My Sustainability Journey So Far

Begun in earnest last fall, my sustainability journey is still in its infancy. In my first post, I wrote about what inspired me to get started. One of the things that helped me do something was the EarthHero app. I also got a lot of tips from zero-waste bloggers. Although not much to brag about, here is a list of things I’ve done so far to get started. I just want to record where I'm at, so that in the future I can see how far I've come. Keep in mind that one of the things the zero-waste bloggers out there said was that no one is perfect at this, but every bit counts. We all start somewhere.

Step by step toward low-impact living

(These are in no particular order. Use some of these ideas to start your own journey.)

• Drawdown climate solutions 101. If you need a primer on why you would want to do any of this, check out Project Drawdown.
• Start a garden. Been gardening for years now, but it's been the last 5 years  or so that I've been actively learning from my mistakes and trying to improve each year. It's great to eat what you produce, and it's fun.
• Shower instead of bathe. Taking a 5-minute shower uses 1/3 of the water of a bath. Besides saving water, you also save on heating it.
• Turn off shower while washing. Uses even less water and energy!
• Reuse towel after a shower. You are clean when you get out of the shower. Reuse the towel and save on doing laundry.
• Carry a handkerchief. Inspired by being a gentleman, I have been doing this for several years now. You will find that the habits of our grandparents' or great-grandparents' generation overlap with sustainability quite nicely.
• Switch to dark mode. Dark mode on your phone, computer, or other electronics with OLED screens can reduce the drain on your battery.
• Turn off lights when not in use. Embrace natural lighting during the day. Otherwise, turn off the lights when you're not using them to save energy.
• Change light bulbs to LEDs. When I did an audit of the lights in my home, I found that I had replaced quite a few with LEDs already. This is one you could do all at once or gradually as your old light bulbs die. Just remember to dispose of your dead incandescent or CFL light bulbs sustainably.
• Work from home. Not possible for everyone, but if you can do it, it makes a big impact. By not driving to work, you reduce CO2 emissions. You also save time. I have had the good fortune of working from home for several years now, and I love it!
• Shave with a safety razor. I've been doing this since 2014 and I've never looked back. Disposable razors are so wasteful and end up in the landfill after only a few uses. A safety razor will last a lifetime and only needs the metal blade replaced. I've found a place locally that will recycle the blades. Win-win!
• Use bar soap, bar shampoo, and more. Including the use of plastic bottles, liquid soap has 10 times the carbon footprint of bar soap. I found a soap shop in Pleasant Grove, UT, called Soaplicity. They have a great assortment of bar soaps for body, hair, and even dishes! And they are made from all-natural ingredients.
• Change search engine to Ecosia. The Ecosia Search engine puts 80% of its profits into tree-planting reforestation projects. Search for things on the Internet and help plant trees!
• Refuse the plastic plates and cups. Perhaps the change with the most impact in our household was to transition from plastic plates and cups to ceramic and glass for each meal. Sure, it's a few more dishes to do, but we're not throwing away money.
• Unsubscribe from email lists. Small impact by saving the energy it takes to send and store those subscription emails you don't need. (Just don't unsubscribe from The Great Salt Blog!)
• Turn down your water heater. Even a small tweak downward in temp will save energy and money, but don't turn it too low or it's not safe.
• Listen to a climate podcast. Been listening to Drilled, The Energy Gang, and The Climate Question. Educational discussions about solutions in the works.
• Use a biodegradable toothbrush. I have generally upcycled my plastic toothbrush, but now that I have enough of those, I have switched to a bamboo one. At least for the model I have, the bristles are still plastic, but most of the toothbrush is biodegradable.
• Drink plant milk. I had been buying Almond Milk, but now I have switched to making my own Oat Milk! So easy, and I save a ton of money.
• Unplug vampire electronics. To save energy and money, unplug electronics when not in use.
• Watch top climate documentaries. 2040, David Attenborough - A Life on Our Planet, Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet, and many others.
• Wear reusable face masks. In the age of COVID-19, if you wear a mask, opt for a reusable one. You can wash it when dirty and you avoid single-use waste!
• Bring reusable bags. One of the two greatest swaps you can make is to bring reusable bags with you to the store so that you can avoid using plastic bags!
• Start composting. It's a shame that so much food waste ends up in landfills in plastic bags, suffocating and producing methane. Composting that food waste is a more sustainable option. There are many ways to do it. I gather my food scraps in a small bin and take it to the compost bin in my garden.
• Recycle plastic properly. You may be surprised to learn that there is more to recycling properly than I thought at first. Look up the recycling options in your area to see what you can and can't recycle.
• Dispose of packaging properly. Same thing with packaging. First, you can reduce packaging by asking Amazon or other vendors to combine shipments and use sustainable packaging. Other than that, be aware of what parts of the packaging are recyclable. For example, in my area, plastic that you can poke your finger through is not recyclable curbside.
• Use cloth napkins and towels. Reduce the cutting down of trees and save money by making the switch from paper! You can start slow and transition over time.
• Use a bidet. Reduce your use of toilet paper, feel cleaner, and save trees! The average TP user goes through over 100 rolls per year. Most toilet paper is made from virgin wood rather than recycled fiber. If you can't make the swap from toilet paper, at least look for a brand that uses recycled paper and comes in sustainable packaging like Who Gives a Crap.

Still Working on It

Below are some actions that I'm still working on:

• Buy mostly used stuff. The idea here is to reduce, reuse, and repair. I plan to only buy refurbished phones going forward. As for laptops, my Lenovo Thinkpad x220 with Slackware Linux still works great! Beyond electronics, this can extend to clothing, furniture, tools, and so on!
• 100% plant-based diet. I'm attracted to a Whole-Foods, Plant-Based diet because of health, but that also led me to learn that it is the most sustainable diet too. It's definitely a transition that takes time and support from those around you.
• Recycle everything you can. It is a little more work than just throwing things away, but it's worth it for your immediate environment, and for the planet!
• Extra cloths & turn heat down. It's winter in Utah. It's been snowy and cold. This one is hard. The ideal is to have your thermostat at 67-68 degrees Fahrenheit. I have dialed it down a degree or two, but not that low yet.
• And many more...

What steps have you taken lately toward low-impact living?