Earth Month 2026 and Eco-Anxiety Musings
“Hills of Tomorrow”, Charlotte Peach. 18”x24”, mixed media collage made with recycled paper. 2021.
Throughout most of my college career, I faced a deep and overwhelming eco-anxiety. It became an all-consuming fear of mine, making sure that I was living as much of an ecologically-friendly life as I possibly could. I spent a lot of time re-evaluating my relationships with disposable materials, convenience, overconsumption, etc. One of the most important things that I’ve learned in my pursuits is to take the actions that are reasonably within my control, and to look for areas where I can share this passion with others. There are so many incredible minds in the world right now working towards protecting our planet and providing happier, healthier futures for all of us.
Beach/Community Clean-ups: Attending clean-up events with friends is a great way to get some exercise and enjoy socializing all while in service of your community. Most communities with need have pre-established groups that can be found on local websites, social media platforms such as Facebook/Instagram, or event invitation websites like eventbrite.com or meetup.com. If there is not a group in your community, consider starting one! This is a great opportunity to make new friends and enjoy time outside. Clean Ocean Action , The National Environmental Education Foundation, The Ocean Conservancy, and The Oceanic Society all have wonderful resources about how to find a beach clean up near you, or create your own group in your area!
Ensuring Proper Disposal of Waste: Even though recycling is a hotly-debated topic that’s handled differently everywhere; I often use the following resources to help find out more information about recycling locally, or recycling waste you may not know how to discard: TerraCycle , Earth911, Recycle Your Electricals.org , the Environmental Protection Agency , WM .
Staying Informed: Good News Network , Grist.org, Earth.org, Forest Stewardship Council Newscentre, Latest Good News from Ecologi.com, and Happy Eco News, are some of the websites I use to stay informed about the current status of the climate crisis. In order to avoid spiraling out, I like to keep a balance of realism, fact, and positivity to the best of my ability. To achieve this balance, I like to use positive news from some of the sources I listed above as a palette cleanser between reading the scarier stuff. I think that how we stay informed is becoming an increasingly personal choice, and that everyone is taking a different approach. This is just what works best for me right now, but write me a comment or email if you have some suggestions for me!
Buying Second-hand: This is one of my favorite ways to help reduce waste. Any time I find I have a need for something, I’ll write it on a shopping list and then search for the item from one of the many awesome second-hand shopping resources we have today. I know a lot of people are familiar with companies like Poshmark, Depop, and The RealReal, but there is an abundance of excellent places to source any kind of goods you may need. Buy Nothing Project groups and local bartering groups on social media websites are a great resource for finding things you need or getting rid of things you don’t. Second Hand Directory, The Thrift Shopper, The Vintage Map are some of the many online directories that can help you find great thrift stores near you!
Buying Sustainable Alternatives: Buying sustainable alternatives for your commonly used household goods, or your luxury purchases is a great way to vote with your dollar and influence the market. As an artist, I love to purchase sustainable alternatives for my materials whenever possible. To me, this means materials that are natural/organic, recycled, or second-hand. Brands like Dodgy Paper , Lousy Ink , The Art of Soil , and Mo.Na Gems make purchasing sustainable art materials/fashion fun and easy! When in my undergrad program, I learned about the existence of art supply thrift stores. Starlandia Art Supply in Savannah, GA, Propagate Studios in High Bridge, NJ, and The Scrappy Elephant in Charlottesville and Lynchburg, VA, are a few of my favorites if you ever get a chance to visit!
Though this list just scratches the surface, I wanted to share these few options-for-action with anyone else who may be feeling an increase in Eco-Anxiety right now. I have found the resources I’ve shared above to be helpful in me taking control of my anxiety and pivoting my focus towards making the changes I am capable of right now. Joining local beach clean ups, learning about recycling my paper waste into new paper, etc. has not only transformed my art practice, but has also changed the shape of my life; giving me new friends and new purpose. I’m wishing you the same. Let me know how it goes!
Comment here or leave me an email at cmpxart@gmail.com.
Thanks for reading!