Hobbies are skills and interests that people enjoy doing that don’t always translate into their careers. The list of possible hobbies is endless, though there are some that tend to be more common than others. These activities are intended to make a person feel happy and at peace. However, how many people consider how environmentally conscious their hobby is?
Thankfully, there are many ways to increase the sustainability of many items, activities, and needs. There are responsible and irresponsible ways of doing everything, but awareness is the key. If you have a hobby that brings you peace and happiness, you don’t have to stop this activity because it’s not environmentally conscious, it just means you might have to take some extra steps in ensuring your hobby is eco-friendly.
Traveling
Seeing new places and gaining experiences around the world is a common hobby for many people. However, how environmentally conscious is traveling? Greenhouse emissions and fuel usage create a large carbon footprint when traveling, especially by air. Though traveling isn’t the most environmentally conscious hobby, there are ways to help create a smaller footprint. For one, you could choose road tripping instead of flying. Though cars also use fuel and produce emissions, it’s less than flying. Something like renting an RV is often also a cheaper alternative, and by organizing your items, you can bring a lot more and be more comfortable on the road.
Another travel alternative is to find ways to travel by road that are even more environmentally friendly than a car or an RV. Biking, taking public transportation, or even riding a motorcycle can be less negatively impactful on the environment due to fewer emissions. If you choose to travel by motorcycle, just be sure you’re also practicing motorcycle safety so that you don’t put yourself in danger by trying to travel in an environmentally conscious way.
Cooking
Trying new dishes, baking things from scratch, or creating your own recipes are all aspects that many people love about cooking as a hobby. It’s experimental and calming, and those who enjoy it are masters of their craft. At first glance, it’s hard to imagine how cooking could be environmentally harmful — however, food waste and irresponsible choices in the food industry can create an environmental issue. For example, the water it takes to process meat, or the emissions produced in food production are harmful for the environment. However, there are ways to work towards making responsible choices when preparing meals.
Composting food scraps, growing your own garden, and buying locally or environmentally sourced food are all ways to increase the consciousness of home cooking. Thankfully, cooking at home creates less trash in terms of styrofoam containers or delivery emissions, but not in terms of energy use. However, things like being a conscious consumer or even eating less meat can help to make cooking at home more environmentally conscious.
Being Active
Many people choose active hobbies that get them moving or encourage adventure. Being active is a great way to stay healthy — both mentally and physically. For this reason, it’s important to prioritize being active. In truth, many activities, especially outdoor activities, are great for the environment. Not only does being outside require less energy in many ways, it also increases environmental awareness and conservation. Running outside is a lot better than using a treadmill that requires power, and being outside encourages our body to create our movement instead of a machine that creates emissions.
If you’re looking for an active hobby, you can start one at any time. Whether your hobby is rock climbing, cycling, running, kayaking, skiing, hiking, or something else, be sure you’re practicing responsible environmental methods while you’re participating, and your hobby will remain helpful for the environment. This means leaving no trace, using gear purchased from a responsible retailer, and participating in conservation efforts for your outdoor area.
Crafting
Crafting is a popular hobby that people of all ages can take up and enjoy. Crafting can mean sewing, scrapbooking, leather stamping, wood burning, making model cars, or many other means of creation. Fortunately for this popular hobby, it’s also rather environmentally conscious as long as you’re being responsible. Regardless of the craft you’re into, upcycling items like glass and paper is a great way to make a craft project more environmentally conscious. You can also make sure you’re unplugging any craft machine when you’re not using it. Be sure you’re recycling, or using recycled products if you can.
If you’re looking to make your craft projects even more sustainable, consider using natural or vegan craft items. You can work on using less plastic and examining the complete life cycle of the items you’re using. For example, glitter is becoming a serious problem for the environment, so be aware of the products you use and the waste they can create. There are always ways to make something more environmentally conscious as long as you’re doing your research and making conscious decisions for the environment.
Metal Detecting
This once niche hobby is gaining popularity as the call for different types of adventure for a range of personalities and ages increases. This hobby can actually be quite eco-friendly in nature. When using a metal detector, you are essentially finding things that have been littered and cleaning them up, thus leaving the environment just a little bit cleaner than you found it.
Metal detectors can be an addition to just about any other hobby, as well. You can take the equipment wherever you travel, find items to utilize in your crafting or take it hiking to add a treasure-hunt aspect to your exercise. Though metal detecting tools use power, there are charging units that are solar powered, making this an incredibly eco-friendly hobby to take up.
Examining how your hobby is affecting the world around you involves looking into energy use, carbon emissions, waste, and what that activity is giving back to the world. Each hobby has its perks as well as it’s downsides in terms of being eco-friendly, but as long as you’re being responsible, many hobbies can be more environmentally conscious while also bringing you happiness.
