7 Habits I Started Doing as a Copywriter with an Environmental Advocacy
Not just during Earth Day or Zero-Waste Month - but every day!
[Belated] Happy Earth Day!
Over the past couple of days, I noticed a surge of environment-related content in my feed. And I mean content beyond the accounts I follow like Greenpeace, Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines, low-impact or zero-waste brands like Candid Clothing.
There were brands sharing messages of solidarity, calling on consumers to take care of the planet. Very few brands sharing what it is they do for the planet.
No surprise there.
I’ve noticed how commercialized Earth Day and even Earth Hour have become. It would be nice if we could say, hey, at least there’s awareness. But Awareness without Action - especially for something as dire as the state of the place we live in, the air we breathe, the water and food we consume - isn’t that just sad?
Not very “happy earth day”, is it?
Why I got into environmentalism and sustainability as an advocacy
First, let’s ask and answer the obvious question. Why the environment? Why does it matter to me?
Well, why shouldn’t it?
We live here. We eat and drink what the earth produces, breathe in whatever fresh air we maintain or smoggy air we put out.
We suffer under the heat of the sun because of a lack of trees. We dread floods brought about by climate change and plastic pollution.
For better or for worse, it is our planet.
Growing up, I’d see my mom buy taho for us in our own ceramic mugs, instead of using the plastic cups the vendor had. She’d reuse plastic bags as trashcan liners or to bring home take-home food from meetings. My sister and I were 90s kids who grew up making our own toys with cans and cardboard boxes. We were also taught to plant and cultivate monggo, and I particularly enjoyed my “chore” of watering the plants.
It’s funny, because our school didn’t have tree-planting activities, I didn’t get to see a beach until I was 13, and I’m way too unathletic to survive a hike or trek (I was scared when we had these as fieldtrips back in elementary school).
But I loved having school campuses that always had a ton of trees. I used to write poems and make drawing of the trees and flowers around me. So I guess it was quite inevitable that Mother Earth would call to me to be one of the many voices speaking up for her.
I used to practice Earth Hour with my family, until I found out that it had minimal benefits, possible harms, and could be spent doing way more productive things for the planet. I wrote an essay about this back in college, in fact.
And now, as an adult, I try to talk and walk in ways that reflect this advocacy.
7 things I started doing as a copywriter with an environmental advocacy (that you can start doing, too)
Being mindful of what I see online. There’s a lot of greenwashing, unregulated use of terms like “green” “eco-friendly” etc. out there.
As a copywriter, it’s forced me to use my research skills, look into technical terms, and also learn how to explain things better. Basically, if it’s just a slapped-on label with no reasons to believe (RTBs) or sketchy explanations at best, it’s probably not genuinely good for the environment. And they’re just saying those things to earn a quick buck.
Reaching out to all stakeholders. A lot of the burden on being eco-friendly is placed on consumers. But while consumers can vote with their wallets, it’s brands who produce and distribute the options on the market. It’s brands who have the ability to invest in alternative solutions. Especially those big brands who made all those sachets and erased the refill/tingi economy we used to have here in the Philippines.
Realizing that my voice counts. Even if it’s just a drop in the ocean, I can make my voice as a writer and as a consumer count. I tag brands on Instagram and ask that they use plastic-free packaging. I tweet my legislative representatives about petitions or issues I worry about (e.g. Kaliwa Dam, Masungi Georeserve). I regularly engage with and share content related to my advocacy to raise awareness among my circle of influence.
I sometimes even tag celebrities and endorsers so they are aware of what’s going on outside their algorithm/echo chamber.
Being mindful of what I buy. I never got into budol or microtrends, even when I started earning my own money. I also make it a point to buy locally-made, sustainable, plastic-free, or even secondhand, if possible. I don’t eat beef anymore. My dairy is limited to just cheese, butter, and yogurt (since I find the non-dairy alternatives too expensive and hard to find). For those I’m close to, I always tell them that it’s okay to gift me food or an experience (or cash!) instead of something I might not use and not appreciate.
Educating myself via various media. It’s hard to consume so much serious, scientific, “dire” stuff, but integrating them into my typical media consumption of Instagram, TikTok, and podcasts makes it easier versus having to jump through hoops to access that knowledge, even if it is laymanized (since I’m not an engineer or scientist).
I’m also lucky enough to have some people in my network who are engineers or scientists, and sometimes they interact with what I share. It’s also interesting to see what it’s like on the “inside” of systems and companies who are more directly involved in what’s happening to the planet.
Walking the talk and talking about the walk. I bring my ecobag, jug, and reusable utensils wherever I go. I refuse plastic or paper bags I don’t need. When I’m with family or my boyfriend, I remind them to bring their own water jugs and won’t be reliant on plastic water bottles. I minimize plastic waste and recycle whatever’s in my lap via social enterprises like The Plaf.
Sometimes, I get to receive surveys from restaurants or even company events, and I take these as opportunities to talk about being plastic-free and eco-friendly.
I also try to grow leafy greens in my little balcony garden as a way to minimize our grocery carbon footprint and make our home a little cooler (aesthetic and temperature-wise).
A lot of these things are free and low-effort to do. In fact, a lot of them are practices we used to do, way before plastic and fast fashion blew up.
Accepting that there’s a long way to go. But that doesn’t mean we should stop. A lot of people think that being zero-waste is a lot of effort. That it’s expensive. That it’s hard to practice.
But it’s better to try and grow one habit at a time, than not try at all.
Plastic bags and sachets have only been here a short time - before that we had refillable jars and sacks, we made clothes last long, we didn’t take more than what we needed.
It doesn’t cost me anything to post about #SaveMasungi or #NoToManilaBayReclamation. I’m not even capable of being an environmental defender on the ground — the least I can do is amplify the voices of the ones risking their livelihood, their lives, and more!
Try to make a positive impact where you can, when you can, however you can. Imagine if we all thought that way. And acted that way. Imagine what we could do for the planet!
“Disaster is inevitable. Will our efforts still count? Why bother?”
A lot of people feel this way. Even advocates like me can feel this way.
Especially now - with El Niño happening, and La Niña typhoons and floods around the corner, it can be incredibly triggering for anxiety and depression.
And then there are those brands doing greenwashing and lobbying to continue as they are. There are those looking to do even more harm through deep-sea drilling.
There are ethical dilemmas, like having solar panels (yay renewable energy!) on a lake (how about the fish and the fisherfolk?). Meeting the global demand for soy at the expense of forests.
There’s so much to be scared and worried about. But I hope these spur us to do more than just worry. We can speak up, we can act, we can work towards something better.
At least, that’s what we should all hope for. :)
Happy Earth Day, not just today, but every day.
Buhay Copywriter by Regina Peralta is free today.
But if you enjoyed this post, I’d love it if you would:
- Share this post with a friend or two. It helps grow our little community, plus your friends get all the cool insights and lessons you got from this newsletter, too!
- Send a tip via my Ko-fi account or my Buy Me a Coffee account. While writing in itself motivates me, bills are a pretty good motivator, too!