Over the past year, I’ve made a concerted effort to reduce my consumption and impact upon the environment. However, I’ve also found myself engaging with more hobbies than ever before and being more creative than I’ve felt in at least a decade.

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I’ve recently posted about excess consumption over the festive period, but the truth is that it’s a problem all year round. There has been a lot of discourse over recent months on the ethics of companies like Temu and Shein, and I don’t think I have much more to add to that conversation, so I’ll avoid it here. There’s been plenty said about the excesses of Stanley cup accessories and collecting.

Honestly, I’ve been guilty of engaging with overconsumption in the past. I’ve bought excessive amounts of lipstick in various shades I’ll never wear, I have clothes that still have tags on them from fifteen years ago, and I have drawers and drawers of craft materials I’ve bought on a whim over the year and never got around to using.

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One of my goals for this year was to only buy clothes I needed. I thought it would be easier than going completely no-buy, making it a habit I would actually stick to, but would still be impactful enough based on my track record for overbuying clothes. I’ve done quite well, I think! The only item of clothing I’ve bought is a lightweight rainproof jacket, because my only other rainproof coat was unbearable once the weather went above 10 ֯C. I’ve also realised that, despite the copious amount of clothes in my wardrobe, I typically wear the same clothes over and over again.

However, I’ve also started new hobbies. A lot of my purchases this year have centred around buying acrylic paints, oil pastels, canvases, waxes, beads, twine, clay, and glue. Not all of these are great for the environment, and I, honestly, wasn’t paying enough attention to this at the time of purchase. I also have a metric tonne (exaggerating – slightly) of glitter that I’ve collected over time between crafts and being in my 20s during the reign of full-glam make-up.

I could, of course, immediately replace all of these materials with eco-friendly alternatives, such as natural pigments, recycled paper, and cellulose-based glitters. However, I think that would be more wasteful than trying to use them before replacing them. A little bit like if I threw out all of the takeaway containers I’ve washed and reused just so I could replace them with glass ones. Surely, it makes more sense to reduce how much I’m consuming by using something I already have; to reuse the items I have; to recycle them when they’re no longer safe to use. I think I’ve heard this before… So, I’ll be taking the same approach to the materials I already have and using them up rather than throwing them straight in the bin.

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I really struggle reconciling my beliefs and values with just merely existing. How are you meant to have hobbies, to create, to enjoy life without hurting the Earth? I don’t think it’s possible to negate any harm you could possibly have on the planet. We’ve created a world in which we need money to survive, and I can’t think of any way that I could possibly earn money without causing some level of harm to the environment – be that through using computers, using electricity that relies on fossil fuels, making and creating, sending an email, or even sending a letter. I watched a documentary called Sharks of Lost Island that explored how despite a small population on the island and making minimal changes to support infrastructure on the island, the human population had a relatively devastating impact on the marine environment.

I have a tendency to take notions like this too far sometimes, and I’m trying to strike a balance. I think I’ve still got a bit of figuring out to do before I really have a conclusion. For now, I’ll keep avoiding buying things I don’t need, using what I already have, and if I do decide to fulfil a want, I’ll try to make it as Earth-friendly as possible.

How have you managed to strike a balance between reducing waste but also engaging in hobbies without feeling guilt or shame?