The world we live in is, unfortunately, becoming a place with fewer resources. In order to help our mother earth we must do our part at both the individual and community level to sustain our resources and live fuller with what we already have. Starting with something small can have a huge impact. Who knows, you may even be inspired to help other communities or even countries! Paying more attention to your use of energy, water, and food is just a start but taking the initiative to integrate sustainable practices to the goods you purchase is even better!
Energy & Fuel Conservation:
Wind turbines create a ton of energy and are more stable than solar panels. However solar panels may be the better way to go in a place like Arizona, our home, where the sun is more prominent than wind most days of the year.
- A good-sized wind turbine can easily generate most or all of your electricity needs. There are even small wind turbines that hold the capability of powering things like cellphones, cameras, and lamps.
- Solar ovens are more than just a science fair project. They are in fact cheap and easy to make, but what makes them great when it comes to sustainable living is that they actually work and work very well. Heat your food for free! Rain or shine, you’ll have an oven.
- Solar Panels
- Carpooling or bike riding
Water
Water.gov estimates that the average person uses 80-100 gallons of water daily. Depending on the size of your household- a few changes to bad water habits can make a huge difference. But it is one of the easiest adjustments we can make in day-to-day life in order to create a more sustainable lifestyle. Cutting that shower in half, or turning the sink off while you brush your teeth. It is amazing how many gallons of water you could save in just your nightly routine.
- Soaking dishes in warm water rather than scrubbing them as the hot water runs mis just as effective
- developing a more sustainable laundry method like halting loads until you have a full load of laundry.
- We are all guilty of leaving half used water bottle sitting around, reusing water for landscape gardens is another important change you can make overnight. Do the earth one better by switching to a refillable glass water bottle- we love BKR.
Food waste
It’s pretty easy to ignore where our food comes from or if it was even produced in a sustainable way. But we can all be better.
- By designing your meals to fit seasons, you’re purchasing product in its peak season so the cost of food will be low, the quality will be better and you can easily support local farmers and organic practices. Foods out of seas0n are usually shipped from far away creating a deep logistical-cycle ridden with unsustainable practices plus the food could be modified to be kept fresh longer.
- Uneaten food ends up in landfills creating the powerful Methane gas which has been deemed more detrimental to the environment than c02. When these gases heat up- they contribute to global warming and climate change. Aside from the environmental implications- food waste poses a stifling moral dilemma with the statistics of world hunger, developing a home or if you’re feeling inspired-community plan for composting or redirecting food to those in need can help divert up to 150K of food per household according to Move for Hunger.
- Supporting fair trade is for everyone. Which is why large brands like Madewell, Starbucks, and Amazon have spent significant dollars integration this concept into their products as well as their consumer strategy. Fair trade puts people and the planet first by empowering farmers through fair pay and positions, supporting the communities through which they work, and continuing to support practices that use positive environmental standards.
Refill Products
The beauty and wellness industry has a real problem when it comes to refillable products. According to vice only 14% of recyclable products actually get recycled and with the amount of packaging and products you contribute to repurchase as part of your self-care routine, that can create detrimental effects on plastic disposable. The LCA Centre found that the purchase of a single refillable product can have: 70% less CO2 emissions, uses 60% less energy and 45% less water than if you bought a brand new bottle.
