It’s easy to get caught up in social media envy of the zero waste influencer, or the minimalist who hasn’t purchased a new garment in a decade. It’s easy to feel helpless as an individual, when reading about the waste and pollution of an entire industry (fashion, you’re officially on notice), and think there’s no way your individual actions will make a dent. Or to feel like sustainability is just unrealistic. I mean, it sounds romantic (and badass) to make your transatlantic trip by boat, like Climate Change icon Greta Thunberg, but realistically who has that kind of time in 2021? It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, and give up.

Fret not, my fellow sustainable friend. None of us are perfectly sustainable, and that’s okay.

It’s impossible to be perfectly sustainable –– to go through life with zero impact. Everything we do in this world has some kind of impact. Our sheer existence has a climate impact. So should we all just stop existing? Of course not! What we need to do is become more *mindful* of our impact, and move forward in the world accordingly.

But this is exactly the place where we tend to freeze up. There’s so much information — and misinformation –– on how to be sustainable. There are also a lot of judgements (typically on those platforms we love and hate, known as social media), about how to ‘properly’ be sustainable.

I want to give you permission do what works for you, whatever that looks like. Any form of action, especially collectively, is better than no action. Finding what works for you, regardless of how imperfect it may be, is the best way forward. Now, I’m not giving you permission to throw a giant ‘eff you’ to your personal sustainable accountability. What I am saying is to find what works for your lifestyle, and commit to it. Don’t worry about what you can’t do; focus on what you can.

If you need a little more permission to feel okay about being perfectly imperfect when it comes to sustainability, here’s a list of the ways that I fail in my own sustainable journey. This list is meant to give you a little insight into how imperfect we all are, no matter how hard we try.

• I sometimes get my latté in a disposable cup, instead of brining my reusable cup. Especially when I’m out of town.

• I haven’t been able to compost my food waste for the last eight months.

• When I order takeout, it usually comes in plastic containers.

• I still have an Amazon Prime account.

• I no longer shop fast fashion, but was guilty of it for a long time.

• A lot of my beauty products come in plastic containers.

This list isn’t comprehensive, there are other ways I fail in my sustainable journey. And this list shouldn’t be a comparison, by any stretch. We all lead different lives and it’s not a contest. These are some of what could be called my ‘failings,’ but then there’s a ton of ways in which I kick some sustainable ass every day.

Remember, the point isn’t to be perfect; it’s to take stock in your actions, and then do what you can. No one is keeping score (well, except maybe Mother Earth), so don’t let the haters get you down. Figure out what works for you. Make a commitment. And then love your perfectly imperfect sustainable self!

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