How I Accidentally Became an Environmentalist

Hello there! Get Monica's 5 Secrets That Grew This Blog to 2500+ Subscribers below! Enter your email address:

Image Source: Jerry Law

There is some debate about the best way to help the environment, but it all boils down to two schools of thought. There are people who think that since they recycle or do street cleans with their church they are environmentalists. For them, it’s all about the little things we each can do to lessen our impact.

Then there are people who believe that large lifestyle changes are the only way to help the environment. For example, protesting the whole meat manufacturing industry, or minimizing the impact of your commute to work. This is where I fall.

So how did I accidentally become an environmentalist? I moved to Chicago. Yes, it was really that simple.

Moving to a large city enabled me to get rid of my car.

When I first moved to the city, I worked an hour away in the suburbs and drove over 60 miles one way every weekday. Not only did this commute take up about 3 hours of my day, but the additional pollution I was causing nawed at my conscience and I eventually realized I needed to change jobs.

Now, I work and attend school within four miles of my condo, and with the price of parking and gas in the city, it’s much more cost-efficient to take public transportation or walk/jog/bike everywhere. So we got rid of one of our cars and when I need to go more than a mile or two I take public trains and buses. While I miss driving, my daily routine is much more efficient because I can do something productive on my commute (like write this post).

Moving to a large city enabled me to become a vegetarian.

Becoming a vegetarian is not easy for most people, especially people who are very busy. Any new diet comes with a learning curve of how to substitute and prepare new foods, which busy people don’t have time for. Another concern I had was how becoming vegetarian would affect my social life. When I lived in rural Missouri, fine dining was Americanized-Mexican and dollar margaritas, and trips to fast food establishments happened every other day.

Living in the city provides a support system that addressed all my concerns. Since moving here, I’ve met so many people with special dietary needs. Like my vegan marketing professor who assigned a three page case write-up about cruelty to hens in poultry egg production. Or the guy on my team who only eats kosher meat. Also, while there is an unending supply of restaurants to eat at in the city, few of them are fast food establishments. It is fairly easy to find vegetarian food anywhere I go, and the impact of this new diet on my social life is negligent.

Moving to a large city enabled me to stop buying stuff.

Our tiny condo was more expensive than my parents’ mid-sized suburban home, but the benefit is that we can’t fit much stuff in it. We’ve been forced to get rid of things, which has been good for my closet. This also forces us to think about whether we truly need an item or not, and we’ve made a rule to get rid of two items for every one item we bring home (which my husband happily reminds me of every time I go shopping). Our lack of space has been a blessing, and we are slowly but surely embracing a simplistic, minimalist lifestyle.

Moving to a large city can help the environment? I know it seems counter-intuitive to some people, but this is my story. It’s certainly not the only way, and I don’t claim to have gotten here completely consciously – the title does say “accidentally” after all. Still, I can’t help but notice how many more tree-huggers there are in the city compared to the suburbs, and the three things I listed above give the most impact to help the environment.

Becoming an environmentalist is a way of life, not a once-monthly chance to wear a t-shirt that says “Support Organic Farmers.” Have you considered how your life choices are impacting our world?

Tagged as: Environment, Features, Minimalism, Vegetarian

{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }

t h rive February 27, 2008 at 4:09 pm: Sweet! The non-car is my fave. Though I’d love to have a vehicle often – like for roadtrips, or that late-night decision to go to a friends for movie night – I image I’m saving thousands of dollars, the hassle, and air-quality etc.

Anyway, biking no matter the weather builds character.

One thing I find it hard to be accountable for is the amount of trash we produce. Even though I recycle feverishly, the AMOUNT that passes through our home is incredible. Packaging everywhere!

Wooo, Earth!

Jami April 1, 2008 at 4:14 pm: I just stumbled on your blog and I really like it!
I have major guilt pangs for having a car and wish I could get rid of it. I live in a major city and my commute to work is only about 12 miles. I looked into taking the bus but it would somehow turn my 25 minute commute into over 2 hours each way! It is so frustrating because there are multiple types of public transportation but for some reason the very popular neighborhood I live in doesn’t have a reasonable way to get to the very popular area I work in except by car. But at least that’s about the only place I drive as every where else I go is usually within walking distance or a very short bus ride.

Monica O'Brien April 1, 2008 at 4:50 pm: Jami, I think having a car is fine as long as you live close to where you work. There’s a line your must draw before becoming an extreme environmentalist and sacrificing four hours of your life just to get rid of your car. And I completely understand about not being able to find public transportation – it amazes me how much my own city is lacking in that department now that I have no car. Glad you enjoy the blog!

{ 5 trackbacks }

How I Accidentally Became an Environmentalist

Related Posts

Get The Newsletter!

About Monica

Get The Book

Search

Community

Untemplater

Topics

Featured In