Zen and the Art of Saving the World

 

Who Knew? Zen and Green Living are Closely Connected!

 

zen - simplify for work life balance

 

I read a great article on living green and “saving the world” – but it wasn’t written by an environmentalist.  Instead, it was written by a Zen practitioner, Leo Babauta.

Now I have to admit that I know very little about Zen, other than that it involves simplifying your life, which sounds good to me.

In his article, Leo wondered what the environment has to do with some of the main themes of Zen Habits:-

  • simplicity
  • frugality
  • health and fitness
  • happiness

He realized that those Zen Habits relate very closely to helping the environment – in fact, helping the environment not only saves the planet, but makes our lives simpler … healthier … and helps us to be happier.

So I’ve taken his 5 favourite ways of saving the world, and looked at how they tie in with those Zen habits.

It’s an interesting concept!  Here’s what I found out.

1.  Outdoors

zen outdoorsGet outdoors more. Go outside, take a walk through nature, hike through a forest or park or up a mountain, take a swim in a lake or river or ocean, explore, observe wildlife.

Why?  We only want to save something we know about – awareness is crucial.  Many people are so isolated from the outside world that when we hear about the destruction of our environment, it’s an abstract concept. Make nature important to you, and you’ll do something about it.    Being outside and walking around is better for your health and fitness, it costs almost nothing, and it’s far less stressful to be with Nature than to be in the hustle of traffic and city life.  You have time to think.  Life somehow seems more sane, more simple.

Watch a sunset with people you care about, have a picnic, do some gardening or yardwork, go for a hike or just have fun with your family – it’s hard not to be happier after you’ve spent time outdoors.

2.  Change Your Commute

Do you drive each day?  Change how you get there.  The best option is to walk.  It’s not always feasible.  Next best: cycle.  (By the way, this doesn’t have to be every day.  Even once a week can add up to saving a lot of fossil fuels over time).  If not, then use public transport, and otherwise car pool or car share.

Why? You’ll be greener by reducing your use of fossil fuels and producing less air pollution.  You’ll save money on gas / petrol and there’s less wear-and-tear on your car so you’ll reduce your maintenance costs.   It will get you fitter of course – you might be surprised at what a difference this can make even once a week.  Do it more often, and there’s your fitness routine already worked out. (Save the gym membership!)  Your life could become a lot simpler – walking or cycling to work clears your mind and makes you more productive and also less stressed and therefore happier.

 3.  Do a clean-up

Every now and then, you’ll see some community organization doing a clean-up — a park, a beach, a road.  Join in.  Or just do one with family and friends.  Or organize your own – get together a bunch of community groups.

zen walkingWhy?  You’ll personally be making a small part of the environment a better place, and your community benefits too.   You’re also showing that the world is a better place when it’s not polluted, that it’s a beautiful place worth saving.

Although it won’t directly save you money, if you did a clean-up instead of going shopping or to see a film you’d save that amount.  Doing free stuff like this is always better, and the more you work into your schedule, the less you generally spend.  It’s also good exercise.  Although it doesn’t simplify your life directly (in fact it’s something you need to add to your schedule), you could do a clean-up instead of something more complicated.  It’s well known that volunteering to do good things makes you happier – you feel good about yourself, you get a sense of community togetherness, and doing something meaningful almost always leads to happiness.

 4.  Use less energy at home.

zen natureThere are a ton of ways to do this: use LED  lights, set your thermostat lower (for heating) or higher (for cooling), reduce your use of air conditioning and open the windows instead, insulate, use less hot water, dry clothes on a clothesline instead of a dryer, etc.

This helps the environment by using less energy (much of which is produced via fossil fuels) and also polluting less.  You’ll save money on your energy bills of course.  It’s normally healthier to live in temperatures which change with the seasons, and fresh air is often better for you than air conditioning.  Using less energy is much simpler in the long run, and just playing your part to reduce pollution and doing the right thing makes you happier.

 5.  Buy less, or buy used.

Most of us already have too much “stuff”!  Buy used where possible.  Or get it for free, through others in your area who don’t want the item any more. Yard sales, car boot sales, thrift shops, Craigslist, Freecycle.org and friends and family are good ways to do this.

Why? When you buy less or re-use old stuff by buying or getting used, you reduce the amount of new stuff that needs to be made and thus use fewer resources. The impact of buying less stuff can be huge, if enough people do it.  Of course this saves you money – in fact over the years it can save you thousands.  It doesn’t directly make you healthier, but it could if you spent time exercising instead of going shopping!  Your life is greatly simplified and is less cluttered.  Less cleaning, less to insure, less to worry about……  Buying stuff doesn’t make you happier.  It may give you initial pleasure, but it wears off quickly.

You are made happy by people, by doing things, and by appreciating what you have.

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Editor’s Note:- this article has been updated with newer information.


Tags

environment, green living, living green, Zen, Zen habits


  • Really interesting article and I love how you have bolded the words throughout to bring the reader back to the 4 main themes.

    I certainly agree that buying and owning fewer things has a releasing effect on the mind – when I moved to a smaller flat several months ago I had a really good clear out and it was such a relief. Almost everything found a home too with old clothes going in the clothes bank, old electronics either given away or sold and everything that could be recycled was recycled.

    Now my flat is fairly clutter free…for the most part at least.

    • Thanks Steve! I’m glad you also found it a relief to let go of “stuff”, and it’s great to know that everything went to a good “home” in some form or other. I liked your comment “clutter free…for the most part” – yes, that about sums up my place too!

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