Living Naturally and Sustainably

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, “to pursue sustainability is to create and maintain the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony to support present and future generations.” It is our job and responsibility to care of our planet! Often when we think of going green, reducing negative impact, global-warming, etc. it can feel overwhelming. But here’s some inspiration that we can come back to: “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”

So here are some small yet purposeful ways we can create ripples:

• Reusable bottles instead of plastic: This one’s pretty obvious, but think about how much waste you can eliminate by using a reusable water bottle, coffee mug, thermos, etc.
• Pay attention to product labels: Did you know that many of the ingredients in your average cleaning product are dangerous for the environment? Try using less chemicals and more natural components. For example, ingredients you can actually pronounce, like coconut oil, olive oil and shea butter.
• Buying reusable bags and using them! A lot of stores sell a variety of decorated reusable bags. This decreases the use of plastic bags which reduces waste!
• Use eTickets or electronic based forms whenever possible. You might not think about it much, but every piece of printed material counts!   
• Love your stuff! Every product we purchase has an environmental footprint. Manufacturing, packaging and shipping all have an effect on the environment. Ask yourself if you really need the product and if you do, can you get it gently used?