I have had enough of trolls and the idea of the perfect environmentalist. I’m sure many of you have seen or experienced random people on the internet tearing down anyone’s attempts at being eco friendly by pointing out other areas where they have failed to do so.
There is no such thing as a perfect environmentalist and anyone who claims there is, is either deluded, or using the concept to create negativity and undermine environmental causes.
So for this episode we are taking a good hard look at why people eco shame individuals and just how systemic of a problem it actually is.
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Transcript:
Kia ora kaitiaki and welcome to Now That's What I Call Green, the podcast that uses a science-based approach to expose the bullshit green scans and help you understand the sustainability world that little bit better. So if you are looking to navigate through everything green or not so green, you have come to the right place.
Kia ora kaitiaki and welcome to today's episode where I have had enough of trolls and the idea of the perfect environmentalist. Because being perfect is about as realistic as a screen door on a submarine. To carry on with the Ocean Metaphors, we're diving into the absurdity of this eco-shaming because let's face it, guilt trips are the worst kinds of trips. I'm also going to debunk the myth that the small actions that you do don't count, because of course they do. And we're going to end up, for those of you who love a good challenge, I'm launching a new one. Don't roll your eyes. It'll be fun.
So stay tuned. The idea behind this episode is brought to you by a moronic comment on TikTok. I posted a video a couple of days ago about the journey of Incredibles, some samples arriving in my letterbox, and of course you saw the letterbox, and all about how it was going to help rid the world of plastic bottles. You may have seen it. If you haven't, well, you should go watch it. I got a comment that said, but you have a plastic litter box though.
Now, this litter box is 12 years old. It came with the house. I bought it with the house and I have not considered even for a moment replacing it because it's a litter box. It's perfectly adequate and I just don't care. But this is the kind of thing that people will often give you shit for online. And it's completely unhelpful, totally irrelevant, and totally wrong. Because replacing a plastic litter box, which will of course functionally probably outlive me with something that is more resource intensive just for the look, is the very definition of unsustainable.
So let's start with a question. Have you ever felt guilty for grabbing a sandwich wrapped in plastic when you were in a hurry and were dying for something to eat? Or you were driving your car on a short trip instead of walking. Well, if you have, that my friends is eco guilt or fear of judgment. It's that nagging feeling at the back of your mind that we are not doing enough for the planet. And you know, while it's a sign that we care, it is definitely overwhelming and it is not helping the eco anxiety.
Here's an eye-opening fact from the EPA or the Environmental Protection Agency. Over 75% of environmental impact comes from industrial and commercial sources. 75%. Now, this doesn't mean your individual actions don't count. They do, but it does mean that we shouldn't carry all of the environmental burden on our own shoulders. That's why I'm always banging on about the single most important thing that you can do as an individual is vote with your, well, vote and vote with your dollar to demand that brands do better.
What is also super fun about eco-shaming, which I've decided it should be called, is it doesn't work. I get this a fair bit, and I also get fair criticism, totally fair, but I know loads of other educators and public figures do too. Absolutely, we can all do better, but let's quit with the trolls.
So this podcast is not just for those who feel guilty for not being perfect, because we're going to find out that that's impossible, but also to those who leave snarky comments or those who say how stupid the Friday for Future protests are because they used fossil fuel powered transport to get to the protest. Well, of course they did. How else were they going to get there? You cannot necessarily bike from everywhere.
It is simply not possible to have no impact on our planet, particularly in our current system, but that does not mean we don't try. And shaming people for trying is ridiculous. I suspect for some people it comes from wanting them to shut up and go away as it might bring up feelings of guilt. For others of course, they truly believe that we greenies are stupid. Because yay, climate change denial is on the rise again. But if you peel it all back, right, and this is the fundamental point, what do we lose from being a little bit more thoughtful about our actions? And to those trolls, what do you gain from being a dick? The answer to both is nothing.
Let's break it down to something really stupid and simple. You've just started learning how to cook. You're getting the hang of making pasta, and if you're hand-making pasta, props to you. Maybe you can make a decent salad, and then someone comes along and says, well, why aren't you a gourmet chef yet? Where's your Michelin star? I mean, that sounds ridiculous, right?
But that's exactly how it can feel in the world of environmental activism. There's this odd expectation that as soon as you start caring about the planet, you need to be perfect, zero waste, carbon neutral, and so on and so forth. And again, it ain't possible in our current system anyway, and that's why we work to change the world.
