The Art of Eco-Hacking Your Behavior
How to Form Sustainable Habits Through "Do-It-Yourself Ecology"
How can I amplify the impact of my daily choices for the planet?
Decades of passionate activism on environmental issues have led many to believe in the profound impact of individual actions. Practices like recycling, adopting plant-based diets, boycotting single-use items, embracing public transportation, and engaging in other small acts hold great potential. However, at times, we may feel that our intentional contributions to the global sustainability agenda are mere blips in the space-time continuum.
What’s fascinating about blips, though, is that they can create ripples.
In this article, you’ll learn how to magnify your blips with practical tips that can ripple outwards, multiplying their effects tenfold, a hundredfold, or even a thousandfold. By the end of this piece, you'll gain valuable tools to rewire your mindset and transform your habits in honor of our planet—a form of mind control even Michael Pollan would applaud.
From Gym Bros to Environmental Pros
Ever wondered why sustainable choices aren't part of your second nature? You may care deeply about the environment, but it doesn’t seem to make it any easier to fight the consumptive urge. This struggle applies to any habit you may try to break: spending money, eating sweets, scrolling social media, or hitting the snooze button. Changing behavior is one of the most difficult things a person can do.
"Neurons that fire together, wire together."
In simple terms, this biological law reveals that we are battling against our brains’ circuitry when we try to change a deeply ingrained behavior. Daunting as it may be, the mission isn't impossible. Even in today's culture of instant gratification, clever psychological tricks can help us navigate our innate desire for comfort and chart a new course.
Health and fitness gurus coined the term biohacking to indicate incremental habits that transform one’s overall state of health and wellbeing through “do-it-yourself biology.”
Why not apply this same sentiment to eco-friendly behavior and call it“eco-hacking,” making it simple to make the sustainable choice?
By doing this, we can overcome three fundamental hurdles in the human psyche:
If you're a science nerd like me, eager to explore the psychological reasons behind your eco-destructive habits, stay tuned for the scientific sequel to this article. It delves into The Purchaser's Dilemma, The Green Bubble, and The Communication Conundrum—three theories I’ve used to describe these challenges in human nature.
Do-It-Yourself Ecology
Without further adieu, here are ten hopeful eco-hacks you can adopt to inspire a more environmentally-conscious lifestyle:
Call Yourself Out
Awareness is always the first step to changing your behavior. Begin your journey by looking out for moments in your lifestyle where you have the opportunity to make a more sustainable choice, and kindly call yourself out when you don’t. Activities granting a moment of ponderance might include: cleaning out your refrigerator (for food waste management), hand-washing your dishes (for water conservation), or filling up your tank of gas (for carbon footprint reduction).
Power of Pause
Whether it is one minute, one hour, or one full month, taking a pause between your internal desire to act on a consumptive or unsustainable impulse (e.g., traveling to Antarctica) and actually acting on that impulse gives you the opportunity to change your mind. This technique might be especially helpful for things like curbing online shopping.
Pay Yourself Back
It is a great feeling and an even better motivator when your hard work is recognized. Create incentives for yourself, your friends, your family, or your partner as a token of gratitude from Mother Earth. For instance, if you remember your reusable bag 10 times in a row, take yourself out to a nice (plant-based?) dinner. For every day you don’t drive, give yourself a dollar which can be used to buy something (sustainable?) you’ve been saving for.
Join the Movement
Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re probably right. The words we use to describe ourselves and our abilities are incredibly powerful, so start calling yourself an environmentalist! Maybe even a minimalist or prosumer—the new age, conscious consumer. Dissociate yourself from words like “shopaholic” or “hoarder” which manifest a lack of consumptive control.
Connect With Nature
A walk in the woods walks the soul back home. If your situation allows, spend 30 minutes per day outside, preferably in a green environment. The compassion for conservation and appreciation for our Earth you will gain can help drive your eco-actions.
Donate Your Time
Volunteering with an environmental organization a couple times per year can re-energize you. Doing so can help you build confidence in the impact you can create as an individual and as part of a community. Check out your local library or government building, Sierra Club chapter, or The Nature Conservancy website to start finding opportunities near you!
Company Makes Character
As my mother used to always preach to me growing up, you are who you surround yourself with. Seek out other environmentalists in your community or online who you resonate with to be part of your support (eco)system. For those living in Chicago, I especially love the Chicago Environmental Network, and for those outside I might recommend joining LinkedIn, Facebook, or MeetUp groups that appeal to your specific environmental interests.
Keep An Eye
You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Monitoring your own behavior around your sustainable habits is a perfect way to benchmark and assess your progress. For example, looking through your waste bin at the end of each week to see what sort of waste you generate can be a helpful exercise to see where you can cut down or swap out products.
Find Your Inspiration
The world changes by example, not your opinion. Research creative ways to have a positive impact that are aligned with your lifestyle and try to find a sustainable role model to look to for guidance. Diving into environmentalist niches like solarpunk, biomimicry, micromobility, upcycling, or foraging can help you find community.
Invest in the Environment
The longest running habits result from investments of time and money in long-lasting solutions that will make sustainable choices automatic for you. Think planting trees for passive heating in your home, living in an area with access to locally-grown produce and bulk shops, and committing to using public transportation or electric vehicles.
Now that you have these infinity stones at your disposal, your first task awaits. In the comment section below, I want you to make at least one commitment to yourself around how you will eco-hack your behavior for at least the next 30 days. Come back to this comment from time-to-time when you need a little reminder about what you set out to do on this Earth, for this Earth.
P.S. As a sustainability buff, I know that this space is somewhat siloed and constantly evolving. Being said, I welcome your fact-checking and feedback! Working together to improve our collective understanding of sustainability is the goal of my page!
P.P.S. The views in this article are my personal perspectives and do not necessarily reflect the view of my employer or any other person or entity.
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