Becoming a more compassionate person requires change; when we have an open mind, when we practice empathy, listen to others, and show genuine concern, it enables us to grow into the person we want to be. How we become a more compassionate person is by starting to change the small things that lead to living a more considered life.
When I watched The True Cost documentary, it changed my life. It was the catalyst I needed to stop buying fast fashion and to start learning about who made my clothes and what they were made out of. The things we change in our lives have a rippling effect. I doubt I would have watched that documentary if I hadn’t adopted a minimalist lifestyle a year or so beforehand or gone vegan in my late teens. Since then, I’ve become increasingly more aware of my impact on our shared planet and have adjusted my habits to live a low waste lifestyle.
Making changes, resetting our habits, and adopting new ways of doing things isn’t always easy but if it carries us towards a more compassionate, more considered, more sustainable lifestyle, then it’s worth it because together we can make a change.
Eat More Plants
Whether you’re upping your plant-based meals or you’re moving towards veganism, eating more plants is good for your health, kinder to animals, and more sustainable for the planet. Learning about what we eat, where our food comes from, how it was produced, and the impact it has on our environment, can help us live a more compassionate lifestyle. Animal agriculture and fishing is unsustainable while avoiding meat and dairy is the single biggest way to reduce your impact on Earth; a plant-based diet is also better for your health. Going vegan or at the very least committing to a mostly plant-based diet, is the most compassionate choice you can make if you care about our environment, your personal health, and the lives of others. If you’re unable to go vegan, here are some cruelty-free changes everyone can make and a frequently asked questions for the vegan-curious.
Give Up Fast Fashion
When it comes to clothes, many of us are drawn into a vicious cycle of buying cheap and buying often. Fast fashion relies on a system where items are designed, produced, and sold in an unsustainable and unethical way resulting in manufacturing methods, which threaten the safety of the garment workforce and greatly harm our environment. We buy these clothes because they are cheap not because we love them, which means in a few weeks they’re discarded for something new. Adopting a slow approach to fashion leads to thoughtful purchases made in a respectful and considered manner; taking into account how something was made and by who, whether it was designed to last, and if owning it will enrich our lives rather than just add another thing to our lives only to be discarded later. Giving up fast fashion signifies the compassion and respect we have for garment workers and our environment. Your choice to buy ethically and sustainably made clothing says: “I don’t believe people should die to make my clothes."
Make Low Impact Habit Shifts
Small changes can make a big difference. When we shift our habits to be more eco-friendly we signal to our community and the businesses in it that we want better options. These shifts don’t have to be dramatic or even big, they can be as simple and small as using your own reusable cup to get your morning coffee or taking your own bag to the supermarket to carry your groceries in. Making a conscious decision to change your habits helps lessen your impact on the environment by avoiding unnecessary purchases and reducing the waste you create. Starting with manageable low impact changes means these habits are most likely to stick and it becomes easier to make more sustainable and compassionate choices. This is how you can get started with low waste habits and implement sustainable swaps at home; these tips will help with avoiding waste when you’re on the go.
Share with me the habits we can all adopt live a more compassionate lifestyle.
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