10 Tips for More Sustainable Living
Person for person, we in developed countries consume far more than our counterparts in developing nations, using 32 times as many resources like fossil fuels and generating 32 times more waste, according to Jared Diamond, author of the book, “Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.” Overall, the richest 20 percent of people in the world now earn 74 percent of the world’s income; the poorest 20 percent earn 2 percent (United Nations’ Human Development Report 2005).
While that might work just fine for the lucky ones among us now, the rest of the world is hoping to catch up âÂ?¦ and there’s no way all 6.5 billion of us can continue to consume like we do today. Not with global oil production projected to peak by 2025 or earlier, more than 1,300 square miles of land becoming desert each year (“An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About it”), and world population projected to grow to 9 billion by 2042 (U.S. Census Bureau).
So how do you get started with a more sustainable lifestyle? These 10 simple steps can provide a good and meaningful start:
1) Phase out your chemical household cleaners. Baking soda’s a wonder: use it to scrub porcelain and metals, deodorize carpets and drains, soften fabrics and more. Other good choices: lemon juice (cleans glass and removes stains), mineral oil (polishes furniture), and vinegar (dissolves grease, refreshes coffeepots and cleans off soap, mildew and wax). To make an effective all-purpose cleaner, either mix equal parts vinegar and salt, or dissolve four tablespoons of baking soda in one quart of warm water.
2) Reuse, recycle or give away unwanted items. You might not want that ink-jet printer that works only with black ink anymore, but someone else might. If you don’t feel up to holding a garage sale for your old stuff, ask around or join a network like Freecycle.org, which lets you hook up with other people looking for – or giving away – free stuff.
3) If you eat beef, buy grass-fed. In addition to being more environmentally responsible, grass-fed beef is often lower in saturated fat and carries less risk of E. coli and mad cow disease.
4) Stop using plastic food storage containers. Dump those plastics in the recycling bin and replace them with glass or metal food ware. Besides being sturdier, glass and metal are also more healthful choices; plastic containers can leach nasty chemicals into your food.
5) Be choosy about the types of fish you eat. Imported shrimp caught by trawlers, for example, contribute to the accidental catching of turtles, sharks and other sea creatures, killing more than 1.8 million tons of animals per year. And farm-raised salmon can be heavily laden with pesticides and antibiotics; many farms also spread waste, parasites and other diseases to oceans they lie on. The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch provides more details on seafood types best for eating or avoiding.
6) Use lumber that is sustainably grown and harvested. The Forest Stewardship Council has established standards for sound forest management, and certifies commercially sold lumber and wood products that meet those standards.
7) Try resale before retail. While you might not want to buy everything used (pre-worn socks, yuck!), you can find plenty of great deals at resale shops. Some even specialize in high-end clothing – designer labels, Prada bags, the works – so you’re not slumming by going used. Look hard, and you can even find the occasional treasure at Goodwill; a friend of mine once nabbed a soft and creamy cashmere winter coat for a pittance there.
8) Ditch the insecticides and bug sprays. Mixed with sugar, the natural mineral borax can attract, then kill, ants and cockroaches. Ants can also be chased off with red chili pepper, dried peppermint or paprika, while moths will be repelled by cedar chips, lavender or dried tobacco.
9) Try natural alternatives to your cosmetics. Baking soda, again, is great: use it as a deodorant or mix it with water or peppermint oil to make toothpaste. Olive oil makes a natural skin moisturizer or hair conditioner, and mineral oil mixed with essential oils (natural fragrances) makes fragrant bath oil.
10) Frequent your local, public library. Why contribute to the generation of paper waste from newspapers or magazines you read only occasionally? Visit your library instead and save some money in subscription fees while you’re at it.
