The Feeling Of Not Doing Enough For Our Planet

By Nathaly Suquinagua

Growing up, I wasn’t aware of the climate crisis. In my family, we were more aware of how much the energy bill would be at the end of the month. My dad was very hardworking and contributed to almost all the bills. He was more concerned about my sister and I overusing energy because it ultimately added up to a hefty bill at the end of the month. My dad kept in mind simple things like turning off the lights, washing in bulk, and other actions that are often overlooked.

Around the 6th grade, I started learning about the reality of what climate change was and how important it is to protect our only planet. I became involved by joining the recycling club at school, where we learned how to reuse items we initially thought were trash.

The movie, “WALL- E,’’ gave me an unimaginable viewpoint and was able to draw an eye-opening parallel between consumerism and climate change. This movie shaped how I saw our planet and inspired me to take action to avoid our planet becoming uninhabitable in real life.

I started seeing many social media posts about climate change and they got me worried that I wasn’t doing enough. Sometimes, it felt as if I was the only one who cared for the planet and no one was taking it as seriously as I was. Trying to be climate-conscious just never stuck in my household and, truth be told, it is hard to live a sustainable life.

I mostly felt guilty that I wasn’t doing enough for our planet. While doing some research, I learned what I was feeling was a term called eco-guilt. Eco-guilt is the feeling of not doing enough to help the environment and reduce the environmental threat.

But, it’s not enough to just feel guilty. So I started trying to make a change.

The book, The Uninhabitable Earth, by David Wallace-Wells explains the potential impact of climate change and the devastating consequences for the Earth.

I started changing small things and, even though it’s a small action, I know it can make a big impact on our planet. I started bringing my own straw everywhere so I would avoid using plastic straws. I started buying reusable water bottles that I would bring everywhere to avoid buying plastic water bottles. I even started purchasing sustainable brands. I started purchasing brands that are eco-friendly and made a promise to help out the planet any way I could. Youth to the People is a sustainable skincare brand that really stood out to me because I connected with their mission statement as well as their commitment to sustainability. I started using their products in 2020 and fell in love with the brand.

Their products are made with glass bottles and jars to help reduce plastic waste. According to their website, their To The Planet Fund will have donated one million dollars to nonprofit organizations in the climate space by 2024.

Using brands such as Youth to the People is a great start to reducing the harm that climate change can have on our planet. Although I can definitely do more on my part, my goal is to slowly start using sustainable brands in my everyday use. Using these products makes me feel good and turns my eco-guilt into eco-action.