You don't have to be spartan to be environmentally friendly. "A lot of people are blocked from living a simple lifestyle because they think they have to live like the Amish or the Unabomber," says Knox College psychologist Tim Kasser, Ph.D. He suggests picking two things you'll try to do differently over the next 12 months, then two more the next year. "Within 10 years," he says, "You'll have changed pretty important things in your life and be living in a better way." Oberlin psychologist Cindy McPherson Frantz, Ph.D. advises making one-time, big changes, such as buying an energy-efficient car, rather than small, ongoing ones like taking daily cold showers. It "makes much more environmental impact and you don't have to suffer," she says.
The great outdoors can put a spring in your step: Research published in the June 2010 issue of the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that people who walked outside felt more energetic afterwards than those who walked indoors. Exposure to nature, fresh air, sunlight and the feeling of openness may contribute to that sense of wellbeing, the scientists wrote. Hiking and bird-watching also are linked with less stress, Yale scientist Stephen Kellert wrote in his book The Biophilia Hypothesis. While there's no guarantee that being an outdoor aficionado will make you eco-friendly, it may inspire you to act environmentally responsibly, British researchers reported in 2009. Try walking, biking, or even doing a crossword puzzle outside to get a nature fix, Frantz says.
Recycle
Happy teens are green teens, Kasser found in a 2005 study. Those who recycled, reused paper and plastic and switched off unused lights were happier than kids who didn't. While this study cannot prove that those behaviors made them happy (as opposed to them acting responsibly because they were happy already), the environmentally responsible teens were less materialistic and more focused on community, relationships and personal growth -- so-called "intrinsic" values that are associated with wellbeing. Visit Earth911.com to find a recycling center near you, and e-Stewards.org for companies that have pledged not to export electronic waste to developing countries. If your office doesn't recycle, talk with your boss about starting with paper and cardboard before moving on to other materials, suggests the City of San Jose, Calif.
Buy Local
Why do you patronize your local farmer's market or mom-and-pop shop? Maybe you like the wares, but you probably also enjoy your relationship with the grower or seller. Buying local products may promote our psychological need for relatedness, Kasser says. It's also good for the environment. Compared to buying products from far away, purchasing locally can reduce your carbon footprint (the earth-warming gases your activities produce), depending on how the item is made and transported. "If we localize what can be localized instead of globalizing everything possible, that's more sustainable and better for our wellbeing because it builds that sense of connection," Kasser says. Check out localharvest.org to find sustainably grown food near you, and the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies for nearby businesses striving for green.
Grow Your Own Food
Gardening can help curb erosion and using organic gardening methods prevents pesticide runoff into our waterways, according to the green consumer site ecomii. What's more, a study published in June in the Journal of Health Psychology found that levels of the stress hormone cortisol fell more after 30 minutes of gardening than they did following half an hour of reading. Kasser thinks gardening may promote our psychological need to feel capable. "Sustainability builds skills that make people feel competent at what they're trying to do, and gardening promotes more feelings of competence than buying food at the grocery store," Kasser says. Discovery Communication's Planet Green recommends saving your food scraps for composting and joining a community garden. The American Community Gardening Association has a directory of local groups.
Be Mindful
Mindfulness -- non-judgmental awareness and acceptance of what's happening in the moment -- has been shown in numerous studies to promote relaxation. In his 2005 research, Kasser found it was also linked to happiness and environmentally responsible behaviors, such as using public transportation, vegetarianism (eating meat contributes to global warming) and recycling. "Mindfulness probably contributes to sustainability by making us more aware of when we actually have enough," Kasser said. Want to get mindful? Give up 15 minutes a day at work, shopping, or in front of the TV or Internet to practice some form of mindfulness meditation, Kasser says. The Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts has more on how yoga or meditation promotes that state of mind.
Live Small
Living within your means may satisfy your need to feel financially safe -- and help the environment. "If I live in a small house that I can afford to pay off in 10 years instead of some McMansion, I'm going to feel secure because I don't have to worry about being homeless," Kasser says. "That's also a more sustainable decision." The smaller your space, the fewer materials you need to build it -- and the less energy you use to heat and cool it. Use natural materials such as stone and bamboo, and glass to give the impression of more space -- and exposure to nature, suggests greenhomebuilding.com.
Choose Simplicity
So-called "voluntary simplifiers" who intentionally downsize their lives, whether by reducing their hours at work, abandoning their car for a bicycle, or living in smaller quarters, are happier than mainstream Americans and are more likely to engage in environmentally responsible behaviors, Kasser and co-author Kirk Brown found in their 2005 study, published in Social Indicators Research. Such choices, even if they mean earning less money or losing certain conveniences, can promote satisfaction of our psychological needs, Kasser says. "It all boils down to recognizing when you have enough," he says. "That has to be the ultimate arbiter of satisfaction." If simplifying your life means clearing out knickknacks, gadgets and other clutter around the house, but you're not sure what to toss and what to keep, ask yourself: Is it functional? Is it beautiful? Is it meaningful? "If the answer to any one is yes, you keep it," Frantz said.
