If Going Green Feels Impossible, ‘All on the Table’ Says Start Here

If “going green” feels like an all-or-nothing marathon, Environmentalist Danny Seo is here to hand you the shortcut. On All on the Table with Katie Lee Biegel, the Emmy-winning editor and author breaks sustainability down into bite-size wins you can actually do. It’s nothing complicated either, just smarter choices in the places and things you frequent.

Seo’s mindset is simple: pick one change, make it stick, move on to the next. That means cleaning digital clutter to cut real-world energy use, dialing down screen brightness you won’t miss, recycling what you know belongs, and skipping plastics that sneak into your food and water. And the best part? None of this asks you to buy more. “I’m never asking people to buy more things,” Seo says.

Clean up your Cloud

Start with the stuff you never see but constantly power—your cloud. “The best thing you can do is to actually delete as much as possible out of the cloud,” Seo advises. Those forgotten screenshots, 17 near-identical selfies, and stale PDFs aren’t harmless clutter, Seo notes these items use “so much energy in these data centers” and “equals so much water usage, electricity usage.” Tidying your digital life lightens your real-world footprint.

Dim your screens

Here’s a fix that takes about five seconds and costs nothing: dim your screens. Seo says even “reducing the brightness of TV by 20 percent” or doing the same on your computer “actually has a huge amount of energy savings.” You won’t notice the difference visually, but your electricity use will. That small tweak adds up, especially when you think about how many screens you’re surrounded by daily. Pair this move with shorter screen time or a “no screens before bed” habit, and you’re not just living greener, you’re probably sleeping better, too.

Recycle right

You’re probably recycling too much—and that’s not a good thing. “It’s not a wish bin,” Seo warns, noting that you can’t just toss anything in and hope for the best. That careless action can ruin the whole batch. “You’re actually contaminating the entire load of recyclables that the recycling center potentially has to throw it all away.” If you’re not 100 percent sure, don’t risk it. 

Skip toxic takeout containers

Those black plastic containers your pad thai comes in? Straight to the trash. According to Seo, they’re not recyclable, and worse, he warns,“they can actually release chemicals in your food when you heat them up again in the microwave.” Instead, he advises investing once in a few sturdy reusable containers. Seo suggests ones made from “a more durable polypropylene plastic.” He even brings his own to restaurants, asking them to pack leftovers in those instead of styrofoam or coated paper. 

Cut microplastics at the source

Microplastics are sneaky. They’re in your food, water, and even the air you breathe. One of the biggest culprits? Fleece. “When you wash it at those temperatures and that speed, it sheds, and those little particles from the fleece go into the waterway,” Seo says. From there, they end up in lakes, rivers, and oceans—and eventually, in us. “We have to stick with natural fibers,” says Seo. That means choosing linen, cotton, hemp, or wool instead of synthetics. If you can’t part with your cozy fleece just yet, wash it in cold water and air dry to reduce shedding.

Buy better, not more

When it comes to decorating or upgrading your space, Seo’s advice is simple: “Please buy vintage.” Vintage rugs, furniture, and décor already exist in the world—no extra production, no new materials, no guilt. Plus, older pieces are usually made from real, natural materials like wool or wood, which last longer and don’t off-gas toxins the way synthetic items can.

It’s about low-effort, high-impact changes like dimming a screen, cleaning out your Cloud, using real materials, or opening your windows. “It’s the little changes that you can do that actually can add up to a big impact,” Seo reminds us.

You’re not going to be perfect, and that’s okay. It’s more about practicality. If it’s easy, you’ll keep doing it, and that’s exactly how real change sticks.

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