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 |
