Zara is a Engineering Mathematics Masters student at the University of Bristol who has had extensive experience as a research assistant for Six Degrees while consulting for the Green Party of Lebanon. A volunteer and researcher for many other environmental organizations such as the Asian Environmental Youth Network, Re-Earth Initiative and Force of Nature, her passion for the environment is incredible. She is currently leading the development of an environmental book that highlights the impacts of systemic faults on the environment as well as spotlighting fresh and innovative climate solutions.
What does it mean to be an ‘imperfect environmentalist’?
For the longest time, I was scared to call myself an environmentalist. I didn’t believe I had acquired sufficient knowledge or experience to be worthy of the title. I didn’t know much, and I felt like my efforts were negligible and didn’t believe that I was doing all that I could to combat the climate crisis. Even after a year of educating myself, volunteering and interning, I still felt inadequate.
“There are people who are doing more than me, spreading more awareness than me and making more of an impact than me”, I would tell myself. I was caught in a detrimental loop where I was striving towards omniscience and influence to gain the right to proclaim myself as an environmentalist. I even felt solace in reading environmentalists’ shortcomings because I felt relief in knowing the most influential environmentalists weren’t perfect.
So when I came across the idea of being an ‘imperfect environmentalist’, it really helped me gain confidence in my passion and in my work. But what does it mean to be an imperfect environmentalist? It simply means that in addition to being aware of your environmental impact and what you can to minimize it, you are also cognizant of your limits and the fact that no one can ever be 100% sustainable. There are simply things out of our control and beyond our means to achieve and that is ok. That being said, if there are things you can adjust in your lifestyle without compromising your work, mental health, personal beliefs and finances then you should definitely make that adjustment!
Why should you embrace being an imperfect environmentalist?
Being a “perfect” environmentalist is virtually impossible and to be honest with you, I don’t even know what they would encompass. There’s always a way to be more green and there is always more to learn about the environment and sustainability. Neither should we devalue or criticise someone’s work/efforts because they aren’t 100% sustainable.
Furthermore, living sustainably can be expensive. Organic food is expensive. Organic clothing is expensive. Electric vehicles are expensive. Most people do not have the privilege to afford these luxuries. However, this doesn’t disregard the efforts they have made. In fact, if you put your mind to it, there are many other environmentally-friendlier alternatives that make going green affordable! Being aware of your environmental impacts and making changes where it is possible with your personal circumstance is the most important.
In chasing perfection, you might end up sacrificing your confidence and ability to give back to the planet. Numerous people are reluctant to even make small contributions because of the fear of criticism for not doing more. However, isn’t doing something small, better than doing nothing at all? We should be encouraging people to start making small contributions to tackling climate change instead of shaming them for not doing more because let’s face it, we all need to do something to make a change.
All in all, to tackle the climate issues we face, it is crucial for us to be aware of our environmental impacts, make appropriate changes to our lifestyle, and remain inquisitive, open-minded and optimistic towards learning more about sustainability and the environment. The perfect environmentalist doesn’t exist, but remember:
‘We don’t need a handful of people doing sustainability perfectly, we need millions doing it imperfectly.’ – Anne-Marie Bonneau
Beautiful thought, i had the same feeling most of time, not doing enough and not knowing how to do more or even spread awareness/ educational talks. Will accept the phrase as an ‘imperfect’ one.