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The internet is abounding with new sustainability trends. One day, you’re researching the underconsumption core. Next, you are discovering the benefits of this generation’s take on zero-waste living. No matter what you explore, there is always something to learn from a social movement. Enter climatemaxxing — social media’s recent obsession and method for tackling climate anxiety and action.
The term “climatemaxxing” was created by Kate Yoder of The Grist. Coining the word was an attempt to combat the toxicity and guilt associated with individual climate action. Many people feel burdened and overwhelmed with eco-anxiety because they feel they are not doing enough to change the state of the world. Climatemaxxing is an alternative, inspired by trends like gymaxxing, which encourage optimizing workouts to get ripped faster with a more positive mindset.
Climatemaxxing is a maximalist form of climate action and an idea that aims to inspire people to challenge themselves. To get started on your own climatemaxxing journey, here is how. First, find prominent climate-related challenges in your home or work life. You could even look at your neighborhood. It could be that work-sponsored meals always include beef. Creating a petition to eliminate this and offer lower-carbon, plant-based options can make a massive difference. You could also set an example by sharing your meat-free meal ideas with co-workers.
The goal is to find as many high-value opportunities as possible and collect achievements by instigating change on as many of them as possible. It is like gamifying climate action, which makes it more approachable and fulfilling. You don’t need to install expensive solar panels to engage in climatemaxxing — you merely need to do as much as you can.
The mindset is the major difference. The idea of activism is often loaded for many people, especially those who do not regularly engage with it, even at a community level or beyond voting every couple of years. Climatemaxxing also takes an action-based approach to advocacy that feels approachable.
Whereas trends like deinfluencing require much more long-term shifts in emotions, mental states, and philosophical outlooks. While deinfluencing yourself from Amazon could be part of your climatemaxxing goals, making a tangible, noticeable difference nearby is the primary objective.
When revealing the idea of climatemaxxing, Yoder stressed that other social media trends in the sustainability niche can make people feel small in a world with little hope, because they focus on big-picture ideas that are challenging to tackle on their own. Instead, she wants this word to inspire hashtags and actions that make people smile and feel motivated — not defeated.
Some people may not resonate with this idea because of the focus on individual responsibility. Yoder acknowledged this while explaining climatemaxxing can be part of a larger project to tackle climate concerns. Individual action is important, though not as crucial as changing how corporations operate, since they have the greatest impact on the environment.
Eventually, the climatemaxxing efforts of many individuals in the community could instigate large-scale change.
Additionally, some may feel stressed by the idea of trying to optimize their climate impact. It could turn into a long to-do list of actions that feel equally urgent, but none can happen at once. It can be a hefty mental burden to keep up with people, like influencers, who are lucky to make keeping up with trends their job. Even wellness content creators who engaged in sleepmaxxing made having a good night’s sleep feel somewhat out of reach because of the effort, privilege, and sometimes money it required to get it “right.”
However, Yoder advocates climatemaxxing can take many forms. People do not have to be influencers with infinite resources or time on their hands to participate in the fun.
The only way to embrace this movement positively is to stop obsessing over the optimizations. Instead, you have to develop a mindset of continuous growth. Patience is key, as every optimization you think of will be impossible to implement in a single day. Breaking down projects and ideas you have into smaller steps can help keep you motivated. It will also let you know you are making progress that is helping the planet.
You can also share this idea with a friend and make it a healthy competition, so long as it supports fun, community, and self-fulfillment. Having external motivation, or a companion in achieving your climatemaxxing goals, can help you feel even more connected to your community. It also spreads the idea around, allowing it to gain traction.
Climatemaxxing goals can take many forms, from low- to high-impact action. Here are a few optimization ideas you can use to inspire how you adopt climatemaxxing into your life:
More radical ideas include installing renewable energy sources, purchasing an electric vehicle, or supporting research and development of advanced technologies that could help communities lower carbon emissions. These are all strategies for the typical environmentalist. The only difference with those who do it under the umbrella of climatemaxxing are earning points as fast as possible to make swift and meaningful change.
Some people may view this trend as just a word. Who knows how long it’ll last in public consciousness? However, what matters is that it helps some people feel inspired, optimistic, and motivated to change their lives and the planet for the better. Sometimes, all it takes to create widespread change is a shift in perspective, which is what climatemaxxing offers eco-activists of all backgrounds and abilities.
