Happy Climate Hacks: Joy-Based Tips for Sustainable Living

October 3, 2026

As much as we love the environment, we know environmentalists don’t always have the best PR department—especially when they’re talking about climate change. Focusing on hurricanes, draughts, doom, and gloom doesn’t exactly win people over to the cause. Humans don’t want to feel down about the future. They don’t want to give up convenience and comfort or be made to feel guilty about their choices. All of that makes perfect sense.

A better approach—for our own mental health as well as for getting others on board—is to focus on how doing the right thing for the environment can actually be easy. How it can even make us happy!

Our mission at Full Circle is “to make low-waste living easier.” We want to show people that—if we have the right systems in place—it is entirely possible to live a full life, without the waste. So we particularly enjoyed a recent episode of the TED Radio Hour podcast on “Happy Climate Hacks”—ways to reduce your environmental footprint and actually improve your experience at the same time.

The episode was an interview with Elizabeth Dunn, co-author of a new book called Leave the Lights On: How Joyful Decisions Can Save Our Species. The premise of the book is that living more sustainably isn’t all about making sacrifices. In fact, many of the things we need to do to tackle climate change are also good for our happiness. Biking, walking, and carpooling are great examples. Many people enjoy thrifting or attending clothing swaps. And a nonstop airplane flight is not only more enjoyable than one with a lot of layovers, it’s also the most sustainable way to fly! The author advocates for finding “sweet spots”—behavioral changes that have a high impact, feel relatively easy, and can actually bring you joy. Below are a few examples that you might consider implementing in your own life. Or maybe they’ll spur some ideas for other ways to reduce your environmental impact.

Don't sweat the small stuff. Part of the reason we feel powerless to combat climate change is because many of the things we’ve been told to do actually don’t matter—or don’t matter very much. Things like turning the lights off when you leave the room or not using a plastic straw are fine, but they aren’t going to be the things that really move the needle on climate change. And feeling like there are a million little things we need to change about our behavior can be overwhelming. It’s a much better strategy to focus on the high-impact things—as well as the super easy things—that are good for the environment AND good for your own well-being.
Eat more maple syrup! Maple trees sequester carbon, so eating maple syrup rather than cane sugar is better for the planet. Even swapping out just a little sugar for syrup can help: eating 1 tsp. per day can put one whole additional maple tree into production. That’s pretty sweet!
Eat more bacon! If you eat meat, bacon is actually a relatively sustainable option—and a little goes a long way in terms of flavor. Researching the environmental impact of the foods you eat can help you find some swaps that may be effortless—or even better than what you had been eating. An example from my own life: eating less salmon and more sardines. Smaller fish = lower environmental impact. And to my (probably unrefined) palate, they’re just as tasty!
Don’t assume meat substitutes have a lower environmental impact than meat. Processed imitation meats can have a higher environmental footprint than the real thing. Eating a BLT is better—from a carbon-emissions perspective—than a meat-free “impossible burger.” (Of course there are other reasons you might want to avoid or limit meat, so we’re not suggesting you should do it if it goes against your ethics or diet!)
Cut back on certain “high-environmental-impact” foods. You’re probably thinking, “Hey, I thought you said this wasn’t about sacrifice!” And don’t worry, we’re not trying to take away your steak and chocolate. But if you’re used to eating these foods frequently, see if eating them less actually makes you enjoy them more. Your brain lights up at novelty, so science suggests that making chocolate a treat rather than staple can be good for the planet and your happiness.
Buy experiences, not stuff. This one is pretty straightforward. Happiness research is clear that we are happier when we spend our money on experiences than on things. And we’re also happier when we spend it on other people than when we spend it on ourselves. So when you find yourself with money burning a hole in your pocket, take your friends to a baseball game rather than buying another baseball cap for your collection.
Minimize the “travel” part of travel. What’s the worst part of taking a vacation? Getting there, right? Long drives and stressful flights do not make us happy—and of course they’re also not great for the planet. Air travel in particular is notoriously bad for the environment, but how bad it is depends a lot on the distance. Studies find that people often enjoy little trips as much (or more) than big ones. Choose closer destinations, and you’ll still get the novelty and adventure you’re looking for while decreasing your environmental impact. And when you make those big trips a real treat rather than something you do every year, you’ll enjoy them even more.
Take the nonstop flight. Fighting gravity to get up to cruising altitude takes a lot more fuel per minute than keeping a plane up in the air, so taking a nonstop flight rather than a trip with a layover can save a significant amount of fuel. And you’ll avoid the stress of making that connecting flight! Win-win.
Buy things that are meant to last. You know what’s bad for our happiness? Stuff that breaks. Stuff that falls apart. Stuff we have to buy again in 6 months because it wore out so quickly. Buying high-quality items that are meant to last is not only better for the planet, it will make you happier in the long run.
Shop online. A common misperception about online shopping is that it’s inherently unsustainable. We associate it with overconsumption and questionable business practices/ethics. But online shopping can actually help us reduce emissions if we’re using it as a more efficient way of getting just the items we need. Buying online can cut emissions in half compared to driving around to a bunch of stores because delivery companies use highly efficient vehicles on highly efficient routes. If you’re careful not to let the ease of online shopping make you buy things you don’t need—and that you do your best to minimize returns—it can actually be a very climate-friendly option that helps you avoid spending all of Saturday on Wanamaker or driving to Kansas City to find the specific thing you’re looking for.
Live in a place where it’s easy to live sustainably. We don’t all have the luxury of living wherever we want. But if you do, consider that some places make it easier to live more sustainably without even trying. One big factor: where you get your energy. For example, running the air conditioner in a living room in Vermont (which has fairly clean energy) for 1 week generates 8 lbs. of carbon. Compare that to running the same AC in an identical living room in Wyoming, which generates 1,000 lbs. of carbon. If you can live in a place with clean energy, everything you do will have a lower environmental impact. And maybe just knowing that will make you happier.

What other habits or strategies have you used—or might you use—to make living sustainably feel less like a chore? How can you make it feel easier, more joyful, and more like a celebration of life as a creature on Planet Earth?

-Justine