Sustainability is one of those topics that seems to perpetually be at the forefront of the news. And it should be. Given the trajectory of the world and our modern disposable habits; we have some very real, very alarming problems on our hands. It is easy to get discouraged. There is so much information out in the world, and it seems to be changing every day regarding what is good and what is bad. In a lot of ways, it seems like sustainability is out of reach, or that many of the things that could make a huge impact in the world are beyond ‘the little guy’; the people like you and I want to help but are just one person.  

So today, we are going to dial it in, and bring it a bit closer to home. There are massive, large-scale legislative, societal, and corporate changes that need to be made, BUT there are a number of physically actionable things that any one person can do every single day around the house to make an impact. Some of them might surprise you if you were raised like we were. Technology has changed since we were kids, and with new information comes new decisions.  

We could give you a list of hundreds of things you could do around the house to be more sustainable; some more achievable than others. Instead, we will boil it down to 5 main categories:

1. Use fewer finite resources.
2. Think reusable instead of disposable.
3. Purchase with a conscience.
4. Work with your surroundings.
5. Use your community.

Most of what you commonly see in lists of how to be sustainable can be associated with these categories, so in our household, we try to remember them and constantly ask ourselves if our actions fit within them.

Use Fewer Finite Resources.

When we talk about using fewer finite resources, we are talking about water, electricity, gas, petroleum, (tree) paper products, etc. This is a fantastic place to start because, not only is it low cost…  you will save money. Usually because these resources can run out, you have to pay more and more to use them. And any adult can tell you that utilities are EXPENSIVE now-a-days. A couple ideas to consider are:

• Carpool or walk when you can to save using gas.
• Consider keeping your thermostat range at an ambient temperature closer to the real temperature.
• In older buildings, check weather stripping and window/door seals. It will make it easier to maintain your internal temp for cheaper, save electricity, AND there are even fixes available on the market for rentals.
• Swap to LED lights and turn lights off when you leave a room. Electricity adds up and some lights actually put off heat.
• Wash clothing in the cold setting and then line dry them when possible.
• RUN THAT DISHWASHER! Remember that not all convenient appliances are unsustainable. As technology has continued to progress and sustainability movements have increased, many kitchen appliances can be more sustainable than people! Newer models of dishwashers, for example, use less water than the average hand washer.

Think Reusable Instead of Disposable.

So, this can mean a couple of things. It can be switching out consumables to reusable items that do not need to be replaced and repurchased as often such as:

• Switching disposable, synthetic sponges that accumulate germs to reuseable dish cloths that can be washed. Alternatively, you can use all natural sponges or loofah’s grown from squash that can be composted.
• Use reuseable bags at the store instead of plastic bags.  It cuts down on waste, looks cuter, and they are less likely to rip.
• Reduce kitchen plastics and single use packaging by using glass storage instead of plastic Tupperware’s, reusable snack bags instead of Ziplocs, and waxed fabric covers instead of saran wrap.

To some extent, everything will get worn out eventually so sometimes avoiding the disposable can also mean just investing in a higher quality item that will have more longevity. A good place to invest for this would be in your electrical products.

• You should try to keep your keep electrical products for at least 7 years (Read more here) and starting off with a better quality item will reduce how often it needs to be replaced.
• Another item to try extending the life on is your vehicle. Considering going electric is great to decrease gas use, but what many don’t consider is that constantly getting new vehicles creates additional, hard to dispose of waste.

You can also include recycling or upcycling in this category. Try to avoid throwing something in the trash as much as possible.

• Learn to recycle CORRECTLY. By this I mean, actually look at what recycling is available in your area. Some towns have different capabilities such as different items they are equipped to recycle or different sorting needs. Additionally, you need to make sure that ONLY recyclables go in that bin… not your leftovers that were still in the recyclable to-go container.
• Consider donating, selling, or altering old clothing instead of trashing it. And as an extension, shop vintage and thrift when possible. You will find the coolest fits for very reasonable costs.
• Switch to all natural cleaning products as this means less harmful waste in the dumps.
• Shop zero waste toiletries (like toothpaste tabs) to cut down on even more trash.
• Stop using plastic toothbrushes when there are completely biodegradable alternatives.  

