How Can I Be Sustainable?

Small actions lead to big impacts!

Recycle.
Anything that can be given new life and not end up wasted in a landfill should be recycled. Look into your areas recycling program to ensure you are sorting correctly. Keep in mind that plastics can only be reused so many times as they lose their integrity, so reusable glass or metal containers are more sustainable. Not all plastics are recyclable either. Read the article below to learn how to understand the recycling labels and sort correctly.
What can be recycled?

Buy sustainable products.
Consider the process of creating the products as well as the materials used. The creation of certain products can be harmful to the environment or impact resources. The metals used in technologies must be mined- which disrupts the surrounding environment or involves harmful chemicals. In some countries the process of mining and treatment of workers is unethical as well. The manufacturing process uses large amounts of water that are then “tainted” and therefore impacts the surrounding environment. Product packaging impacts the environment too. Consider buying products with packaging that can be recycled or repurposed. Cardboard can be recycled and some plastics as well to an extent. Glass containers or reusable silicone bags can be reused many times and break down faster once they can no longer be used. The transportation of the product has an environmental impact which most often contributes to climate change.

Eat local or grow your own.
Support locally grown foods by going to a farmer’s market! This supports the local economy and has a lower carbon footprint from an often shorter transportation distance. Gardening in your own backyard is even better than your local farmers market since there is no transportation involved it lowers your virtual water use while photosynthesis helps reduce your carbon footprint. Gardening also saves money and ensures you know what is in your food- no added chemicals or pesticides. Eating as close to the vine as possible ensures clean eating with high fiber content and no added sugars or preservatives. Consider learning canning, smoking, or vacuum packaging to make the fruits of your labor last longer.

Donate or repurpose clothes.
Create new things from the old or allow another to use it. The longer the life of the clothing the longer it stays out of landfills. Thrifting (or hand me downs) prevent tons of clothing from ending up in landfills. Certain companies fight fast fashion by reselling used clothes. Sewing rips or using patches adds character to clothing while lengthening its life. Clothing can also be cut into squares and used as rags for cleaning.

Be mindful of your water use.
We tend to consider our water use when showering, but water is also used in our food, clothing, and technology. This indirect use tends to have a larger impact on our virtual water footprint than the direct uses. Calculate your virtual water use and tips to lower it here. Resulting from climate change, precipitation patterns are changing with wet areas becoming wetter and dry areas becoming drier. Dry areas of the Earth go through long droughts where miles must be walked to gather water which often pulls young girls from their education at an early age.

Consider your energy use.
With the slow change to sustainable energy, most power in the United States today is gathered from unsustainable energy sources which negatively impact the environment. Reducing your power use by taking cool showers, turning the lights off when rooms are not in use, unplugging unused devices, and hanging laundry to air dry help reduce individual power use. Carpooling, walking, or biking to a destination helps to lower our fossil fuels use. Every action, no matter how small, helps combat climate change.