I love April. It’s FINALLY getting warmer, and it’s the month we celebrate poetry and the planet. In honor of Earth Day, April 22, let’s think about sustainability.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, sustainable thinking acknowledges that everything we need for our survival and well-being comes, in some way or another, from our natural environment. “To pursue sustainability is to create and maintain the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony to support present and future generations.”
In short, we need this planet to live. So, let’s take good care of it.
Inspired by Europe
When my family and I traveled to Europe last summer, we witnessed sustainable living on a new level. Europeans do it so well, and I was inspired to change some of my habits. We traveled through several different countries where sustainable practices were the norm, and everyone embraced them. Millions of people live this way every day, and I can too.
Some examples: Straws did not exist. Nor did plastic bags. I never saw a bead of Styrofoam floating across the sidewalk. Cups, water bottles, even yogurt containers were all made of composable paper-based products.
Everything was smaller over there. Smaller cars, smaller homes, smaller portions. Maybe we Americans should re-evaluate why we need everything SO BIG! It’s expensive, not just financially, but for our health and for nature.
Now, I’m not going to pretend I loved everything about it. We were a family of four, and every Air BNB I booked had a “washer and dryer” or “laundry facilities.” This didn’t work out as well as I hoped. Every unit had a machine, as advertised. Just one machine. It washed and had a “dry” setting, but that was more like a five-minute air fluff than a drying cycle. The clothes always came out damp. That was fine in arid Aix-en-Provence, but in a muggy basement apartment in Paris, it took a long time for underwear and socks to dry. And we had a lot of underwear and socks.
Lots of people where I live in SW Virginia line dry their clothes, and since our European adventure, I’ve contemplated hanging a line myself. It would save on electricity and decrease wear and tear on the clothes. Then my husband mentioned pollen. I’m still debating that one. Perhaps I could try it when it’s not spring and high allergy season.
Small, easy changes anyone can try
I’m making small changes in our home to decrease our consumption and waste. They haven’t been hard or expensive, and they are moving us toward a more sustainable lifestyle. Perhaps you will find them useful too.
- I’ve switched to Blueland hand soap pods that dissolve in water instead of buying huge plastic jugs of liquid soap refill. (Psst! Blueland is having a 20% off sale this weekend; ends 4/23/23.)
- I also use Blueland cleaning solutions and their refillable bottles for bathroom and all-purpose cleaners. Put the tablet in the bottle, add water, let it dissolve. These cleaning solutions are super easy and smell great. However, I tried the glass cleaner, and it didn’t work well.
- I use TruEarth laundry strips instead of big plastic jugs of laundry detergent. They work great! (Another Earth Day sale happening at TruEarth.)
- I use Everything Touches Everything Else dish washing detergent concentrate. It ships in wax, compostable tubes, and you just add water to create the detergent. I love the fresh lemon smell. Sometimes I still need to use Dawn for greasy dishes.
- I’ve seen advertisements for refillable candle products I’ve thought about trying, but they look expensive. For now, I’m switching to scented pillar candles to avoid glass waste.
- I’ve also switched to matches so I stop using and throwing away plastic lighters that can never be refilled with lighter fluid.
- I rarely, if ever, leave a store with a plastic bag. I have plenty of reusable bags and keep them in handy places, like my car.
- I use reusable silicone bags instead of plastic baggies when I can.
And with the addition of each easy changes, I’m motivated to continue looking for more sustainable living options.
Our resources may seem infinite, but they aren’t. Everything we use comes with a cost and a limit. We can use many things longer and be happier if we moderate our consumption and are mindful about the costs of our choices. Living a sustainable life style means thinking not just about now, but also five or ten years from now. Sustainable mindsets consider not just ourselves, but also the people we share the world with and who we will hand it off to.
What changes are you making to live more sustainably? Try the small changes I’ve listed above, and please share more ideas in the comments.
Thanks for getting nerdy with me!
I read recently where the weight of the plastic bags in the ocean will soon be more than the total weight of all its fish. Plastic bags are so darned convenient, but at what a cost! There are other options.