additional 39.3 gigatons of emissions could be avoided, making healthy, plant-rich diets one of the most impactful solutions at a total of 66 gigatons reduced.” — Paul Hawken, Project Drawdown
I am not telling you that you can never have a burger of a piece of bacon again (although — have you tried the Beyond Burger?! OMG). What I am telling you is that if you simply reduce the amount of meat you eat and shift towards a plant-rich diet, it can have a huge impact.
I have a lot of friends who profess to be environmentalists but live in firm denial about the impact of their food choices on fighting climate change. There has been so much research on this topic it always astounds me when people I know and love refuse to not only take responsibility for the influence of their choices on the planet but also refuse to believe the science.
My friends, stop being selective science believers.
And once again, the benefits of reducing your meat consumption are manifold.
Are you an athlete looking to improve your performance and recovery time?
How about a dude who wants to perform better in the sack?
Maybe you’d like to reduce your cholesterol and not take any drugs? Avoid chronic disease?
Do any of these apply to you? Check out the recent documentary The Game Changers on Netflix.
The More You Know, The More You Know What You Can Do
I still read the news every day and feel nausea well up when I see headlines like New E.P.A. Lead Standards Would Slow Replacement of Dangerous Pipes, 85 Environmental Rules Being Rolled Back Under Trump, Despite Their Promises, Giant Energy Companies Burn Away Vast Amounts of Natural Gas, and These State Birds May Be Forced Out of Their States as the World Warms.
Just the headlines give you anxiety, don’t they?
My remedy for this is to seek out education that activates. I want to be inspired to be hopeful, and to learn what else I can do because there’s always more.
Recently I was introduced to the wisdom of Zach Bush via the Rich Roll Podcast. Rich Roll has three great episodes with Zach, but I would definitely recommend listening to Zach Bush, MD, On GMOs, Glyphosate, and Healing the Gut and Zach Bush, MD, On the Science & Spirituality of Human and Planetary Transformation.
That caused me to go down a pretty sizable rabbit hole researching the benefits of organic food on human health and the environment, and the disturbing history behind our use of RoundUp and the chemical glyphosate for food growing and weed-killing in America.
I will save you the trouble by telling you that basically, as you might imagine, the argument is highly politicized. There are many Monsanto-funded studies proving that glyphosate doesn’t cause cancer and many independent studies that say that it certainly can cause cancer. Also, most of the studies focus on the impact of glyphosate alone, and not what happens when it gets into our water table and binds to other elements (which it does, because it’s water-soluble).
The moral of the story is that Monsanto, now owned by Bayer, is/was a shady company that paid off government regulators to look the other way. This behavior doesn’t induce trust, and the fact that we’ve been using an under-researched chemical (originally developed to deforest Vietnam) in enormous quantities to grow our food is unsettling. Here are some interesting articles on the topic of glyphosate and organic farming:
- Safe Or Scary? The Shifting Reputation Of Glyphosate, AKA Roundup, NPR
- Evidence of pesticides in produce, despite saying that Roundup is completely safe
- Can we feed 10 billion people on organic farming alone? — The Guardian
- Strategies for feeding the world more sustainably with organic agriculture — Nature Communications (includes tons of references)
Lastly, Paul Hawken is an incredible and inspiring human and his work and research will make you feel hopeful, educated, and give you a course of action. If you’re not familiar, his recent conversation with Rich Roll is a great introduction, and here’s a link to his book and his extensive research on climate change solutions.
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle — In That Order
“If 50 percent of food waste is reduced by 2050, avoided emissions could be equal to 26.2 gigatons of carbon dioxide…data shows that up to 35 percent of food in high-income economies is thrown out by consumers.” — Paul Hawken, Drawdown
Reduce. I suggest you find a few key areas to focus your efforts on. For example, my husband and I are currently on a mission to reduce our purchase of plastic, which is actually pretty difficult since we don’t have a good option for bulk food stores in the Front Range.
