Environmentalism and Habit Building
We’re taking this month to re-visit our collaboration with the organization, One Green Thing (https://www.onegreenthing.org/) and its founder and CEO, Heather White. Her belief is that eco-anxiety can be mitigated and controlled through climate action, but many of us (myself included) feel overwhelmed at the prospect of where to begin. White addresses these concerns herself in her book, One Green Thing, and utilizes the power of habit formation to incorporate pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) in our daily lives. She does this with the help of the three Laws of Change. They are:
The Law of Simplicity & Consistency – Having simple, consistent, daily actions are more likely to stick (like brushing your teeth daily). According to James Clear’s, Atomic Habits, to make a habit repeatable, it needs to be obvious, attractive, easy and fun (https://jamesclear.com/three-steps-habit-change)
The Law of Identity – A habit must become part of who you are in order to take hold. This is where White’s service superpower quiz (https://www.onegreenthing.org/assessment) comes in handy: it helps align your identity with specific actions you can play to your strengths to achieve a greener future.
The Law of Amplification– Sharing our experiences makes change reverberate, resulting in impact and generating support for policy solutions. So, share your joy, and that cool beekeeping lady you found on TikTok! The more people who can learn from you, the higher the chance that similar actions will multiply, and a culture shift begins.
The Habit Loop
My current, “bad” habit: I don’t get out in nature as often as I would like to. I attribute this to wanting to relax in my downtime, and the ways I choose to relax are typically watching a movie with my partner and pups, or going out to run errands or generic shopping. Sometimes when I think about going outside, I tell myself it’s too cold out, too hot out, too windy, and I talk myself out of going outside altogether.
Cue: Boredom. Why boredom? Because the times when I choose to go out or not are the times when I am no longer busy doing something I have to do, like run errands, go to work, and so on.
Craving: Entertainment. Some means of entertainment provide a sweet relief from that boredom, while also being able to slow myself down after a long day/week.
Response: After running around all day (mentally and physically), I feel that sometimes my craving for slowing down manifests itself in me not moving at all. So, I’ll slow down to a halt with a movie, playing a game, or scrolling through my phone – it has consistently been something mindless.
Reward: I watch my movie. I scroll through my “for you” page. I have some form of entertainment in front of me that I didn’t have to work hard for, but it also isn’t very rewarding. It’s the bridge between after work lulls and bedtime. It doesn’t always satisfy me, but it gets the job done.
Using Clear’s concept of The Habit Loop, here’s an example of how I could change my habits to be greener:
Cue and Craving are still the same, so that means I have to change my…
Response: I could plan ahead and talk with my partner about taking our dogs to the local natural area. Once that plan is in motion, I can prepare what I will need – appropriate clothes, shoes, snacks, and so on. I could load what I need in the car ahead of time. Preparing for the adventure and making plans with someone to go with me would help me to have no excuse not to go out.
Reward: Not only would spending time outdoors with my loved ones be a reward, but there are also many benefits to being outdoors. It will help improve my mental health and emotional well-being overall. It increases cognitive benefits, such as improved attention, lower stress levels, reduced risk of psychiatric disorders, and increased levels of empathy and mindfulness1. A recent study has even shown that enjoying nature may lessen the need for some medications.
Why would this be a strong candidate for a habit reformation for me? Because of the three laws White references:
The Law of Simplicity & Consistency – Setting everything up beforehand adds to the simplicity. Not every trip outdoors needs to be a hike in the beautiful Green Mountains, but I can definitely include some with help from the Green Mountain Club (https://www.greenmountainclub.org/education/hiking-101-vermont/)! It can be as simple as taking the dogs out and around the neighborhood, with a goal of 15-30 minutes per outing.
The Law of Identity – Being outdoors and going green are important to me, and nature has always been a part of my life. This is another way for me to strive to reconnect with nature.
The Law of Amplification – Being able to go outside with friends and loved ones is a wonderful way to share an experience together! If I ever went solo, I could bring my camera along and share the pictures I took with friends and family. I could even do without and relay the solo adventures I had along the way.
Habit formation is a hot topic, especially at the start of every new year. Both Heather White and James Clear’s methods are fundamental to making new habits stick, but it’s up to you to decide where your daily habits could be greener. I challenge you to make a list of ways you wish you could live more sustainably, choose three of those ways, and use these methods to determine how you can make the change. This is a vital step to the beginning of your climate action journey, and for managing climate anxiety. I have also included a few resources to help you get started!
Further Reading & References
Habit Tracker: https://jamesclear.com/habit-tracker
Atomic Habits Workbook: https://www.create.101planners.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Workbook.pdf
”Nurtured by Nature”: https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/nurtured-nature
Turunen AW, Halonen J, Korpela K, et al. “Cross-sectional associations of different types of nature exposure with psychotropic, antihypertensive and asthma medication.” Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2023; 80:111-118.