Dandelion+Burdock

An article in National Geographic this week by Sarah Gibbens, titled “5 simple things you can do to live more sustainably” inspired me to contribute to her list because honestly, they aren’t all very simple.

Gibbens’ list of five things 

1. Turn off your lights.
2. Compost your food scraps.
3. Choose native plants for your garden
4. Forage for your food
5. Give up your perfectly manicured lawn

Gibbens’ list, like mine below, may include things that could never work for you. And that’s Ok. If you did one of these 15 things, then you are making a difference. Hopefully later you can add one more. I mean foraging for your own food is highly unlikely if you live in Brooklyn, but you can support a farmers market. Giving up your lawn can seem like an impossibly giant task, but you can start by making one bed at a time by ripping out say a 6’ x 6’ spot and starting with a few native perennials. 

Gibbens writes, “You, individually, can’t stop sea levels from rising, but you, individually, can provide a small backyard refuge for endangered monarch butterflies by planting a few milkweed bulbs. How sweet is that?

And science shows these individual actions can even make a difference in the aggregate, particularly when people share information and their sustainable choices spread neighbor-by-neighbor.”

So let’s start spreading the word!

Here are TEN more ways I would like to add to increase your options for living greener.

1. Consolidate errands to drive less

Planning a day of running errands rather than popping out daily saves time and gas. By planning a day to get gas, groceries, supplies or what ever you need for the week, you put less miles on your car and in turn emit less emissions. It is a simple thing that once in the habit, you will relish knowing today you don’t have to go anywhere and can spend all that extra time doing your favorite things at home.

2. Wear more or less clothing

Heating and cooling our homes are huge energy investments and we can get rather spoiled in setting thermostats to higher or lower levels than we actually need. Getting into the mindset that by dressing more appropriately for seasonal temperatures rather than trying to maintain a year-long comfort temperature, we will save money on our energy bills and reduce our carbon footprint. It really seems quite indulgent to be wearing jeans and a hoodie in a air-conditioned home.

3. Choose plastic-free packaging 

Getting into the habit of looking for plastic-free packaging when selecting products, especially groceries. We tend to look for price or quality, which are obviously important, but getting into the mindset of choosing products that also are plastic-free will help reduce our trash. For example, eggs. Always choose the cardboard carton and hopefully egg suppliers will finally stop using styrofoam.

4. Grow herbs 

Buying packaged herbs at the grocery store are expensive and wrapped in plastic. Having a few pots on your window sill of your favorites like parsley, basil, rosemary and oregano, you will always have them in hand. They grow great all-year round, are easy and minimal time to care for. Plus they will improve your home’s air quality.

5. Feed the birds

Our feathered friends are really suffering and their numbers are diminishing. You don’t have to invest too much into a bird feeder and having seed available late fall through spring, especially during migration season, can really help improve their numbers. It’s so much fun to watch them and it’s OK to let the squirrels in on the bounty as well.

6. Use cardboard in your garden

Unfortunately cardboard isn’t always recycled so using it in your garden is a better way to reuse it. It provides great weed control and nourishes the soil. You can also add it to your compost pile if you have one. The lasagna method of building garden soil uses cardboard as that first layer,  then other brown material like leaves and sticks goes next followed by compost and soil. You will get great results with a lot less weeding. Win, win.

7. Wash clothes in cold water and hang to dry

Washing clothes in cold water is better for fabrics than hot. Today’s laundry soap works just as well in cold. Skip the dryer as often as you can even if it means hanging your wash all over your house for an afternoon. They are energy guzzlers and polluters with all that additional hot air pumping into our atmosphere. Nothing smells better than laundry dried outdoors that is also completely sanitized from the sun’s rays and wind. 

8. Order online

One truck delivering to one hundred houses verses one hundred cars going to the store. Easy math. Increasing your online ordering might feel indulgent but it is actually a thrifty way to save money and reduce gas usage. Let the delivery companies make the trip, while you spend your time comparison shopping online to get the best deals.

9. Support small businesses and local farmers

Include visiting a farmers market on your errand day or stop by that little gift shop you see. These small businesses are better for the planet because they aren’t transporting goods around the globe to get the lowest manufacturing price. Start saying no to the giant monopolies whose focus is on profit. Small businesses improve the local economy and build community. You won’t get that from Walmart.

10. Reuse candle jars

As a candle maker, it is really important to me to create reusable vessels as well as offer refill kits for those who want to do that. I am very excited about my new line of stone candles vessels that can be reused in multiple ways. My favorite is to reuse them as pretty flower pots. By drilling one small hole in the bottom, these colorful pots are ready to house those herbs I mentioned earlier.

Lastly, as consumers, we can change the way companies do business purely by our choices. If we stop buying products in favor of more environmentally sustainable items, watch how quickly those companies will change what they produce in order to win us back. It is up to us to save our home.

Which ones of the 15 are you already implementing? What items would you add to this list? I would love to know so please drop me a comment. ❤️

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