
Sustainable Practices
What does Earth Day mean to you? For me it’s a time to contemplate lifestyle choices, consider if I’ve struck a balance between personal comfort and consumption of global resources. I strive to be a good steward of the planet and my version of that includes being mindful of the resources I use like gas, electricity, and water. Beyond that I try to contribute as little as possible to landfills by reducing, reusing and recycling, and avoid using or consuming unnecessary and/or harmful chemicals. I’m very passionate about eating whole foods and maintain a vegetable garden. I also make many cleaning and beauty products. Being self-reliant in as many ways possible is very satisfying.
But, sometimes it’s difficult to be 100% self-reliant in modern times. I work 40-hours per week at a job that I commute to/from an hour each way. I live in a suburban area with zoning restrictions preventing me from legally keeping chickens or bees. And while I believe it’s worthwhile to make as much as I can for myself, I also have to recognize that some things are just not worth my time or effort to make at home.
I like to know I’m making a difference, so I keep a running list of green activities that I practice or have tried. Not all of the activities have stuck – like making laundry detergent. But, this list has a lot of triumphs too – like peppermint scented soap and wool dryer balls.
Below you can see the sustainable practices I do, the new ones I attempted since Earth Day last year, and the ones that were discontinued. Every year I try to add at least 5 more sustainable practices to my lifestyle. Some day I’d like to collect rainwater for garden watering and have solar panels to live off the grid, but I don’t think family cloth will ever be on my list of sustainable practices.
How far are you willing to take your green living practices?
Sustainable Practice | New in 2014 | Discontinued |
---|---|---|
body moisturizer | x | |
carpool | x | |
cloth "sponges" | ||
cloth napkins | ||
composting | ||
deodorant | x | x |
dishwasher soap | x | x |
face moisturizer | ||
hard lotion bars | x | x |
Italian sausage | x | |
kahlua | x | |
ketchup | x | |
laundry detergent | x | x |
marinara sauce | x | |
mayonnaise | x | |
milk kefir | x | x |
recycling | ||
ricotta cheese | x | |
seedlings | x | |
soap | x | |
soda stream | x | |
sourdough bread | x | x |
toothpaste | ||
vegetable gardening | x | |
vermicomposting | x | |
wool dryer balls |