Staying Clean and Green in the Busiest City in The World
Since moving to New York City for the summer at the beginning of the month, I have reveled in all the new freedoms and opportunities the city has to offer. Of course, this city’s reputation for being overcrowded, humid and, at times, a little dirty precedes it, and staying sustainable and clean can seem like a challenge.
I’ve already long adjusted to the smell of sewage and cigarettes that fills the air around the most beautiful buildings in the world, but if you are looking for habits and activities to keep you feeling environmentally friendly and green, I have some reminders and ideas.
Keep Your Fashion Sustainable
Even though everything in this city seems to cost twice as much as it does anywhere else, there are always places to thrift. I thrift just about every single thing I wear and I promise that the boutique next to your apartment has just as many under 10 dollar gems as it does 100 dollar vintage Manolo Blahnik’s. There is a Crossroads location in Greenwich right by my apartment that I spend hours in, also a good way to resell old clothes. Beacon’s Closet is also just down the block, with locations in Brooklyn as well, which serves both rare, vintage pieces and cheaper, thriftier items.
The fashion industry is my whole world, but it rightfully has a reputation for being extremely wasteful and careless with its constant overproduction of items, use of materials that are non-recyclable and pollution through factories, so making sure to purchase thrifted, resold items over contributing to the overconsumption craze that is currently plaguing society is one of the best things you can do for the planet.
Make sure you are also researching ways to resell and donate your old clothing, as well, as opposed to tossing it in a landfill that’s already been filled to the brim with other people’s disregarded, but likely perfectly re-wearable, clothing. Keep an eye out for clothing swaps nearby when your closet seems really overstuffed. Also, don’t be afraid to repeat outfits. You don’t need something fresh for every day, and some outfits are too good to ignore after one outing. Show it off some more and save money and the environment.
Staying Green In Your Food Habits
Eating and drinking in New York City can be incredibly overwhelming. You could live here since birth and not even come close to hitting all the best places to eat. Adding thoughts about environmental impact to that mental conversation can seem unnecessary, but with so many options, why not experiment with a greener choice of food. I’ve decided just this summer that I’m going to become a matcha fan and eat a little less meat than I do normally.
Not only are these options typically cheaper than steak or an iced latte, they're better for the environment and better for your body. You don’t have to convert to veganism entirely, I sure haven’t, but use all the new options at your disposal to experiment with something new that you may like enough to recreate at home. New York City is highly friendly to those who are vegan, gluten free or just have a lot of food allergies, so there’s truly something for everyone.
Also, bring a water bottle absolutely everywhere you go no matter what. It’s always hot and you’re going to need it, so it’s better to have your own than to be constantly buying bottles. However, if you must purchase a bottle, always recycle it, of course.
Walk Everywhere
Using the subway around here can be a necessity at times when you have a lot of places to be and not a lot of time to get there. In this city, it can feel hard to find the time to, well, take your time, but taking any opportunity you can to walk can actually be an incredibly rewarding experience.
I’ve walked thirty minutes in New York City without even realizing how far I had gotten because I was busy focusing on my route or just taking in my incredible surroundings. I don’t even really use my AirPods when I’m out and about here because I love using my walks to take the city in through all my senses.
Grab a friend and do the walk together, and you’ll find that the time will pass in half the time and you might get closer than ever. The alone time that comes from walking can still be valuable and great for both your mental health and the health of the planet. I also find that it is super easy to just stumble into a park or a small patch of grass with little benches to take a break.
Washington Square Park is my personal favorite because of its proximity to my apartment in the Village, but you can never go wrong with Central Park, of course, or Bryant Park as well. For all the industrialism, New York has the perfect places for shade, rest and reveling in the beauty of nature, you just have to look for the patches of green. You don’t even have to stay in Manhattan, as there is plenty of grass and shade in Brooklyn as well. You could even ferry to the beach!
Immerse Yourself in the Local Arts
Recently for a class assignment, I was told to explore the free, open to the public art galleries of Soho. Walking around places like that with my friends made me feel connected to local culture in a completely new way. Areas like Soho or Chelsea are littered with small, modern galleries that change out their exhibits every couple of months or so, giving plenty of time for you to explore before something new and exciting comes along.
Events like art/craft fairs or farmers markets are also quite common in New York if you know where to find them. Look for some of these vendor-centered events online or pay close attention to flyers on the subway or telephone poles to go look for a gift for a loved one or a new piece of jewelry to treat yourself. Art is all over the city in unexpected places, too. Some of my favorite photos I’ve taken were of artwork made by street artists.
Painted, pop-art portraits, traditional graffiti made up of slogans and catchphrases or abstract, colorful blobs that are up for interpretation. Art like that also makes me feel connected to local culture because these works are never the same, even the same wall you’re looking at could be painted over by the next day. Graffiti like that often makes a statement or represents some kind or rebellious act, and it’s very inspiring to see how alive that type of art but also activism still is in the city.
Find a New Hobby
Even the most seemingly mundane hobbies can earn a new spark of life when they are carried into New York City. Bringing your favorite book outside to read feels a lot more exciting and interesting when you go to Central Park. If your apartment has a balcony or a porch or roof access, like my own, grab some colored pencils and a coloring book or bring a journal to those spots and write down what you see or try to sketch the view in front of you.
I bring a deck of cards in my tote bag for my and my friends to use when we need a break from our walk. I also have multiple friends who have taken up dance classes a couple of times a week to keep up their exercise and meet new people. These classes are typically a reasonable price per class and allow them a reason to keep up their muscle memory without spending too much or boiling on the extra hot days. On days with a tolerable outdoor temperature, yoga classes are littered around the city too as a way to get some fresh air and connect with your body in a new way.
Taking up hobbies like these also absolutely helps me put down my phone for a while and reduce my screen time. Seeing ads for AI programs all over the place from the subway to billboards in the Village oddly reminds me of how important it is for our planet and our brains to put technology to the side and engage with our fellow human beings and the nature that surrounds us. Even if you put your phone in your purse and people watch mindfully in the park, it can improve your mood and mental health.
I hope that I was able to inspire you to engage with and protect the environment, save money, improve your relationship with friends and yourself or some combination of the three with these suggestions. Just because you live in the busiest city in the world does not mean that there is no time to revel in the beauty of nature and take things a little slowly for a day. You never know what you could learn or discover when you put down your phone.
Photo credit: Olivia Weber
