« Sustainable living aims to reduce personal and societal environmental impact by making positive changes that counteract climate change and other negative environmental concerns. »

Why live a more sustainable lifestyle?

We know bees and other pollinators play a critical role in food production and support healthy ecosystems needed for clean air, soil stability, asaktechnicalservices and biodiversity. We also know that bees are dying across the globe from various interrelated factors – mono-cropping, heavy pesticide use, drought, habitat loss, invasive species, and climate change.

Most of us claim to love the planet, but do we? It’s easy to say we love nature when we are enamored watching young bees emerge from capped cells or quietly bouncing from flower to flower, gathering pollen. It’s much more challenging when the object of our affection asks for something in return – such as being more mindful of the consequences of our consumption. We’re all guilty of allowing our habits and convenience to drive our behaviors, causing us to ignore dire environmental warnings, continue to over-consume, and emit CO2 like there’s no tomorrow.

You’d be correct to say that individual action alone is unlikely to make the global changes necessary to slow climate change, habitat loss, and harmful agricultural practices. We need business and industry leaders to change their behaviors, and we need local, national, and global policies to guide sustainability initiatives. But, don’t underestimate the impact of transitioning to a more sustainable lifestyle! We keep businesses open with our purchases and influence policies with our votes and voices. Our everyday choices affect the environment. From what we eat to how we clean our houses, there’s a lot we can do to minimize our impact on our planet.

1. Before you buy, ask yourself if you really need it.

Everything we purchase has an impact on the environment. The number of resources used to make even the most straightforward products is far greater than most people think. Take a moment to think about all the resources used to create a standard #2 pencil. Zinc, copper, rubber, sulfur, iron, wood, graphite, clay – and these are just the materials of the pencil itself. Add in the resources used to mine, manufacture, package, distribute, market, and dispose of that pencil, and you’ll start to see how something as simple as a pencil can have a large environmental impact.

So, the next time you go shopping, ask yourself, do you need to go shopping? If so, do you need to buy new clothes, gadgets, and gear? Can you reduce the resources used by borrowing from a friend or neighbor, renting items, or purchasing secondhand?

2. Refuse single-use products.

An easy action we can take is to refuse single-use products. We need to fight back against the throwaway culture that has taken hold in this country and the world. All products, and especially plastics, metals, and textiles, should be designed with the intention that their raw materials will be recovered and reused or repurposed.

The hardest part of the single-use plastic battle is the magnitude of plastics we only use for a few minutes to eat, carry stuff, or package things. These items have an average life span of 15 minutes before being thrown ‘away.’ Only for plastics, there is no such thing as ‘away.’ Plastics can take 500 + years to degrade. Even then, they are not ‘away’; they break down into microplastics which we end up ingesting through our food, water, and air. 50% of the plastic problem in the ocean is disposable plastic like plastic bags, water bottles, takeaway containers, cups, and straws. Single-use plastics are a relatively easy problem to combat. Proactively say NO.

3. Choose to buy from socially and environmentally responsible companies.

One of our most significant powers as a consumer is the power of choice! From food to household products to clothes, the number of options out there can get overwhelming – but there are a couple of things we can do and look for to help us actively minimize our impact on the planet.

Look for certified products. Certifications are often the product of NGOs and businesses coming together to solve environmental and social problems. Buy organic whenever possible; it may cost a little more, but it keeps harmful pesticides out of our land and water, protecting our bees and families. When purchasing new clothing, fabrics, or home textiles, look for Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). Choose shade-grown coffee, which is grown while keeping forests intact for wildlife. Check out this blog for a more comprehensive list.

4. Buy products with less, better packaging.

Packaging accounts for nearly 1/3 of municipal solid waste in the United States. Introducing a few simple practices into your lifestyle can help reduce your packaging waste.

• Bring your own reusable bag, water bottle, coffee cup, straw, and utensils.

• Bring reusable produce bags and buy unpackaged products, such as fruits vegetables, instead of pre-packaged produce. Additionally, most grocery stores allow you to fill your own containers with granola, spices, and nuts.

• When comparing similar items, choose the one with less or more easily recyclable packaging. Less packaging is more important than the type of packaging because of the pitiful recycling rates in the U.S. If the packaging is similar in volume, look at the percentage of post-consumer recycled content. The higher, the better!

5. Repair, Don’t Replace!

Don’t get me wrong. Sometimes our stuff needs to be replaced, especially if the repair costs more than the item is worth, or you have an outdated appliance that uses way more energy to operate than a newer model. But, a great way to make a difference is to repair items rather than purchasing new ones. Here are a few tips to help you get started:

• Not handy? Not a problem! The Internet has how-to tutorials on just about anything!

• Check to see if a small business will repair your item if you can’t fix it yourself.

• Rent or borrow tools so you don’t have to spend the money to purchase something you’ll only use a handful of times.

• Many brands and outdoor stores will offer to repair your gear for a small fee. Check out Repair Lair, Rugged Thread, or Dave Page, Cobbler, to name a few.

Are you a great cook but lousy at repairs? Exchange services with friends or family!