plant matter 7.17.21
as someone who spends time researching, talking, and writing about sustainable and low-waste living, i’ve been putting a lot of thought into how individual action interplays with larger systems change.
i’ll hear things like, ‘not using plastic straws will never have any real impact on the climate crisis.’ which, to be fair, is in many ways true. but having a defeatist mindset only discourages us from seizing the power we do have to enact material change. to chalk up all responsibility to mega-corporations and politics is to ignore the fact that those systems will never shift without the hard work and activism of individuals.
to be clear, i’m not suggesting that the onus of environmental degradation should fall on individual behavior — corporations and governments undoubtedly create the lion’s share of the problem. rather, i’m proposing the perhaps radically hopeful conviction that individual action is the obligatory first step to systems change. because, when it comes down to it, isn’t that really all we have? our own bodies, our own communities, our own resources, and our own free will to choose what we do with them?
i love this framework created by @climateresilienceproject, which poses five dimensions of climate action — interpersonal, individual, organizational, structural, and paradigmal — and offers concrete examples of action within each. the dichotomy of individual versus systems isn’t real in any applicable way. both exist on top of and within one another. living sustainably means integrating climate activism in the micro (avoiding single-use plastic, composting, voting with your $, etc.) and the macro (political involvement, youth education, community organizing, etc.) i’m striving to embody this myself and constantly learning how i can do better.
my inbox is open if you’d like to share your thoughts :)
please be gentle with yourselves this week! links n’ things below.
in true plant matter fashion: proper plant care from a to z 🌱
i get compliments on these cuties every time i wear them.
cw sexual assault for this book rec: i posted about this on ig but i really believe this book (and similar first-person accounts of the big picture, long-term impacts of sexual abuse) should be required reading for all cis men and teen boys. the novel is stunningly written, and describes the ubiquity of misogyny with such heartbreaking subtlety. the way it creeps into women's lives from literal childhood. how ‘gray area’ and ‘boys will be boys’ allows for so much unpunished violence. infuriating, galvanizing, critical, and ultimately hopeful.
ok but why are these the most perfect pair of pants?
a song to soothe the nervous system.
what is regenerative agriculture? (c/o zaria of zumwalt acres!)
if you're a forever35 fan you must listen to doree's new memoir on audiobook and revel in her dulcet tones spilling personal tea that she rarely goes into on the pod. an a+ comfort listen that i devoured in two days.
a great pod pairing with aforementioned memoir (cw: fertility struggles).
mmm the perfect summer side dish.
my hypersensitive self has become obsessed with girlfriend collective activewear for the way their fabrics feel on my skin and how things fit snugly without being restrictive. this scoop bralette is a standout for both comfort and affordability.
the coziest spot on the internet just got a beautiful new redesign.
catch me toting this cute shopper to the farmer’s market.
anticapitalist tiktok of the week.
y2k slander tiktok of the week.
get this girl on broadway tiktok of the week.
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<3 maia