Over 75% of millennials are worried about climate change
and it’s changing the way they spend their money.
When Aussie millennial couple Matt and Lisa Hobbs began designing their tiny home they had two non-negotiables; luxury and sustainability. The couple had always wanted their home to feel comfortable and opulent, but that didn’t mean they had to give up their dream of also creating an off-grid haven with a minimal carbon footprint.
After much research, many design iterations and lots of planning, soon enough Lisa and Matt’s plans began to take fruition as they began their build in the gorgeous Blue Mountains.
“We are all about sustainability, having a minimal environmental impact, with the plan to go off-grid.
Our tiny space is completely individual and designed with luxury in mind. Just because your house is small doesn’t mean you have to skimp out on the finer things,”
writes Matt and Lisa.
This is one example of how older millennials are making sustainable decisions that work for them. Through innovation and hard work this generation is paving the way for real environmental change in Australia.
A study conducted by The Harris Poll found that 76% of older millennials (aged 33-40), agree that climate change poses a serious threat to society. This group of people have grown up seeing the effects of climate change in their everyday lives. Watching on as coastal towns face threats of a rising sea level and extreme erosion and experiencing record breaking heat waves. As they begin to start families, move into more senior level jobs and operate within the housing market, it’s no wonder they consider the environment in many of their decision making processes.
According to US financial advisory, Sincerus Advisory, millennials are even putting their money where their mouth is when choosing financial investments and buying real estate. Financial Advisor for Sincerus Advisory, Dann Ryan states “my clients come from modest backgrounds, and feel this burden with their newfound wealth. They feel a responsibility to do something with it for society.”
Many have identified millennials as having to carry the “transitional burden”. As they are the generation caught between the environmentally conscious Gen Z and the not so sustainable Baby Boomers, they feel they are bridging the gap between these generations’ opposite agendas.
The transitional burden manifests in this generation as a guilt, millennials feel they have a burning responsibility to use their generational wealth for impactful change through making environmentally conscious financial decisions.
For any millennials feeling the weight of this transitional burden it is important to remember that any change, no matter how small, is a step in the right direction.
Like Matt and Lisa, it also doesn’t have to cost you your dreams of luxury and comfort either.
To learn how you can take the first steps in minimising your carbon footprint in your home or in your business, take the free Carbonhalo emissions quiz or read more on how you can take positive climate action today.