There's an interesting survey by Yale University that found that while the majority of Americans believe in climate change and loss of biodiversity, only a small percentage are engaging in all of the recommended environmental actions. I mean, this isn't because we don't care, it's because there's a massive gap between ideals and what's actually practical in your everyday life. You have to live your life and that's okay. We live in a world that's not built for perfect environmentalism.
You might want a bike to work but there are no safe bike lanes or you might want to buy all local products but maybe it's not in the budget or you don't have stores nearby that cater to that. This doesn't make your other efforts any less valuable. The key is to do what you can, where you can. It's all about progress, not perfection, as I've said probably on every episode ever. Just imagine if everyone waited to be perfect before they did something, we'd quite literally be nowhere.
The super duper annoying part of this eco-shaming, of course, is that it doesn't work. It backfires because it focuses on assigning blame, which leads to increased defensiveness, resistance, it creates social divisions, not to mention it's oversimplifying complex environmental issues. It doesn't take into account the person's position in life and if those things are even achievable for most people. It alienates, it doesn't inspire, and it just drives us further from where we need to go. So quit it. Instead, here is a really lovely story I found of how empathy and the idea of community-led action lead to really lovely environmental change.
So this is the Surfrider Foundation's ocean-friendly restaurants program. It's quite literally making waves in the restaurant industry. Now if you haven't heard of Surfrider before, they're a great organisation, grassroots, all about taking plastic out of the oceans, looking after the ocean, fabulous organisation, big fan. I have a funny story. At the time, I met the Californian organiser and he was just probably one of the best-looking people I've ever seen in my life and he also cared about the environment.
So like, oh, I just froze in this meeting. I forgot my own name. I'm pretty sure I forgot how to breathe. It goes down as one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. Anyway, back to the story. So the Surfrider Foundation dedicated to the protection of our oceans and they initiated a program that focuses on encouraging restaurants to adopt more sustainable practices. Instead of going to those restaurants and shaming them, they took a collaborative approach.
They took an educational approach. They reached out to restaurant owners and they educated them about the impact of single-use plastics like knives and forks and the unsustainable seafood they were using. So instead of naming and shaming, they offered practical solutions and support. And as a result, they got positive engagement.
It wasn't about blaming the restaurants. It was about working with them to make a difference. And the results have been fantastic. It's now a national movement throughout the USA with restaurants making changes like eliminating plastic straws and utensils, switching to reusable compostable packaging because you'd be surprised how many restaurants in the US actually use disposable packaging, even things like plates and cutlery, and choosing sustainable seafood options.
It really does have a ripple effect and it's also raised awareness amongst thousands of diners to take outside the restaurant and that is the power of positive reinforcement. It aligns perfectly with psychological studies that show people are much more receptive to change when they feel supported and part of the solution rather than being ostracised. To be very clear so that nobody gets mad at me on social, I am of the belief that businesses and governments hold the bulk of the responsibility for action.
But individual actions do make a difference and I will not hear that they don't, because you do get that a lot. I think people will say, oh, what's the point in trying, both because they are a little apathetic because all of the news is doom and gloom, but also because it's hard, or it feels like it's going to be hard. So here is a powerful concept, the idea of aggregate marginal gains.
It sounds like super corporate nonsense, but it's actually just really simple and very impactful, and it's just how small individual changes, when you add them together, will lead to significant impacts on our environment. So every small action you take, like choosing a reusable coffee cup, or turning off the lights when you leave a room, which you should be doing anyway, it might seem silly, but when millions of people make those changes, the cumulative effect is more like a tidal wave of positive impact. So let's put this into perspective with a more tangible example.
So imagine if every single one of you listening today decided to reduce your meat consumption by just one meal per week. It might not seem like much on an individual level, but collectively that action would have a massive effect. And I mean, according to greenhouse gas emission statistics, that simple change would have the effect of taking thousands of cars off the road each year. So yes, everything you do does matter, which is not to say you should be shamed for what you cannot do, but simply means you should not give up because you cannot be perfect. Now my second part of today is about where this comes from.
Because it's so funny, whenever I talk about greenwashing or big polluters on the likes of TikTok, I will get people in my comments adamantly defending these corporations. I have no idea why, because these corporations don't give a shit about us and they will continue to pollute until they are made to stop, but still people continue to defend them. It's very peculiar. And a lot of this eco-shaming actually stems from PR strategies these guys have employed.
