Lawson's 5-Step Process for Individual Environmental Contribution (IEC)

We're all starting to come to grips with the dire state of our planet. Much has been written about our various states of denial or distress. Whatever mental state you're in, not many of us know how we can help even if we wanted to. What does it mean to live a sustainable life? Is it even practical? Is it even worth trying? I can't answer some of the big questions, but for me, my conscience won't let me not try. I've been on a journey to figure out how we can make a dent in this worldly issue and potentially inspire our friends, family and neighbors to do the same.

1) Take a Pause

Our modern lives are pretty hectic. In order to be able to think clearly, we need to pause and reflect often. We need to meditate. If you go from one task or event to the next from sun up to sun down, you're bound to overwhelm yourself and not think clearly. To be purposeful about your direction in life, we need to create some space and alone time to figure out who we are and what we want to do in the world. However, our minds aren't accustomed to doing this due to the constant stimuli. Meditation is a way of practicing this, that is, clearing your mind, so you can prepare it for some productive thinking. Please be patient as it takes time to see the benefits. Take this practice through the next steps and reflect often as you go.

2) Learn about Nature

When you see a stranger on the side of the road with their hood open, unless you're actually the good Samaritan, you wouldn't stop to help. However, if it was your brother, you probably would stop and do all you could to help them. Heck, you might even stop if it was someone you kind of knew from high school. I see the environment the same way. The environment needs our help, but we don't really know the environment very well, so we as a society, don't typically take the time out of our day to help. But, what if we took the time to get to know the environment? That is, what if we took the time to learn about nature and its wonders? We might then learn to have some sympathy. Then, when we see our opportunity to help right in front of us, we might just just do so!

3) Find Your Niche

There are a lot of things you can do to live a more sustainable life and do your part to help the environment. It's overwhelming to try to do all of them. So, pick one or two that're more approachable to you and your current lifestyle. If you are grossed out by composting, you can still drive an electric vehicle and make a contribution to reducing carbon emissions. Like any new habit, start one at a time. You don't need to transform your life overnight. Can't find your niche? A pro tip is to go back to step 2 and continue to learn more about the natural world and see what interests are sparked in you. There's way more beneath the surface level when you start pulling back the layers.

4) Create Habits

When you've found that spark of passion and something you can attach yourself to, it's easier said than done to integrate it into your busy life. Don't get discouraged if you fall off the horse. It's about habit formation. I recommend the book 'The Power of Habits' by Charles Duhigg. It takes anywhere from 21 to 66 days to create a habit. At that point, it's hard wired into our brains and it becomes easy to remember to do it regularly. For example, now that I compost as a matter of habit, it's what I think about as soon as I'm done eating a meal that generates food scraps. It isn't a chore anymore.

5) Take a Stand

There may be disagreement with putting this one fifth, but hear me out. Those that are marching at rallies, much respect goes out to them. However, I'm speaking to the average person who may not be keen on that scene. Go through this process and find yourself a little slice of the sustainable life. You'll feel a little more grounded to know that you're doing what you can with your own life. Now, you can try to speak for others. Learn about the politicians in your area and vote for the ones who have the environmental crisis on the forefront of their list of issues. This is not just for President. Learn about and vote for your state representatives and local leaders. You can even write to them. Take this step as far as you're comfortable, but whatever you do, just vote. It matters.