So I often hear, “what is sustainability?” or “what does it mean to be sustainable?”…When I get questions like these, I typically explain what sustainability is to me, which is living in a way that will ensure resources for future generations. This means that I do my part to be responsible to not exhaust what we have available today so that it can last for my great grand children and beyond. To live as sustainable as possible whenever possible I must think of things in a big picture scale. Especially when I go to purchase a new product for myself or as a gift. This thinking is referred to as “cradle-to-grave”. Meaning I must think about how it was sourced, how it will be used and how it will be disposed of and many more aspects in between. Once you start thinking "big picture" it is easy to decipher “am I living sustainably?”
Becoming a person of living a sustainable lifestyle does not happen overnight, is not black or white and is not full proof. I wouldn’t encourage you to go throw out all your non-sustainable products and replace them with new sustainable products….that would just be wasteful. Instead I would suggest as your old products run out or wear out you replace it with a more eco-friendly counter part. The reason living sustainable is not black or white is because there is a lot of gray area or area that makes it difficult to obtain 100% sustainability. You may choose a sustainable product with minimal waste but you had to have it shipped from across the world. These are called trade-offs and are considered the gray area. Don't beat yourself up about not achieving 100% sustainability...my motto is every bit helps and counts towards sustainable living.
The first step is to learn about products that are considered sustainable. For example bamboo is very sustainable because it is the fastest growing woody plant. Compared to conventional wood forests that require the whole tree to be cut down to source the lumber and take a very long time to grow back; bamboo root systems are left intact and quickly grow back new shoots. This makes bamboo a great wood alternative for many household products for cooking, decorating and building. Bamboo is also crafted to make beautiful gifts so the next time you are looking for a housewarming or birthday gift you can confidently purchase a bamboo product and feel good about preserving forests for the future!
So how did I do? This is my fist blog on sustainable living and I am excited to continue to share lifestyle ideas that you can incorporate into your busy day! Until next time…
D.S.
Viable Creations