It’s honestly quite funny this newsletter is about fussing because fuzzies are the star of the story. Let me explain.
The other week, my husband and I were doing our regular laundry routine. As the fancy-pants New Yorkers we are these days, we actually have laundry in the building! (Luxury points when you no longer have to spend your Sunday mornings at the nearest laundromat!)
The best thing about having laundry in your building (if you ask me) is that it’s very easy to take your clothes back to your apartment and hang them to dry. Considering that the dryer is one of the most energy-sucking machines in your household, plus the fact that drying your clothes in a machine emits A LOT of microplastics, this to me is a no-brainer.
So once a week, our apartment turns into something reassembling a small clothing store with shirts hanging from every available cupboard knob and towels caressing every door. It’s quite a lovely scene, to tell you the truth, and you’d be surprised how fast it all dries (try it out if you haven’t already!)
It took some honing in my point before my husband agreed to do the extra work of hang drying instead of simply tossing it all into a big dryer and hitting “start”. But he’s smart enough to know what fights to pick and this one was mine to win.
However, the other week during our “let’s see where we can find a spot for this one” game, he looked over at me and said:
“You know, the one thing you can say about drying your clothes in a machine though is that it gets rid of all the fuzzies. Now I have to pluck them off the shirt myself. Look at all these!”
I gave him a short, silent stare, then responded:
“Well, do you want an overheated planet where you can’t step outside most days while the ACs inside are failing, a future - by the way - where New York City most likely is under water, or can you deal with some fuzzies on your shirt?”
Short silence.
“I guess I’ll take the fuzzies.”
“Good, now stop fussing and keep hanging the clothes, please!”
1 -- 0 to the climate optimist!!
In my book (coming fall of 2022), I have an entire chapter dedicated to our amazing but oh-so-annoying ability to fuss. Because let’s be real — we are pretty good at fussing! As creatures of habit and with a love for all things convenient, it takes some effort (mainly mental) to get used to new things. However, once you stop fussing and start doing, you often realize that gaining agency and becoming a change maker for what you believe in is a truly empowering act!
Where can you stop fussing?
We all have areas in our lives where we can cut down on the fuss. Instead of making excuses for why we can’t ________(compost, bike to work, go thrifting, fill in the blank), how about we have a sit-down with ourselves and say: “OK, let’s get down to business. The planet needs us, it is action time, so no more fussing!”
Your life does not have to become lesser/harder/lamer for making conscious, sustainable changes. It simply means that it will be slightly different, maybe even better! so this week I challenge you — in what areas are you fussing? What commitment could you give to yourself that would make you feel like the true climate hero actually are?
If you feel like it — share your commitment in the comments and I promise to commit to the same thing too!
And if you need inspiration…
Why don’t you green up your laundry game? Learn more about it in this New York Times article: One Thing You Can Do — Smarter Laundry
Reporting from BMW Head Quarters
Exciting update from me — I’m currently in Munich for a project with BMW. (I can’t share too much more right now but let’s just say it entails meeting with and talking to a lot of inspiring and visionary people. My climate optimism meter is high!)
With that said, between jetlag naps, interviews, and exploring Munich, I’m quite busy, so this newsletter and the next will come without a list of recent climate optimism and actions. However — there’s always Warp News for an ocean of optimism to tap into!
This Week’s Book Tip
I’m excited about this one because Saving Us truly speaks my language! Written by one of my heroes — climate scientist and brilliant communicator Katharine Hayhoe — this is your guide on how to actively believe in a different future and become a leader in your life and community!
Katharine claims that the most important climate action is to talk about it — this book will help you successfully do so and more! Highly, highly recommend!
Author: Katharine Hayhoe Publisher: Simon & Schuster I Find the book here