The Sustainable Writer: Eco-Friendly Choices to Write the Right Way

April 1, 2024

Writing: everyone partakes in it but some people are more dedicated to the craft than others. Novel writers, copywriters, bloggers, and more. It's a total lifestyle, something you take on as a part of your being, and it’s more than just a career or a hobby. As a self-appointed writer, or the poetry and blogging variety, I thought it fitting to put a sustainable twist on my favorite pastime. Nowadays, just about anything can have a sustainable twist. You'd be surprised how much you can switch things up to make your writing pursuits eco-friendly. I mean, why wouldn't you? It's a no-brainer. I chose writing because there is no shortage of writers out there. To top it all off, we go through a lot of paper and plastic and waste. We have a duty to put the Earth first in everything that we do. That includes writing. This is why we're here to talk about tangible ways you can be more eco-friendly in your writing, whether that's as a career, side hustle, or passion project.

Choose Recycled

You'd be surprised what you can buy that's recycled or eco-friendly. I’m merely here to spark your imagination.

Pens.
Pencils.
Paper.
Notecards.
Journals.
Ink cartridges.

Writer's go through a lot of these items while putting together their projects, because they’re necessary for the building of a book over the years that it takes. I mean, you practically need a whole army of supplies just to plot the story. I had recently come across a reel where an author showed off their entire, printed off manuscript for their novel. It looked like a whole ream of paper. That's a lot of both paper and ink to go through. Pens and journals are also a dime a dozen for writers -- I have my own collection -- so why not choose the recycled route? It helps out the environment by not wasting so much paper.

The Other R: Reduce

Do you really need five notebooks or to print off every chapter? There's something to be said about hand editing, but it has a time and a place. Online editing can be just as effective and saves paper. It's all about balance, about knowing when to use what and when.

Conserve Energy

We don’t exactly have a win-win situation here, as writers and authors. Either we waste paper or we waste energy. The thing is, there are ways to conserve energy in little ways that matter. Don't leave your laptop plugged in all the time. That's a major fault in our society. It's called phantom energy and it burns a lot more than you'd think. You can also plan your writing in advance on paper to avoid the dreaded staring at the screen for hours waiting for inspiration to strike. Why not set aside time to work on your laptop rather than doing all of your work on it at once?

Thrift Your Supplies (If You Can Find It)

Ever since I started thrifting, I will not stop boasting about the joys of finding what you need secondhand. It's an amazing way to keep items alive for longer than they might have been. Secondhand doesn't always mean roughly used. You can find new, in-the-package items, as well as gently used items.

Choose Other Sustainable Accessories

There are other things you can find that are eco-friendly that aren't necessities but fun to have as you sit down to write.

Candles
Essential Oils
Sweatshirts
House shoes
Reading glasses

Overall, there are so many ways you can go sustainable as a writer. You don’t have to always choose what is popular or go with the name brand products. There are plenty of sustainable options to choose from (including this set of gifts for the homebody in your life -- even if that's you).