Better Days

Better Days is our institute's campaign to encourage sustainability through self-care, encouraging everyone to find happiness and connection in the everyday practices of sustainability.

Better Days is born out of the old “Sweater Days,” an annual energy-saving campaign that asked participants to turn down thermostats and stay warm by cozying up in sweaters and blankets.  Sweater Days worked to form solidarity and community around reducing this energy use. We believe that this framework of centering personal joy and interpersonal connection can be applied to all areas of sustainability. Especially during this chaotic time, we want to place an emphasis on self-care instead of guilt, recognizing that we need to sustain ourselves and our well-being along with the planet. When we feel sustained and rested, we are better able to contribute to what is important to us! As part of this self-care, we want to encourage people to engage with the community. With everything moving online, it can be difficult to feel connected to one another. Engaging in your community (in a safe, healthy way) is one way to help others while also feeling more connected yourself.

The Sustainability Engagement Institute has launched the Better Days campaign in an effort to build habits that better support ourselves, each other, and our community. We are calling this campaign “Better Days” because as we hope for and move into the days ahead, we must remember that we have the power to make this moment better. In the midst of everything that is going on, it is important to find a way to appreciate the joy that comes from taking care of ourselves and the people and planet around us.