“JENNY, HOW DO I TALK TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY ABOUT SUSTAINABILE LIVING WITHOUT PREACHING?”

1 minute read

It’s a hard one, as while I am a firm believer that we should use our voices to make shout about the planet, I also feel that people won’t change by being preached at – as much as I’d love to go on a big old rant at times! Being an effective climate advocate bottles down to being able to engage someone, without alienating. With that in mind, my top tips would be: 

SUSTAINABILITY LOOKS DIFFERENT ON EVERYONE

When it comes to life choices, we can’t tarnish all people with the same brush because there is no ‘one’ right way to live sustainably. Some people choose to change their diets while others might reduce their plastic or fly less – what I’m getting at is that lifestyles are consuming, and we all have personal barriers, needs, and desires and I think it’s important to consider that sustainable means different things to different people.

ACTION INSPIRES ACTION

You cannot go wrong with simply and wholeheartedly acting out your values. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, if you are behaving as you believe, sustainability is part of the package that makes you. I find this is most impactful, because over time, this will pre-empt questions on your life choices out of interest and may even inspire others to make some switches to how they live too.