Because we all need it. 

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) refers to eco-anxiety as a “chronic fear of environmental doom”. With the way our planet is going– the melting ice caps, forest fires, and unprecedented floodings, it is quite common for people to feel anxious and helpless when it comes to saving the planet. 

Sustainability is no longer a trend, but a lifestyle. Unfortunately, there are no amount of paper straws we can use to prevent climate change. As hard as we try as individuals, the solution ultimately relies on big companies to prevent further damage to this planet. But that is also not to say that we have to stop trying. 

Below are some trends or ways we can use to try to live sustainably this fall.

Indoor Composting

Did you know that the City of Toronto only processes 75% of the green bin wastes? Among the 175,000 tonnes of green wastes this city deals with annually, only 75% of those get processed while the other 25% end up in landfills where it emits methane and greenhouse gases. 

Among the common problems with improper garbage segregation in the city is that some multi-residential buildings do not have a green waste program, or at least they’re lacking in practice. Some are trying though. 

If you are lucky to have spacious land, then outdoor composting is ideal. But when winter comes, it could be a challenging feat. Indoor composting, however, can easily be done in the comforts of your home. There are 2 ways to go about it. You can either do vermicomposting where you use worms to break down your organic waste or invest in a special compost bin that will do the dirty work for you. 

If those options are not accessible to you, you can also drop off your compost at some facilities in the city. Foodshare is the largest mid-scale compost program in Toronto. The idea is that people can bring in their food garbage to the facility and in return, they are given vouchers that can be used to buy fresh produce at Foodshare’s own farm. Talk about sustainability and community building! 

Indoor Gardening 

We city folks do not have the luxury of creating our own garden. Maybe in the summertime we are afforded to building small herb gardens in our balconies, but come fall and winter, those simple luxuries don’t last. But do not worry, modern technology has progressed so far that we can finally grow tomatoes inside our homes! Indoor gardening will not only provide you fresh produce anytime you want but it is also said to be emotionally therapeutic. Therapeutic enough to ease those eco-anxiety-inducing news, I bet! Now, you can buy hydroponic indoor garden kits that can grow up to 9 different plants all at once! This one from Aerogarden can grow 6 herbs or vegetables and it has a sleek design that will fit well on your kitchen counter, and this one from Click and Grow can grow 9 plants and uses zero pesticides, hormones or any other harmful chemicals. You can practically build your own organic city if you wish to do so. 

Again, living a sustainable life is not a trend but these are a couple of ways we can try to incorporate into our lifestyle. If these two are not accessible to you, living a life with less consumption is also sustainable. 

Published by HOLR Magazine.