Purchase With a Conscience.

There is a bit of overlap between this category and the last. Yes, this can mean in the broadest sense, thinking about buying something (like a vehicle) and thinking about the longevity of it or the long-term consequences of its construction. What we really mean though is think about the who, what, where, and how of your product. Is your food from a sustainable, local farmer or was it grown mono-crop style and then X amount of gas used to transport it across the country to you? If it is sea food, how is it harvested? Is the farm known for using anything particularly harmful or, and I hate to bring politics into this, do they support some movement or practice you really think shouldn’t be allowed? Every purchase is a vote; for who you wish to succeed, what legislations has backing, what becomes mainstream, etc. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Buy your produce from permaculture farms and farmers markets, whenever possible. It will be fresher, local produce so your food will taste better, less gas will be used in transport, and you are supporting your local economy instead of some far away big wig.
• Switch to seasonal produce. Out of season produce needs additional resources in an artificial setting to produce… produce. *Ba-Dum-Tss*  It is more expensive because they need to waste additional resources to create it. Save money and resources by avoiding off season avocados.
• Pay attention to where your beef comes from. This is accurate of any meat or produce but let’s use beef as an example. Avoid huge feed lots. They are very harmful to the flora, fauna, waterways, etc, produce huge amounts of methane gas, and often contaminate the surrounding areas.

Work With Your Surroundings.

What we mean by working with your surroundings is to try to give back to it. Up until now, our categories have been about how to minimize how we damage the ecosystem… take less, pollute less, waste less, etc. Now I want you to think about how you can contribute positives. Things like:

• Composting! We have talked about this a bit in the past, but composting can even be done in apartment settings. It decreases what is going in your trash, effectively contributes much needed nutrients back into the soil and depending on your process can actually save you money on things like fertilizers or chicken feed if you choose to feed them scraps.  
• Using a rain barrel for your gardening will help you not use processed water in your yard and cuts down on your water bill. A lot of rainwater is wasted and ends up in drains when it can’t get through roads, sidewalks, buildings etc. Instead, saving it and using it to water plants or your yard means it will end up back in your local aquifer as well.
• Skipping the pesticides and instead looking for more natural alternatives, like companion planting, will allow beneficial local insects like bees, etc. to flourish.
• Planting a native sanctuary garden or zero-scaping allows you to support local wildlife, cut down on supplemental watering, prevents the spread of invasive/ nonnative species, and can still look fantastic/be aesthetically pleasing.

Use Your Community.

Find your community and use them. We do not mean pull a “Mean Girls” and manipulate them. What we do mean is that you should find a community and utilize the tools that they offer. People who maximize their sustainability do it because they care about making a positive difference. They WANT to share that passion and help others do the same. Finding sustainable options and making good decisions can sometimes be tough. The good news is that there are communities of people passionate about sustainability who are trying to make it a more accessible option. They aren’t trying to milk it for money. Instead, they just want to educate and change the world. Think about:

• Looking into food waste boxes like Misfits Market and Imperfect Foods… they sell boxes of discounted produce that isn’t pretty enough to sell in the grocery stores. It is totally perfect and would otherwise be wasted because it doesn’t meet a visual standard. This also helps you try new seasonal produce as well.
• Joining a co-op or collaborative like Grove… this is a great way to find products that align with your morals. Grove for example is a subscription for affordable, natural, sustainable home and self-care products. In many cases, their alternatives as cheaper than what we can find at the grocery store and they have a huge variety of products from natural sponges to bamboo paper products (good quality toilet paper and paper towels), to individual toothpaste tablets.

That is a very simplified version of things but hopefully it will help jumpstart your brain and give you some points to think about when trying to live more sustainably. And remember that this doesn’t need to be a large overhaul of your life all at once. Just remember the 5 areas we discussed when you make your next decision. When you are choosing between products or actions, just make one choice different at first and you will find that the rest just gradually follows.

Catch you later!

RavenWerks Guild