Dohrnova Turrina | Sürdürülebilirlik, Eğitim ve 8R Dönüşüm

Excessive Hygiene and Sustainable Living

Trapped in a Sterile Illusion

“Don’t touch that, it’s full of germs.”
“Don’t eat food that’s fallen on the ground.”
“Don’t pet the dog, it could make you sick.”
“Don’t keep plants at home, they collect dust.”
“Why buy crooked vegetables when there are perfect ones?”

Who hasn’t heard these lines before?
These words, woven with a desire for excessive cleanliness and perfection, now affect more than just our personal habits—they shape the future of our planet. In this article, we explore how our obsession with hygiene and shifting eating behaviors impact sustainable living and our relationship with nature.

1. The Hidden Cost of Excessive Hygiene

Modern life is built on the belief that “the more sterile, the better.”
However, studies reveal that childhood exposure to soil, animals, and microorganisms strengthens the immune system. This idea is known as the Hygiene Hypothesis.

Source: Strachan, D.P. (1989)

Excessive hygiene is linked to the rise of allergies, autoimmune diseases, and even mental health issues. It also weakens our connection with nature—making sustainable behavior more difficult to adopt.

2. Fear of Nature: Alienation from Plants, Animals, and Soil

A society that avoids plants because they’re “dusty,” or animals because they “carry disease,” has already lost its bond with nature.
Yet sustainable living demands close contact and cooperation with the natural world.

Children who do not touch nature cannot love it.
And no one protects what they do not love.

Study: Lohr & Pearson-Mims (2000) – Psychological benefits of indoor plants

3. Food Waste: Aesthetic Obsession and Cultural Norms

“Don’t eat food that fell.”
“Don’t finish the bottom of the plate.”
“Never buy crooked produce.”
“Throw away food left overnight.”

These are not just about etiquette—they encode food waste.
Every year, billions of tons of food are discarded due to cosmetic flaws, overproduction, and expiry-date paranoia.

Source: FAO (2011) – Global Food Losses and Food Waste
Campaign: Ugly Produce Movement

This waste is not just economic—it’s an ecological disaster.
Because wasted food also means wasted water, soil, energy, and human labor.

4. The Socio-Psychological Roots of Hygiene Obsession

Society often links cleanliness with morality:

“A clean person is a good person.”

But nature is dusty, earthy, smelly, and often messy.
Real sustainability means adapting to nature—not sterilizing it.
We’ve reached a point where “hygiene” has become a symbol of separation rather than care.

5. The Evolution of Eating: From Survival to Escape

Early humans ate to survive, gain energy, and bond through shared meals. Food was a tool, not a goal.

Today, people eat:

Out of boredom
To cope with stress
For distraction
While binge-watching shows

We no longer eat to converse—we converse to eat.

This shift in purpose not only affects individual health but also fuels overconsumption, unnecessary production, and ecological destruction.

Sources:
Fischler, C. (1988). Food, self and identity
Rozin, P. et al. (2006). The psychological role of food in society

6. Sustainable Living: Dare to Get Dirty Again

Our obsession with hygiene, waste, and consumption has distanced us from the essence of nature.

True sustainability begins not by fighting nature, but by living in harmony with it.
It starts by:

Stepping into the mud
Scraping the bottom of the plate
Choosing the misshapen tomato
Blowing on the food that fell, and eating it anyway

To protect nature, we must first touch it.

Sources & Further Reading

Strachan, D.P. (1989) – The Hygiene Hypothesis: microbial exposure in early life strengthens immunity
Gustavsson et al. (2011) – FAO, Global Food Losses and Food Waste
Ugly Produce Movement – Advocacy for embracing imperfect produce
Gilbert, J.A. et al. (2018) – Dirt is Good: The Advantage of Germs for Your Child’s Developing Immune System
Lohr & Pearson-Mims (2000) – Benefits of plants for indoor psychological well-being
Fischler, C. (1988) – Cultural identity and food
Rozin, P. et al. (2006) – Social psychology of eating