The Story Behind "A Year of Sustainability"

February 2025

The news is crowded with stories on climate change. Some are too sad and we ignore them. Some are too uplifting and we take them for granted. Some are too harrowing and we feel immobilized. However, getting buried in the news is simply not an option. Everyone is capable of action. Before beginning my challenge, I wanted to share my own experience with climate action: my inglorious years of passivity followed by my commitment to the future. In doing so, I hope you will join me in action. 

My interest in the climate started years ago. Although it is never easy to place a finger on the exact moment a passion is ignited, there is one memory that I credit: a lesson on water conservation in my third grade science class. Surrounded by roaring, uninterested classmates and our overtaxed teacher, my eyes were glued to the graph being displayed on the whiteboard. The graph was nothing deluxe. It was simple: free of frills. It displayed the amount of water on our planet, highlighting the disturbingly small amount of clean water. The first feeling I remember was a form of betrayal. I was confused why something so major had never been brought to my attention before. I was positive there had been time for it at one of the thousands of family dinners I had a seat at or at the very least, something I might have overheard during the million times I had eavesdropped on a conversation between adults. This disappointment quickly became enthusiasm: I dreamed of being the girl to change the fate of the graph projected on the screen in front of me. But what happens to an eager spirit that isn’t tended to? The topic was never mentioned again in school and I was still yet to discover it outside of school. Like any 8-year-old kid, I was unable to maintain the interest alone. Just as fast as my passion had come about, it was overpowered by the kinds of things that all kids obsess about. Whether it was my desire for the newest toys or brainstorming for my latest pitch on why I should be allowed to have a sleepover on a school night, it seemed the climate no longer took the front seat in my mind. 

For years, I didn’t act on my interest. Sure there were plenty of talks about volunteering with my family or conducting research to find further resources, but something always seemed to come up. Every plan of action was stopped before it had even begun. I like to think that this changed last year when I joined a research program at my school. Faced with an endless amount of possible topics, there was one that stuck out to me more than the others. I wanted to write a paper on climate communications, specifically whether impact-confident or timeline-confident climate messages are more effective in turning passivity into action. In other words, which is more empowering: telling people what will happen or when it will happen. It wasn’t the flashiest idea, or even the simplest, but to me it represented more than just a project. It would be my gateway into understanding why I, myself, had become a victim to climate passivity for all these years. Although the bulk of the work is ahead of me, one thing is for sure: my passion has been reignited. This time, I am determined to keep it around. 

A year-long experiment in which I challenge myself with a different sustainable habit each month seemed like the perfect idea. It would keep me accountable, while familiarizing me with the ins and outs of our climate. The philosophy expressed in the book “Atomic Habits” by James Clear explains how consistently executing small changes can lead to big transformations. I’m convinced that small lifestyle alterations, although simple, will be the backbone to a green future.

There is always a danger of challenges such as this one. It is the danger of making everything seem simple, of glossing over the imperfections. I am dedicated to providing an unfiltered portrayal of my time with this challenge. I’m sure living sustainably isn’t easy. I instead hope to brand the feat as worthwhile and frankly, mandatory. But what's better than one person devoted to reversing the climate trend? A whole group of devoted people. My hope is that my challenge will persuade each of you to launch your own — so together we can take a step forward.