What to Do When Your Friends Don’t Care About the Environment

The earth is something I speak about passionately quite often though I try to keep my mentions of this topic rather subtle since I know that people don’t like getting nagged. How many of you have friends who aren’t as earth-loving as you are? I know, t1hat can be a tough pill to swallow. Now, even though having friends that are not as environmentally-conscious as you are can be a bit difficult, there are always ways where you can influence them a bit here and there. My beautiful people, are you ready to unite to help our world by spreading the love we have for our environment? Because I am.

Breathe in, breathe out.

If you are as passionate as me, you may have been a victim of getting caught up in the heat of the moment. But when having these conversations it’s important to stop your emotions from getting the best of you. Your reasoning for your urge to help the environment sounds more appealing when you are composed. Breathe in, breathe out.

Knowledge is power, beauty, and love.

You can’t possibly teach if you don’t learn the material yourself. Educate yourselves about issues that matter which in this case is about our dear Planet Earth. So, where does one start the quest for knowledge of our environment? Well, to be honest, the information is everywhere! A simple search on facts about pollution and climate change will give you a lot to read about. However, I’d be careful on what you click on. Make sure you are getting your information from trusted and supported sites like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, National Geographic, or the World Wildlife Federation.

Time to use those facts.

The fun starts after you’ve done your research and freshen up your information on environmental issues. Rather than lecture your friend, state the information as you speak to them while they are doing something frowned upon by our environment. For example, whenever you see a friend buying too many water bottles, give them a little piece of information. It can go something like this: Did you know that one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals are killed annually from plastic in our oceans? Of course, there will usually be some witty rebuttal to that but that’s when you can explain the importance of protecting the ecosystem. I promise that your statements will not be said in vain. At some point some of these things will start ringing a bell, even in the friend who has been a skeptic about environmental issues since day one.

Posting on your social media.

In this age, almost everyone has social media. If used properly, social media can be a great tool. Aside from the habitual selfie here and there, I use my newsfeed to provide information that I feel the world should know. But don’t post too much. If you post about the same things excessively, people might overlook your posts. Rather than over-posting, post sparingly about topics that matter. You are sure to get more traffic that way. I advise you to engage with your followers and ask them what they think. Don’t forget to always stay classy though. Arguing through social media is an ugly thing to be engaged in. You know the validity of your information and that’s all that counts.

Accept your friends.

We have to accept our friends the way they are. Sure, I’d love for everyone to have that fiery love that I have for this planet but that is just not always the case. We have to remember that no one likes to be forced into believing anything and that includes this situation. You may end up frustrated from time to time but don’t let that ruin your friendship.