Here are a few ideas, some of which may seem obvious:
- Bring your own bags to the grocery store. Put reusable bags in your car so you can’t forget them.
- Get a reusable water bottle and coffee mug, and take them everywhere. Or get 2 of each, one for the office and one for at home/on the go.
- Buy from brands who are committed to avoiding plastic waste/packaging, like Ethique, Bio Bags, Honest Tea, Alter Eco, and more.
- One of my Stepdad’s favorite sayings is, “The best place to store your food is at the grocery store.” Make a grocery list of what you actually need and plan to cook for the week. Avoid over-buying and impulse purchases, which inevitably lead to food waste.
- Reduce the amount of garbage you throw out by composting and recycling clean soft plastics.
Reuse. Of all the reusable containers currently in our cabinet, about 95% are old takeout containers. Every time we get Thai takeaway we save the tall, heavy-duty plastic curry containers and reuse them for soups, sauces and chillis.
We also use old, torn clothes for rags. We rarely buy things new — furniture, sports gear, clothing — for all these things we look to Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and our local secondhand stores. For more upscale secondhand clothing, Patagonia has launched Worn Wear, a program where you can both send in your used clothing and purchase “new” used clothing. Thred Up is also a great option for a wider range of fashionable, gently used secondhand clothing.
Recycle. You may have heard that since China changed its policy on accepting foreign garbage for recycling, many American cities have thrown their residents dutifully separated recycling into the landfill. The moral of the story is there’s a good chance that everything in your recycling bin is not actually being recycled. You need to reduce and reuse.
Get Involved — Vote and Attend Rallies and Community Events
“Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!” — Greta Thunberg addressing the U.N.
There’s nothing more inspirational than watching a 16-year-old lead the Global Climate Strike, scowl at Trump, and condemn world leaders at the United Nations Climate Action Summit. Due in part to Greta’s momentum, we recently hit a record for the largest climate mobilization in history.
The ground has shifted. More people are waking up. Young people are skipping school to protest. If there was ever a time to get involved, it’s now. Join the movement here.
If you care about climate change, exercise your right to vote. Not only that, but contact your local representatives about policies related to climate change and tell them where you stand. Vice did a great series in 2017 called “Meet [state’s] Climate Change Deniers” and it includes their phone numbers and emails. I looked up Colorado’s for this article, and you can bet your bottom they’ll be receiving communications from me!
Find local opportunities to get involved by using Patagonia Action Works, which will give you a list of organizations and events near you.
When you need or want to buy something, anything, consider supporting planet-friendly brands. Try searching for businesses who are members of 1% for the Planet. These businesses have pledged to donate a portion of their profit to environmental causes. Remember, every time you make a purchase — food or otherwise — you are voting with your pocketbook.
If You Can’t “Do” than Donate
If you don’t have the time to volunteer or otherwise get involved in your local community’s grassroots organizations then consider putting your money where your heart is, but your feet are not.
There are so many great organizations out there to choose from. Start by deciding which environmental issue matters the most to you, and do some research. There are not-for-profits who focus exclusively on ocean preservation, others on agricultural regeneration, or on holding corporate polluters accountable. Mother Jones has a pretty solid list of the heavy hitters, and it’s a good place to start.
These are some of my favorites:
- Sealegacy: Paul Nicklen’s organization that uses a combination of expeditions, campaigns, and community solutions to save our oceans.
- Farmer’s Footprint: committed to regenerating 5 million acres of farmland by 2025.
- Protect Our Winters: Creating programs that unite and mobilize the global snow sports community against climate change. POW works creatively and opportunistically and focuses on three main areas: youth education, advocacy and community-based activism.
Pace yourself, folks…
I have built all 7 of these into my life over the course of years, not days, so if you’re starting from scratch, pace yourself. Give yourself some goals, like tackling one of these every 2 months. If you’re already killing it and just want to know what more you can do, I’d recommend taking a look at these solutions to climate change, which are ranked by biggest impact.
Good luck out there. Action trumps apathy, any day.
