I spent 2 months trying to reduce my impact on the climate. Here's what I've learned

Over the last 2 months, I've been actively striving to increase my contribution to a healthier planet. By sharing the resources that helped me and some of the learnings I've made along I hope it might help you gain more agency too.

Getting started

?? Learning the basics

One of the best starting points was the Zopeful: Intro to Climate course. It consists of daily 5-minute emails that give an accessible yet comprehensive summary. In 2 weeks you'll have learned about the current state of the climate, the carbon embedded in all our stuff and lifestyles, and pick up some practical tools to take action (as well as the steps companies and governments need to take).

There's a lot of information out there, some of it useful and engaging, some of it less so. Here's a list of the best Climate and Sustainability Resources I've curated. It includes articles, books, communities, documentaries, newsletters, podcasts, people to follow. It's open and editable, so feel free to add your own!

?? Building a network

I'm in the habit of speaking to at least one new person in the sustainability/climate space every week. "Talking it out" reinforces what I've learned and expands my knowledge too; almost every conversation leads to a resource I didn't know of or someone new I should connect with. It's also inspiring to see all the different approaches and interests people have in this space - an important step to discovering where I might fit in.

To start building a network here's a few tricks I use consistently:

• Connect with, and follow people on LinkedIn and Twitter - a quick search of "climate change", "sustainability" will help you fill your feed with more relevant people. Look at who's writing interesting things and use this as a conversation starter to connect.
• Search for sustainability events on Eventbrite and Meetup. Then when you attend, connect with the interesting speakers and participants.
• Join climate-focused Slack communities like Work on Climate, and Climate Action Tech - introduce yourself, engage in the channels that interest you, and use it as a noticeboard for the latest events and news.

While information gathering is important, it can be overwhelming. I was keen to take action and apply what I learned.

Tools to take action

?? Measuring your Carbon Footprint

I used the Klima app to estimate my rough carbon footprint and how it's broken down. This way I could start focusing on the big impact areas.

?? Building a roadmap

The Zopeful course also includes a Climate Action Roadmap with loads of ideas to start reducing your impact and make meaningful actions every month.

For example, in November I switched from Vattenfall to Ostrom (a 100% renewable energy provider in Germany). It's a simple 5-minute onboarding and they handle the switch from your old provider. I also gained €175 back because I consumed less than half the electricity of the average 1 person household and it removed a quarter of my overall carbon footprint. Sometimes the most impactful actions can be the easiest to take!

In December I'm doing some more hands-on activities like learning to sew with Wieder und Wider, so I can extend the lifestyle of clothes. I'm also looking into another major impact area - whom I bank with. Tomorrow Bank seems to be the best option I've found so far, but interested to hear of others!

Tools to keep going

?? Social accountability

In November, I attended an online event: "Small Ways to Reduce Your Environmental Impact" with Sense Network. The changes and actions people shared were accessible and frankly an upgrade to their lifestyle, which was a refreshing takeaway as sustainable living can often be framed as a sacrifice. Here's the write up from the event that we continue to add to - a great way to stay accountable and keep up the momentum!

While it was amazing to exchange knowledge, I couldn't help but feel like an imposter. Some of that was down to the disconnect between what I want to do and what I'm actually doing, but a large part came down to not acknowledging what I've already achieved.

?? Celebrating progress

So alongside my roadmap, I've started keeping a Climate Action Diary. By continuously documenting my actions, it creates an objective history of my progress and a little moment of pride whenever I add a new entry. Also, instead of comparing myself too much to others, it helps me focus on how I can be better than I was yesterday.

?? What's next?

Personal actions and changes will plateau and eventually reach a ceiling. So while I'm staying committed, I aim to expand my circle of influence:

• Pursuing a career in climate - I'm exploring opportunities both full-time and freelance where I can have a major net positive on sustainability and social justice. If you're a more established planet-focused business, you're in the messy beginnings of starting up, or a company transforming themselves towards sustainability, and you need some design support - reach out, I'd love to talk!
• Getting involved locally - Whether it's getting an allotment, volunteering, starting my own meetups, this will bring greater tangibility and grounding to what I'm doing alongside the large scale actions.
• Sharing knowledge - I'm committed to writing and speaking about my progress and learnings to help others take action too.

I hope this inspires you to start and continue your journey to more sustainable living, and also to start a dialogue - I'd love to hear what you're doing, your ideas, what barriers you have - let's support each other ??