Wait, Do I Really Need to Care About This? Busting the Eco-Anxiety Myth for Total Newbies

Let’s be real for a second: if you’re reading this book, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve had at least one moment in the last year where you scrolled past a TikTok of a sea turtle with a plastic straw up its nose, or a headline screaming that the world has until 2030 to reverse climate change, and immediately felt two inches tall. Maybe you looked down at the half-empty coffee cup in your hand, or the pile of Amazon packaging by your door, or the takeout container you were about to throw in the general waste bin, and thought, “Wait, am I a terrible person for not doing more?” Or maybe you’ve already tried to “go green” before, bought a bunch of fancy reusable stuff, stuck it out for three days, then went right back to your old habits and decided the whole sustainability thing was too much work for you. Either way, you’re not alone. And if you’re feeling any combination of guilt, overwhelm, or straight-up annoyance at the idea of “saving the planet,” this chapter was written for you.

I’m not here to lecture you. I’m not here to tell you that you’re a bad person for using plastic, or that you have to move into a tiny house and compost all your food scraps to be a “good” eco citizen. I’m here to tell you the truth that almost no one talks about when it comes to waste and sustainability: the idea that you have to be perfect to make a difference is a lie. A big, stupid, stress-inducing lie. And today, we’re going to bust that lie (and a few other big ones) so you can stop feeling guilty, start making small changes that actually fit your life, and maybe even have a little fun while you do it.

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The Guilt Trip You Didn’t Ask For

First, let’s name the feeling you’re probably having right now: eco-anxiety. The American Psychological Association defines it as “a chronic fear of environmental doom,” and it’s on the rise, especially among young people. A 2021 global survey found that 60% of people aged 16-25 say they are “extremely” or “very” worried about climate change, and 45% say that worry affects their daily ability to function. If that’s you, take a deep breath. That feeling isn’t a sign that you’re doing something wrong. It’s a sign that you’ve been told a really messed up story about what “being eco-friendly” actually means.

The story goes like this: if you care about the planet, you have to give up all the convenient, fun stuff you love. You have to stop ordering takeout, stop buying new clothes, stop drinking your favorite coffee, and spend hundreds of dollars on fancy sustainable products to prove you’re serious. If you slip up even once—forget your reusable bag, use a plastic straw, order a pizza with a plastic container—you’ve failed, and you might as well give up entirely. This story is everywhere: on social media, in news headlines, even in some environmental campaigns that rely on guilt to get people to act. And it’s completely wrong.

Here’s the thing no one tells you: the most sustainable people I know aren’t the ones who post perfect zero-waste Instagram feeds with their tiny jar of trash from the last year. They’re the ones who bring their own coffee cup to the café because it gets them a discount, who bring leftovers for lunch because it’s cheaper than eating out every day, who take their kids to the park and pick up trash while they’re there, not because they’re trying to be perfect, but because it’s just what they do. They don’t stress about forgetting a reusable bag once, because they know one plastic bag isn’t going to sink the planet. They don’t judge other people for using plastic, because they know everyone is on their own eco journey, at their own pace.

This book is built on one core rule that will make your eco journey 100% less stressful: progress over perfection, always. We’ll come back to this rule over and over again, because it’s the secret to actually sticking with sustainable habits long-term, instead of burning out after a week. But first, let’s bust the three biggest myths that are keeping you stuck right now.

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Myth #1: You Need to Buy a Bunch of Fancy Eco-Products to Be Sustainable

Let’s get this one out of the way first, because it’s the most common mistake I see newbies make. You do not need to spend a single extra dollar to be more eco-friendly. In fact, the most sustainable option is almost always the thing you already own.

Think about it: that glass pasta sauce jar in your recycling bin? Wash it out, and you can use it to store leftovers, carry your lunch, hold your pens, or store bulk nuts and grains. No need to go out and buy a fancy $20 set of silicone food storage bags. That old tote bag you got for free at a college fair or a work event? Keep it in your car or by your front door, and you’ll never have to pay for a plastic grocery bag again. That chipped ceramic mug you got as a gift 5 years ago that’s been sitting in the back of your cabinet? Bring it to the café for your morning coffee, and you’ll get a discount at almost every shop in the country.

I’m guilty of falling for this myth myself. When I first got interested in zero waste 7 years ago, I went out and spent $200 on a set of fancy beeswax wraps, stainless steel straws, a $40 reusable coffee cup, and a set of silicone food bags. I used the coffee cup twice, the straws are still sitting in a drawer somewhere unopened, and the beeswax wraps got covered in pasta sauce the first time I used them and were too gross to wash, so I threw them out. I spent $200 to create more trash, which is exactly the opposite of what I was trying to do. It took me months to realize I didn’t need any of that fancy stuff to be more sustainable—I just needed to use the glass jars I already had in my pantry to store leftovers, and bring the old reusable bag I got for free at a college fair to the grocery store.

This isn’t just my personal experience. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), about 42% of “eco-friendly” consumer products purchased in the U.S. are discarded within a year of purchase, most because they don’t fit into the buyer’s daily routine. That’s millions of dollars worth of beeswax wraps, silicone bags, and stainless steel straws sitting in landfills right now, all because people thought they had to buy new stuff to be eco-friendly. Spoiler alert: you don’t.

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Myth #2: Your Small Actions Don’t Matter Compared to Big Corporations

This is the one I hear most often, and it’s the one that makes the most people throw up their hands and give up entirely. “What’s the point of me sorting my recycling,” people say, “when 100 companies are responsible for 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions?” It’s a fair question, but it’s based on a false choice: the idea that you have to choose between holding corporations accountable and making small changes in your own life. You can do both. And your small changes matter way more than you think.

First, let’s get the numbers straight. It’s true that a small number of large corporations produce a huge amount of global emissions—UNEP reports that 100 companies are responsible for about 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions. But that 30% of emissions that come from individual households, transportation, and small businesses? That adds up to a huge amount of waste and pollution too. If every person in the U.S. skipped just one single-use plastic water bottle a week, that’s 150 billion fewer plastic bottles produced every year. That’s enough bottles to circle the Earth 370 times. And that’s just one small change, from one country.

Second, your small choices don’t just reduce your own waste—they send a signal to businesses and policymakers that people care about sustainability. Ten years ago, almost no coffee shops offered discounts for bringing your own cup. Now, more than 60% of independent coff