On Sustainability
Hello there, friends! I’ve been trying to come up with some topics to talk about on here, and the one that keeps popping into my head is living more sustainably. I’m definitely not an expert in this by any means, but I do try my hardest to take care of our earth. This isn’t necessarily going to be a formal post or anything, just some thoughts and things that I’m doing and want to do in order to live more sustainably.
What even is “living sustainably” anyway? For the purposes of this post, I’m focusing on the environment and trying to reduce your footprint or the mark you leave on the earth. I’m pretty lucky and I grew up with the coolest mom, who taught me all about being a good little human and taking care of this earth we inhabit. Without everything she taught me I’m not sure I would be writing this post at all. She’s pretty rad. Anyway, I’m realizing recently that not as many people know or even care about what they can do to reduce their footprint, even in the smallest ways. I’ve run into people who don’t know what things they can recycle or have never even heard of composting and it blows my mind.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my own lifestyle and what I can do to help our dear old earth. Of course the big one is being vegan, which already greatly reduces your carbon footprint, but this is starting to feel like a cop-out for a lot of vegan and there’s so much more you can do! Here are some of the other things I’ve been trying to do lately:
- Composting:I live in an apartment and don’t have a backyard anymore, but I’m lucky enough to have a little peace garden one block over where I can take my bucket of fruit and veggie scraps. And yes, I make my roommates compost too. There are also other ways to compost in an apartment, I just got lucky.
- Recycling:My apartment complex also doesn’t have a recycling bin, so I collect all the recyclables in the apartment (and yell at my roommates when they don’t recycle) and take everything to the closest waste management center.
- Buying local:Buying local can be a little bit harder, but I try my hardest to support local farmers and companies as much as possible. Farmer’s markets are my favorite things in the summer!
- Walking/biking:I now live in an area where I can walk just about anywhere I need to go, so that’s what I try to do! I’m really trying to drive as little as possible these days.
- Ditch the plastic:Using reusable grocery bags, ditching the plastic produce bags, using a reusable water bottle, buying things with less packaging. All of these things are soooo easy, they just take a conscious effort.
- Buying fair trade:Fair trade standards promote environmentally friendly farming practices, plus you’re increasing the standards of living for workers.
- Make things yourself:Homemade products reduce the amount of packaging you use and are less harmful for the environment; I make my own cleaners and deodorant. Not only is this more sustainable for the environment, it’s more sustainable for your wallet too!
- Buy organic (when possible):Organic farming doesn’t use pesticides and is a much more environmentally friendly way of farming. It can get expensive, but if there’s not much of a price difference, it’s definitely worth it!
I’m constantly working on finding new ways I can take care of the planet, but these are the ones I actively do on a daily basis.
With all of this being said, I would also just like to take a moment to recognize that everything I mentioned above isn’t available to everyone. I’m very fortunate to be able to practice all of this. Not everyone has the ability to drive their recycling to a recycling center or has the money to buy fair trade and organic products. I think it’s important to keep this in mind when talking about lifestyle choices, because what is available to you isn’t always available or accessible for other people.
What are some things you do to live more sustainably?