Climate Chronicles Podcast | Season 2, Episode 2
Edited transcript
Introduction
Host:
Have you ever looked at the waste on a New York City sidewalk and wondered where it all goes?
Today’s storyteller, Ekaterina from Russia, asked herself that exact question.
Her journey from cleaning up forest trails back home to navigating single-use plastic in New York City is a powerful reminder that climate justice begins at home.
Ekaterina shows us that no effort is too small when it comes to protecting our planet.
Let’s listen.
Ekaterina’s Story
Ekaterina:
My story is about how everyday habits can create a better future for you and your children if you start today.
One vivid memory comes to my mind when I think about climate change.
My family and I loved walking through the forest and picking wild berries and mushrooms. I can still remember the fresh forest air and the sunlight filtering through the tree branches.
But one day, I noticed how much garbage people left there. I felt angry and upset at the same time.
This was the place where they would return and where their children would walk and play. And taking their trash with them was not a big deal.
My anger was so strong that one day I decided to start cleaning it up. For me, it was a small effort, but I felt that I was doing something meaningful.
A while back, when I was living in my apartment in St. Petersburg, I began to notice how much waste I produced in my daily life.
I asked myself: If I generated that much trash, how much garbage do we produce in an entire building, a city, or across the whole planet?
Today, thanks to ChatGPT, I know the answer.
Just think: On average, a person produces about 300 to 400 kilos, approximately 600 to 800 pounds, of household waste per year. If you multiply that by the world’s population, the result will be impressive.
I have no idea why this thought affected me so deeply that day. Until that moment, environmental issues and climate change seemed unrelated to my daily life.
That experience helped me realize how much damage we can cause to nature without even noticing it.
I began to reconsider some of my habits. I wasn’t ready to dramatically change my lifestyle, but I decided to take small steps to reduce my environmental impact.
I started bringing my own mug to coffee shops, using small reusable bags for fruits and vegetables, and separating waste for recycling.
Two years ago, I moved to New York. And guess what was the first thing that caught my eye?
Trash bags near buildings.
Not only trash bags, but also furniture and other bulky items.
I thought to myself: All of that has to go somewhere.
One habit I brought from my home country is recycling plastic bottles. I collect plastic bottles and take them to recycling centers, where a small refund is provided.
In my home country, environmental awareness has been growing, especially among younger people. Many try to incorporate eco-friendly habits into their daily lives.
There are volunteer initiatives that organize regular recycling activities, as well as services that collect recyclable waste from your home.
Some coffee shops even offer discounts to customers who bring their own cups.
One day, I told my husband that we should bring our plastic bottles to the recycling station near the supermarket.
He looked confused and asked, “What for?”
What I learned is that here, it’s not a very common practice.
I answered that I was doing it for the environment, not for the money.
I continue to do it today, and it remains my small contribution.
In New York, it is more difficult to follow eco-friendly habits. You buy coffee every day, and almost everything comes in plastic.
Like every girl, I still can’t resist buying new clothes. That bothers me.
We see so much garbage on our streets, especially here in New York, that we rarely stop to think about it.
The more waste we produce, the less space we leave for nature, green areas, and future generations.
The future may seem far away, but if we do not become more environmentally conscious, we will face serious challenges: water and soil contamination, harm to wildlife, damage to ecosystems, and negative effects on human health.
I’m not asking anyone to completely change their lifestyle or give up the things they enjoy.
However, we can all start with small steps: recycling, using reusable shopping bags, bringing our own mugs instead of using single-use cups, buying fewer new clothes, and donating or reselling items we no longer need.
One person alone cannot change the world.
But through small efforts, each of us can contribute to a more sustainable and prosperous future for the next generation.
So, ask yourself: What is one small thing you can start doing today to stop climate change?
Closing
Host:
Thank you so much for listening. We hope these stories inspire you, just as they inspired us.
This podcast is part of a project created by New Women New Yorkers and was made possible thanks to the financial support of Con Edison.
We are deeply grateful for their belief in the power of immigrant women’s stories and for helping us uplift their voices and dreams.