Why You Don’t Have to Do It All to Make a Difference
September 29, 2026
by Vanessa Berry, NRCM Sustainable Maine Program Director
In my work here at the Natural Resources Council of Maine, I am constantly inspired by the everyday people we work with in service of protecting Maine’s environment.
Through this work, we meet volunteers who consistently show up, dedicating their time, talents, and resources to address plastic pollution, conserve old growth forests and wildlife habitats, or advance the state’s clean energy infrastructure. It is incredible to see the impacts of individual contributions to this shared movement we all believe in.
When we see our neighbors doing these amazing things, it’s so inspiring! It can also be easy to wonder: How might we all contribute? Am I doing enough?
The answer to these questions does not have to be doing everything, everywhere, all the time. In fact, I think one of the most important things we can remember as we work toward a healthier environment is that perfection is the enemy of good. We don’t all have to be environmental superstars. To make a lasting impact, we just need to find the ways we can contribute and keep showing up.
There is no such thing as a “perfect environmentalist.”
Solving the biggest environmental issues of our time feels daunting. Our world is often designed to make doing the unsustainable things faster, easier, cheaper, and more convenient, and the list of problems often feels bigger than our list of solutions. This is why our everyday actions are essential to making our world a better place. But if we’re expected to do everything, everywhere, all the time, we’ve already set ourselves up to fail. It’s unreasonable for any of us, even the experts, to be expected to flawlessly implement sustainable practices in every aspect of our lives.
In the waste world of 2015, for example, it was very popular to think about the zero waste movement through tiny mason jars that contained a whole year of waste. That campaign shed light on many of the waste issues we are tackling today and has built a movement of millions of people working to create a less wasteful world. But if everyone, regardless of circumstances, was required to only fill one mason jar per year to be a part of the zero waste movement, that movement and all the progress we’ve made would never have happened.
How to be an incremental environmentalist.
When we think of how we define environmental activism, we tend to start making long lists of prerequisites: don’t use any plastics; eat a vegan diet; buy only organic; drive less or buy an EV; recycle everything; call your legislators; compost; install solar panels; go to all the town meetings. The list feels heavy and never-ending! Which I why I propose a different approach to environmental activism: instead of chasing perfection and feeling guilty when we fall short, what if we all tried to be incremental environmentalists?
To start, think of all those barriers that pop into your mind when looking at the long list of sustainable practices. What about them makes them feel so out of reach?
If you like the idea of public transportation but you immediately get heartburn thinking about the consequences of missing your bus on the way to work, find a way to commit to the practice that fits your life. Perhaps, rather than relying on a bus schedule when scrambling to work on a Tuesday morning, maybe you can instead commit to using public transportation, walking, or biking to weekend excursions or including active transportation in your plans with friends.
If you love the idea of a no-mow lawn full of native pollinator plants but need a space for dogs or kiddos to play, reserve some space for frolicking in short grass and start with a cozy pollinator corner instead. Over time, you might learn about some awesome native grass alternatives to your Kentucky Bluegrass and dive in, or you might learn that this landscaping is just what works best for you!
If you want to phase out plastics but can’t find the right shampoo packaging that fits your needs, commit to faithfully using your reusable alternatives and keep your shampoo. While you may be stuck with plastic clamshells to get your summer strawberries, the other swaps you make consistently are compounding and help us build the movement too.
For a more personal example, I love thrift shopping. It reduces my waste footprint, helps slow down the production of new stuff, allows me to source unique items, and saves me tons of money. I thrifted most of the items I used at my wedding, and I’m really proud of it! As a plus-size person, however, I struggle to find the right items for my wardrobe from the local thrift. I do my best – thoughtfully scanning the racks and checking online thrift stores, but I rarely find pants that fit correctly or suit my style, despite my newest hobby of sewing and altering my clothing. I’m not giving up hope and will continue to scan the racks, but I sometimes need to let go of guilt and buy new pants.
Sustainable environmental practices must be practices you can sustain. Even when you make a lower-level commitment or smaller swaps, your choices compound over time and can signal the need for more frequent/reliable transit schedules or more packaging alternatives to decision-makers at all levels. It also allows you the time and space to learn more and incorporate lasting habits over time, setting you up for further success later on.
Give yourself permission to have seasons.
We also have seasons of life that make it easier or harder to put in the work. As a new parent, these past two years of my life have given me fierce motivation to make this world a safer and healthier place for my daughter, but it also means that I often have competing priorities and less free time to engage outside of my work at NRCM. It means that I can unlock some new sustainable practices, like cloth diapering and hand-me-downs, but it also means that my family creates a bit more trash at home than we used to. This phase won’t last forever, but it reminds me to give myself grace when I must do less.
No space for guilt or shame in the environmental movement.
It’s way too easy to get caught in the comparison trap: Why can’t I be as consistent at riding my bike to work as my friend Jack? Luke is so much more engaged in town meetings than I am. Remember that we all have unique skills, expertise, and life circumstances that help us engage in this work and we all contribute to this work differently.
The work needs all of us to succeed: we need networkers, we need storytellers, we need artists, we need educators, we need folks to show up at rallies, we need community organizers, we need scientists, we need lobbyists, we need those who give 100 percent, we need those who give 5 percent. We need YOU!
