The Biggest Barriers To Living A Sustainable Lifestyle
Society is not set up in a way that allows anyone to fully live their values. You'll find most people value sustainable living. Most people want clean oceans, thriving environments, time to make their own food, space to grow a garden or to buy delicious produce from someone else. Most people care about others, want to ensure the people who made their clothes are paid fair wages, and would love to not put their rubbish bin out every week. But our systems just don’t let that happen. Supermarkets are plastic coated, the cheapest food can be the most unhealthy, and our supply chains generally involve the exploitation of others somewhere down the track.
In 2020 I went on a tour around Aotearoa New Zealand and hosted 11 events to encourage the country to live more sustainably (plus a tour extension in Northland in July 2021).
At the end of each session I asked every person to write down one action (one thing they will do) and a key barrier (the main thing stopping them from living the ‘perfect’ sustainable life). They took home their actions and I took home their barriers.
Why?
I truly believe that if we come face to face with our barriers, if we fully acknowledge and accept them, this brings the biggest growth. Acknowledging your biggest challenges around sustainable living is no exception.
To signify this, I took home the barriers and am about to compost them in my home compost. My compost will be used in my garden to grow more food. The barriers will literally bring growth.
The secondary purpose of this activity was also to understand what Aotearoa New Zealand’s biggest barriers are, based on data from these wonderful 609 people.
The two main barriers…
Time and cost.
22.8% of the pieces of paper said the word ‘time’. 17.2% mentioned cost.
Flatting/space 7.4%
Accessibility 4.6%
Lazy/lack of motivation 12.2%
Family/partner 7.7%
Judged/embarrassed 3%
Convenience 11.2%
Their job 2.5%
Lack of education 2.6%
Unable to compost 1.3%
Food/packaging/diet 4%
Health and mindset 3.6%
Can't trust/like/use natural products 1.8%
As I read through each barrier and tallied the results, I felt heavy. I felt frustrated at the systems, overwhelmed with the weight of my desire to help everyone remove their barriers, and generally sad for the state of our world.
But that feeling quickly passed.
We have an EXCITING opportunity to use this information to make change. This information helps me feel less alone, and I know it will help you too.
Next time I have a heated argument with a friend about sustainable living, I know I’m not the only one. I know others are experiencing it too. We can do this together.
Next time I am time poor, I know I’m not the only one. I know others are experiencing it too. We can do this together.
Next time I cannot afford to prioritise the sustainable option, I know I’m not the only one. I know others are experiencing it too. We can do this together.