Big polluters often employ PR strategies to shift the focus away from their massive environmental impacts and onto your individual actions. This distracts us from the need for systemic change and creates massive division amongst environmentalists too. They do it in a few ways. They promote individual responsibility over corporate accountability. And the most famous example of this is, of course, the carbon footprint made popular by BP. Yes, British Petroleum.
The ones who also have that beautifully green and yellow flower of a logo because they are so green and friendly. By emphasising individual actions in combating environmental issues, like encouraging you to recycle or use reusable bags, they are downplaying the need for large-scale industrial or policy changes. This creates a narrative that environmental problems are primarily the result of our individual failing rather than systemic issues. Don't fall for it.
Sponsorships and partnerships. So, a lot of polluters will engage in influencer relationships, for example, with environmental campaigns or events, not looking at you, COP28. You know, sometimes this might lead to a positive outcome, but it's also a massive form of greenwashing where the company's environmental impact is obscured by its wonderful association with these fantastic green initiatives. More overtly, they will fund misinformation campaigns. So there has been plenty of cases where large polluters have funded misinformation campaigns or as Donald Trump would call it, fake news, they so doubt about environmental science or the effectiveness of collective action.
This leads to confusion, apathy and inaction. It's very clever, very insidious and I can't find another word for it other than evil. And here we get into the good stuff. They exploit the idea of the perfect environmentalist. They will highlight or exaggerate instances where environmental activists or groups fail to live up to perfect standards, therefore creating the narrative that those trolls are then parroting, that if you can't do everything perfectly then why do anything at all?
You've probably seen oil companies run ad campaigns highlighting how their employees carpool or they recycle or use reusable water bottles. It just subtly implies that these individual actions are sufficient for environmental stewardship. It sets that unrealistic standard of personal environmental perfection, which is then used against activists who cannot be perfectly green in their everyday lives. And by focusing the conversation on those individuals, big polluters simply divert attention from larger, more impactful changes like policy reforms. And that's how lobbyists get away with things like watering down the COP 28 agreement, which for some reason I keep calling historic when really it is anything but. Another good example, and I won't name this company,
but there's been a major car manufacturer who were under scrutiny for high emissions and they launched a marketing campaign focused on teaching customers how to drive more efficiently and to maintain their vehicles more efficiently to reduce emissions. And look, these are totally valid points because the amount you can reduce your emissions by simply having fully inflated tires is pretty significant. I think it saves, from memory, I think it was $800 a year. I mean, that's significant.
This campaign just shifted the focus from where it needed to be. Clever! Finally, and potentially most damagingly, they frame the idea that we are still battling against today, that stringent environmental regulations will harm the economy. This is a false dichotomy and yes, unfortunately, it works because it discourages support for necessary systemic changes. To use fossil fuel companies again as an example, because they are the major funders of this sort of work, they often argue that these strict environmental policies will lead to job losses, economic downturn, death and destruction, no one will have any money and we'll all lose our homes. This is not a reality. Green technologies will absolutely fill the void. But of course, I don't tell you that today.
So back to eco-shaming. Don't I do this all the time when I talk about businesses who are obviously greenwashing? Isn't that just the same thing, but a bigger scale? Well, it's a bit different. Eco-shaming individuals leads to negativity, as we've addressed. Calling out greenwashing is a critical step in ensuring that businesses do better. When you eco-shame a person, you are criticising or judging a person for their lifestyle choices, and you don't have any idea what their life is like. You're not encouraging positive change but when you're calling out greenwashing, you're holding businesses accountable for misleading claims that make them money.
When Taylor Swift was named yet again the world's biggest individual polluter a couple of days ago, this isn't eco-shaming an individual because Taylor Swift is a brand, she is a business, she has more impact than most businesses. Now I know Taylor does a lot of good things, but imagine if she used her enormous platform to advocate for some environmental changes and started sharing what she herself does, assuming of course she starts trying to lessen her impact.
I look forward to the Swifties bashing me on social media about this comment. So let's talk about her arch nemesis, shall we? Kim Kardashian and her bloody Skims climate campaign. If you don't know what it was, it was a bra that had inbuilt nipples. And this is great for a lot of people. Perhaps you've had mastectomies, perhaps you just simply want to look like you've got nipples.
I don't know. Sure, it might be a decent product. But the marketing around it was, so you can always look cold even on a warming planet. Irritates me for a number of reasons. And sure, it sparked a lot of conversations. On one hand, it brought attention to the environmental issues in a way that only Kim can. People were talking about sustainability who may not have been otherwise and that's a win but it's not really because it garnered a lot of support and I didn't understand why because it was massively hypocritical. Skims is an emissions titan. They are not a sustainable business by any standard.
