In our ongoing race to ensure sustainability, Double A would like to keep Sustainability blogs moving forward. From our previous blog, we got the chance to see and learn what sustainability means to our friends, where they shared their believes, ideas and thoughts. We are thrilled and excited to see people who are conscious about their environmental footprint and are actively participating to ensure that this world is a better place.
Today, we’re featuring some amazing, ground-breaking responses who are turning their sustainability agendas to transformative actions! Read the responses below and maybe you can follow their footsteps to practice sustainability at your home.
How Do You Practice Sustainability at Home?
“I repurpose and donate whenever possible. We stopped buying bottled water and reduced the paper products we use. I bought cloth napkins for example, so we go through much fewer napkins and paper towels.” – Brittany Staples Dennis
“Remembering all the Rs especially in the gardening world. Compost most of our scraps. Especially since we live a very veggie lifestyle. We reuse all our pots for next year plants or plants we save from being thrown away at nurseries.”
“I raise meat rabbits and poultry for my animals to eat. I use old clothes and cut the sleeves off for clothes for my kittens. I do not take things I cannot use. So donating is never something I have to do. I buy my milk in glass jars not plastic bottles also”
“We are dedicated to low plastic living, choosing alternatives that are produced, packaged, and shipped without plastic. We use vermicomposting and traditional composting to reduce the amount of waste that goes to the landfill. We also use reusable cotton products to eliminate single-use products such as paper towels, napkins, and sanitary pads. We buy used goods whenever possible and donate or recycle stuff that we are ready to let go of.”
“We are huge up cyclers. We salvage furniture, books, toys, etc. and give them a new life in our home. It saves usable items from ending up in landfills and gives us something fun to work on while the world goes crazy. We also gift a lot of the items to people in our community, and with times being tough right now, that is one less item they will have to find the money for. We recycle anything that is no longer salvageable, as well as the rest of our household garbage. You would be amazed the things people will get rid of, but why let it rot in a landfill when it can be of solid use still?”
“What I do is…. I use clothing or recycle shopping bags, I use washable cloth for everything, for example: for dusting, cleaning, used in the bathroom, used for female hygiene, use for fabric softener, which I make homemade. I have my own garden & when I am not able to grow anything in my garden I go to the local farms & farmers market. When my youngest child moved out of my home, I moved out of a 3bd house into a 1bd room home just for myself. All my clothes are either made by myself or they come from a thrift store or from friends. I recycle everything I can, and I have a compost in my back yard.”
“We recycle and donate as much as possible. We also stopped buying bottled water and cut back on paper products!”
“I buy used goods first (clothing, housewares, cars, furniture, tools). I buy sustainable, compostable materials when possible (natural fibers, recycled paper products). Avoid buying packaging at all, then avoid buying non-recyclable packaging, by finding stores that allow bulk sales of goods in my own containers, farmers’ markets, and other grocery stores selling loose produce. Ask stores you go to often to add.”
“Buy locally when possible – not just groceries, but restaurants, art, gifts, home goods, furniture, cleaning supplies, personal care products, and so forth. Avoid shipping carbon expenditure and support the local economy – and you’ll likely make some great personal connections too!”
“I am a fierce advocate for reducing throwaway of durable goods – I have given away hundreds of items through groups like Freecycle, Buy Nothing, Everything is Free, and Craigslist. Donate goods when that doesn’t work out, or if you have lots of items someplace would like – local shelters, animal shelters, prison book programs or secondhand book stores, craft supply reuse stores, makerspaces, schools, and so on. I recycle goods instead of throwing them away, even when it is additional work: plastic film, electronics including normal batteries, light bulbs, textiles, and so forth.”
“Maintain and repair durable items whenever possible – replace screws and bolts on furniture and cabinetry, use wood glue to fix drawer tracks and chair rails, sew up small tears and rips in clothing and textiles, resole good shoes when they’ve worn down, condition and treat leather products to keep them in good shape, get replacement parts from manufacturers or repair shops for vacuums/headphones / small appliances. It’s a great way to learn new skills, and feel more self-sufficient – of course, there are some times when it’s frustrating and that’s a good time to ask a friend for help or take a day off to rest.”
“We make sure to recycle everything possible including even small scraps of paper and to be mindful when using water. When I have my own home down the line, I am excited to start a compost pile!” – Heather Lang
“Reduce garbage production – take inventory of what is in the trash at the end of the week, and figure out how to reduce that. For example, acquire a few cleaning cloths (this is a great way to repurpose old clothing you have), use cloth towels in the kitchen and bathroom, use a cloth or knitted/crocheted scrubbies in the kitchen sink, and take your reusable mug or container to the cafe (in non-COVID times)”
“I reduce my consumption of meat since producing it uses lots of water and resources – I am a member of a local meat CSA and that’s what I eat for the most part, other days it’s gotten easy for me to eat vegetarian without too much thought after practicing for years.”
“I reduce energy use in my house with the help of smart light bulbs and a smart thermostat. I do still have lots of tech gadgetry (speakers, smart devices, etc.) but at least try to mitigate some of their impacts. I use LED bulbs everywhere I can, and I keep the heat at a relatively low level that’s still comfortable with sweaters or layers and blankets in the cooler seasons.”
“I’d love to compost and have a pollinator garden full of native pollinating plants for bees, butterflies, and birds when I have my own place someday.”
“I grow almost all our fruits & vegetables using organic methods. We use our clean well water and never buy bottled. We compost all our food scraps, too.” – Bobbett Jascor
“We use recycled and/or sustainable materials like bamboo whenever possible! We also try to buy clothing that is not made of plastic (polyester, acrylic, etc.) We recycle, of course, but try to limit and reduce the amount of plastic entering our home as much as possible”
“We use Japanese medical technology to clean and sanitize my home eliminating the need for chemical-laden products packaged in plastics! I also drink this water that keeps my body healthy and medication-free and I never drink bottled water! I teach people how to incorporate this technology into their homes and their lifestyles so together we make a bigger global impact! I also make my own milk using this water and organic nuts and oats. I’m all about saving green going green!”
“When my mother grew up in the 1930s, she was taught the value of conservation. “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
“Multiple ways:
1. We wash and reuse all plastic bags, including Ziplock bags, until they tear, puncture, or become unusable. My husband even built a plastic bag drying rack.
2. We also recycle at our local dump: papers, newspaper, plastics, Styrofoam, glass, aluminum, cardboard; and take our yard clippings to a mulching station.
3. We use ZERO chemicals in our yard; leave grass clippings to feed the soil and we do not remove the fall leaves. It all feels SO good!”
“Another man’s junk is another man’s treasures. That is me!! I love recycling anything I may come across from just driving down the street, making deliveries, neighbors maybe throwing something out & I bring it home to either use for myself or I clean it up for someone else. I love making & putting my own creative spin on things.”
“Our family participates in reduce, reuse, recycle! I also have a compost bin and native flowers and organic garden, and we share veggies with friends and neighbors!” – Jennifer Edelen
“We practice sustainability by eliminating food waste by composting any food waste that we have and participate weekly in the composting system at our apartment. We also use reusable bags when we go grocery shopping to reduce plastic usage. Recycling is also a big one, where anything that can be correctly recycled, we do it. I also am in a club called Climate Reality and we discuss sustainability and how to take initiatives at our university and implementing sustainability – it’s all virtual at home! We reuse items as much as we can too and try to buy items that can be recyclable or are green! Switching off lights too to reduce electricity consumption.”