Sustainability with Ease
Its summer and with it comes all the joys we look forward too. Summer also inevitably comes with its now predicable although no less disturbing record high temperature recordings, damaging summer storms, fires, etc. News articles reporting disastrous results pop up constantly reporting sometimes horrific and disturbing stories from those affected by these events. Climate change conversations and predictions provide statistics that are startling to say the least. Movies portray apocalyptic worlds where small groups of people have survived the death of the world caused by our human negligence and live in a desolate landscape that seems to be our inevitable fate. All of this combined has fostered strong reactions to these critical topics such as climate change, sustainability, and our future.
The steady doom and gloom narrative on the fate of the planet seems to cause different feelings in different individuals such as panic, fanaticism, dread, staunch denial, disassociation, and at minimum low grade depression. I don’t argue that we shouldn’t have strong feelings about these topics but I worry that none of the above listed reactions lead to long standing and attainable action. How can one human make a difference against the wave of this change? Very few if none of these resources or outlets seem to be providing solutions or actions that any individual can take to do their part. This makes us feel powerless and ultimately focus more on potentially disaster prepping than prevention.
What the news very rarely reports is the hopeful aspects of these topics. Right now there are innovations and movements that are on their way to making significant change to our planet. Business are working on becoming carbon neutral or carbon free, scientists have found bacteria that speeds the breakdown of plastics, governments are moving to increase green energy and prevent businesses from further destroying our natural environment for production or mining. There are so many incredibly intelligent and motivated people working on our global issues it is staggering and enlivening. To contribute to these endeavors it of course require things like PhDs and lifelong research where most of us are just trying to fit in cooking dinner tonight.
There is nothing wrong with not being able to directly contribute to the global resolutions to these issues. There are countless ways that we can take action to contribute to the overall whole. Here at Erbe we are committed to the idea that being environmental should be simple, sustainable, and intentional. We have compiled a list of some of the ways we have slowly converted our households as much as we can to contribute to the planet’s overall health and still live our lives with beauty, joy, and ease. In order to do this we think these solutions should be affordable, as minimally disruptive as possible, and allow us to continue our patterns as closely as we are able. We find that each small change we make not only begets more change for the way we live our lives but also helps orient us to what our impact is and gives us the feeling that we are doing our part to contribute to the future.
1. Napkins- Most of us only get out the fabric napkins for get together and leave the paper napkins for nightly use. In our household it was no different. We then started to notice at the end of a meal there would be heaps and piles of paper napkins to throw away. Even more staggering is adding up every meal eaten in a week, month, year and the sheer number of paper napkins used and disposed of is overwhelming. So we transitioned to fabric napkins. We recommend buying a set of napkins that are for use on a daily basis. They should be usable (so don’t get that frustrating non-absorbent restaurant napkin) and if possible beautiful. We are more likely to use things that make us feel good. We happen to have found an amazing fabric napkin that doesn’t need ironing and fits all of the above criteria. For this system we have basket of napkins that are clean and ready for use and a small basket in the laundry room where dirty napkins go. When the basket is full, they get washed, folded rustically and thrown back into the clean basket. This suggestion can be an investment but not only will they last a long time but you will save on the regular cost of paper napkins.
2. Food Storage- We all need to use a Ziploc bag every once and a while but we can significantly reduce the use of these products by a couple simple food storage changes. We recommend investing in a glass food storage set such as Snap Ware. They are affordable and long lasting. The bonus is you can easily reheat in them and they are easy to see what is inside. We recommend glass to reduce any of the unfortunate side effects of using plastic. What about sending food along with a friend or loved one? Get yourself an affordable set of deli containers. These can be bought online or at a restaurant supply store. These deli containers are reusable but affordable enough that they don’t need to be returned like your glass Snap Ware. Trust us, we still go to friends’ houses and see our deli containers in use from our previous food gifts.
3. Other Household Disposables- Look around your house and see what you throw away a lot of and see if there is solution to this. Some of our examples:
a. Paper Towels- Replace with rags using a system similar to the napkin system above. The key to a system like this is to purchase a volume (not just 2 or 3). The system has to be sustainable and plus you don’t want to have to do laundry so frequently that now we are over consuming water. Don’t like rags? Purchase sustainable paper products such as bamboo paper towels. Items like this are now available in standard stores and are affordable. Yes they are different than regular paper towels but you get used to it.
b. Straws- Buy a set of metal, glass, or silicone straws. Have enough so that if you lose one, want to give one away, or you don’t want to do dishes you can still use with ease. They are dishwasher safe, affordable, and prevent stories about turtles.
c. Counter Wipes- There are some of us that just can’t break up with our cleaning wipes. If you can’t get rid of them then don’t. Buy the biodegradable version. There are various mainstream brands that now provide this option including everyone’s favorite disinfecting wipe. They typically cost around $1.00 more which is a small cost for the benefit.
d. Grocery Bags- Get yourself a set of reusable grocery bags. They have options for everything now. Cold bags, vegetable bags, flower stem bags, everything you could need. The bonus is they are so much sturdier than paper or plastic bags.
4. Sustainable Brands- On that note, in general when you are buying products in the store, see if there is a sustainable version. There are countless brands that offer reduced plastic packaging, products that are free of harmful chemicals, or are plant based as replacements to the products in your home. They not only are better for the environment but better for our own health and support business that are ethical. Items that are easy to replace are hand soap, laundry detergent, body wash, cleaning supplies, etc. Again they might cost slightly more but we encourage you to do the math while you are there. Some of these items might be as much as $5.00 more than their counterparts but given their volume of use, this is nominal.
5. Know about your home- If possible, educate yourself about the place where you live. For instance, do you have energy efficient appliances? Low water toilets? Various energy sources? This can inform you on how you act on a daily basis. For instance if your dishwasher is low water, it may be more energy efficient to run this daily versus washing your dishes by hand. Some energy companies offer the option to use green energy to power your home which may cost a small amount each month but doesn’t require installation of solar panels. These small changes can make a huge different because of our daily use.
6. Garden- Really we mean put any living thing into the ground. This could be low water grasses, vegetables, herbs in a garden box, wildflowers, a tree, anything. We see so many people concrete over patches of earth, cover with gravel, or spray down weeds with chemicals and all that does is make the earth static. When you put a plant in the ground it gives the earth a chance to be alive. It attracts other necessary life such as birds, bees, butterflies, etc. Seriously anything will help. There are even some counts where they will give you trees for free to plant in your yard that are indigenous to your area which means they will require almost no fuss to maintain.
7. How to be a consumer- Let’s be honest, we like our stuff. Especially in America we like our clothing, our throw pillows, and our new shower curtains. Some of this is not avoidable but we do have some suggestions on how to improve our overall impact on the planet.
a. Buy sustainably- Seek out clothing brands that sustainably produce. Some major brands now have products that are sustainable along with their regular lines. If this isn’t possible, look for fabrics or products produced with what we call “real” materials. Glass, wood, cotton, etc. These products are generally processed less and as a bonus, if disposed of don’t cause as much harm in the landfill.
b. But locally- Buying locally not only supports the businesses in your towns but reduces our overall impact that big businesses have on our planet such as shipping, packaging, workforce, etc.
c. Buy antiques- Buying antique or vintage items is one of the most sustainable buying practices you can pursue. These products require no production meaning they produce no waste. Buying this way also prevents any of these items getting into a landfill not to mention their quality, uniqueness, and history add a new level of special to your home.