So saying that some of the proceeds from the sales of this bra would go to planting trees and climate organisations was massively greenwashy, not to mention trivialising an enormous issue. I'm all for humour, but there's a line. As we know, the fashion industry is responsible for about 10% of global carbon emissions, so instead of some bullshit about donating a tiny amount after doing all the polluting, how about we put the work into lessening the impact in the first place? It's totally doable. Imagine if Skims implemented a living wage, all of their offices and factories were powered by solar energy.
All of their packaging was completely plastic free and they were sourcing alternative materials for their actual products. Imagine the difference that one company could make. Sure, individual campaigns can start conversations, but the real work lies in transforming the entire industry to be more sustainable. As we wrap up today's episode, I hope you feel a little bit better. You can't be perfect, but what you're doing is great. But let's add to it.
So I'm excited to introduce our new monthly challenge segment. This is where we, as a community that cares, can take actionable steps towards a more sustainable lifestyle. Remember, progress, not perfection. So you could just be starting out or you could be well on your way. There is something everybody can do better. So the first thing I want you to do is audit your daily habits. Just pay a little bit more attention to your daily routine.
How much waste are you producing? How much stuff are you putting in the bin? Are you leaving lights on when they're not needed? Are you leaving the tap on when you brush your teeth? Do you drive when maybe it was like a five-minute walk? I know someone who drives quite literally the hundred meters to her litter box. Not shaming, but those are things to consider. This isn't about feeling guilty.
It's about becoming aware because awareness is the first step. You can't change what you don't know about. So every month, we are going to adopt one sustainable practice. Here are some ideas to get you started. If you are just starting out on your journey, why not try Meatless Mondays? Skipping meat one day a week is not only good for your health, but it's great for the planet.
If you don't agree with me on this point, feel free to listen to some of my previous episodes where I've talked more in depth about the stats behind animal products. I'm not saying you have to go vegan, but just skip the meat for one day a week. If you want to take on something a little bit more challenging and perhaps a little bit more fun, consider starting a herb garden. It's actually a really good feeling to get your hands in the soil. It's weirdly productive. If you feel like you've done something with your day when you grow stuff. If you're a little bit more advanced and if you've got a decent garden, composting. Composting itself is not advanced, but it involves a bit more commitment. But it's massively impactful because the number one thing you can do as a household is reduce your food waste. Compostable stuff like food and compostable packaging go into landfill producers methane. If you can compost it, not only does it reduce landfill waste, but also excellent nutrition for your garden.
Something we can all do of course is commit to learning more about environmental issues. And I know you need to temper this because sometimes it can be overwhelming. I have avoided several books I have on my shelf, even though I was interested at the time, because I know they're going to be really negative. And I already know a decent amount about what's going on. I can always know more, of course, but sometimes you want to avoid things for your mental health.
Eco-anxiety is real and it's very debilitating. That's why this podcast is all about actions. But pick a documentary, pick a podcast, how about this one, or find a book about sustainability every month. I break down a book around sustainability or science every week on TikTok if that's more your style. And when you learn something, share it with others, because knowledge is power. And if you are going to join this challenge with me, post it on social media and talk about it with your friends. We all succeed where we support one another. And hopefully those eco-shaming trolls will go back under their bridge. So what will your challenge be this month?
Whatever it is, even if you think it's small, just remember every small step does count towards a bigger change. I've been doing a couple of things since the beginning of the new year and I've actually sucked at them, which is super strange. I've been almost totally plant-based, which I'm pretty proud of. I'm going on a no-buy and a minimalisation kick, and I've donated a lot of stuff from my past life that I don't use anymore that other people will get a lot of joy from.
I don't understand the idea of having massive bag collections, which I don't have, and just never using them. It makes no sense. Give them to people who will love them. So thank you for listening to today's episode. I hope it's been inspiring. I hope it's made you feel a little bit better if you do get sort of kicked every now and then on social media for not being perfect, or if you get those comments from well-meaning relatives like so many of us do. Kia ora kaitiaki and I can't wait to hear about your challenge.
And there you go! I hope you learned something and realised that being green isn't about everything in your pantry matching with those silly glass jars or living in a commune. If that's your jam, fabulous, but sustainability at its heart is just using what you need. If you enjoyed this episode, please don't keep it to yourself and feel free to drop me a rating and hit the subscribe button. Kia ora and I'll see you next week.
