I talk a lot about sustainable living, eco-friendlier lifestyles, and the like, but more than anything else, I think it’s important we all understand what sustainability is. The truth is, the specifics look different for all of us, but the general principles are all the same. So what is sustainability?
What is Sustainability?
The lifestyle of sustainability follows the basic tenets of reducing and reusing (and very lastly – recycling correctly of course).
Whether we’re talking about food, fashion, travel, home decor, ANYTHING – we want to create less demand.
We’re all so accustomed to wanting and working toward new things, bigger things, better things, and MORE things! We easily discard items that may used used or worn but are still functional. So we need to slowly start scaling back – really analyzing what we NEED rather just what we want.
Below are a few big sustainable living topics I discuss here on Luci’s Morsels. If you’re just starting out, feel free to pick one category and one practice. Then a second. And a third. Slowly and with time you’ll start adopting more and more practices and you’ll be living sustainably.
Remember perfection shouldn’t be the goal. If we all make changes to be better (demanding less), we’ll be just fine!
Sustainable Food + Eating
The biggest thing we can all do is to create less food waste. We’re always hungry and food is oh so good, but it’s overwhelming just how much food goes to waste (throughout the food supply chain).
Did you know food is the single largest category of material placed in municipal landfills? WOW!
Three Ways to Cut Back on Food Waste:
- Meal Planning – If you decide weekly what most or all of your meals will be, you can work to only buy what you need and to use it all up!
- Meal Prepping – Meal Prepping allows you to use up food you have instead of using ingredients here and there!
- Cook based on what you have in your kitchen, not just what sounds good. Every night for dinner, we decide what we’re having based on what’s in the fridge. With this approach, you’re actively working to use up what you have before getting anything new!
And don’t forget to embrace those leftovers! If you have kids at home, check out my tips for avoiding food waste with toddlers!
Shop Locally, Seasonally, + Organically When Possible
Shopping locally, seasonally, and/or organically when possible is a great way to live sustainably as well.
Local shopping means food doesn’t have to travel as far (creating emissions) to get to your home.
Seasonal foods can be found locally rather than being flown in internationally.
And organic foods drastically reduce what goes into your body, the bodies of any animals we consume, our water supplies, and the earth that grows our food.
While these changes can be expensive (I do know) – do what you can, when you can. Any difference will make a big difference in your family’s health and the health of our environment.
You can get loads of homemade, sustainable food and recipe ideas here! Or buy your own seasonal recipe cookbooks with plenty of tasty dishes and tips of food storage and preservation!
Check out these winter recipes for what’s in season and how to enjoy it all up!
Composting at Home
If you’re looking to go one step further, look into composting. Some cities offer it with trash pickup. You can also get into backyard composting. Or you can take the easy way out (like we do) and use an electric composter!
Whether you’re composting or not, however, these compostable kitchen bags are the perfect sustainable swap to make!
Clean Beauty + Sustainable Living
Clean beauty and cleaning products may be really popular, but they’re really good for our health and it’s better for our environment (everything we put on our skin eventually gets washed down the drain). So while we all shop differently, we can all shop clean…
Clean Beauty at Nordstrom
Clean Beauty at Sephora
Clean Beauty at Target
Clean Beauty at ULTA
Clean Beauty at Walmart
I always recommend delving into clean beauty one thing at a time and start where you want!
Common questions include do shampoo bars really work and how do you use them? What natural deodorant actually works? What’s the best cleansing oil (I constantly update this one as I try more and more out). And how to clean your makeup brushes (on the cheap and easy)!
Reusing + Recycling
You know the mantra “reduce, reuse, recycle?” Do you say it in that order too – cuz you should!
Once you start reducing what you bring into your home, you’ll want to start reusing. Not everything can be reused, but you’ll find the items that work for you. I talk about how I reuse glass containers here – plastic too.
While we want to focus on reducing and reusing, recycling (meaning disposing of things properly) is also important. There are a lot of things to learn…
Recycling Basics
How to Recycle Old Clothes + Donating/Recycling Undergarments
Household Good + Electronic Recycling
Plastic Bag Recycling + What Store Drop Off Means
What does Carbon Neutral Mean?
