Easy Way To Incorporate Sustainability Culture Into Your Everyday Routine

   By now you've probably seen a million and one ways to be more eco-friendly. A ton of influencers on Instagram will preach the rhetoric of converting to a plastic free or vegan life. There's only one problem with this message, it's not always accessible for every one. There's a lot of circumstances that can come and go in a "plastic free" life. Sustainability is something I strive for myself, but I know that I'm not perfect. I'm still working on not feeling guilty for my little slip up's, and instead using it as a learning curve. For example; probably two years ago now the idea of a "trash jar" was kind of the hot topic in sustainable culture. It's the idea that you can fit your trash into an itsy bitsy mason jar. You know, things like clothing tags and rubber bands or twist ties, and that was representative of all the trash you brought into your household. But that's so not ideal, unless your hyperaware of every single product's packaging it's pretty difficult to maintain a trash jar. So, maybe recycle your trash jar. I'm gonna give you some simpler things you can do that have worked for me. 

   For starters, and the honest to God easiest thing you can possibly do for your sustainable journey, is start off with reusable bags and containers. I started off just getting reusable bags for grocery items, and that's a great step if you're already doing that! But try taking the next leap, and bring it with you when you go shopping (mind you when the world is a little more stable and we can comfortably shop in malls and such again). I know myself and I turn into a bit of a shopaholic when I find myself in a mall, and I never used to plan on all the plastic bags that I'd acquire from multiple different stores. Then I thought, hey if I can take reusable bags into Walmart when I get groceries, why can't I bring at least one or two in with me when I plan on shopping for other things too? You can easily find ones with tiny little pouches for you to clip into your purse or bag on Amazon, like this 6 pack of foldable ones from Huangchao Inc.

But really any bag will do, even a canvas tote bag because it doubles as a fashion accessory!

   This leads into my next suggestion. Fast fashion and even interior design can be a problem for sustainability. Trends change quicker than you can keep up with, and it forces the consumer to buy, buy, buy. And while it'd be nice to always shop with sustainable brands, they can be expensive and honestly sometimes a bit greenwashing. Sometimes it's hard to fact check if the brand that's using the "sustainably sourced, recycled material" tag line for their clothing truly follows that slogan. So that's why if you are in the market for something specific, say you need new pair of fancy pants for work or a job interview, or you're looking to change up the vibe in your living space and want to buy a painting for your wall. There's always a real good chance that if you spend some times in thrift stores, you'll find what you're looking for. And, a lot of the time the items sold at thrift stores are way more unique and have a lot of character to offer you than things bought in big retail stores, and they're way easier on your wallet too. Of course, not everything you need can be bought in a thrift store, which isn't something you should feel bad about. It's also not a bad thing if you buy things first hand too, because you're human and sustainability isn't about perfection, it's about everyone doing their part where they can. So while it's always great to buy second-hand whenever possible, you're not a monster for shopping at Target. 

   I'm going to circle back here to my previous point, because here's another thing that changed my relationship with plastic. Alright, picture this with me; you're in your local grocery store and you walk towards the produce isle, you see your those fruits and vegetables sitting in those tiered rows and you know you're gonna have to grab a few onions for dinner tonight, or some apples for lunch snacks tomorrow. You reach over and grab those little plastic bags and (if you're like me) your hand stalls because oh crap, this is plastic that you hadn't thought about until you came face to face with it. Now you have two options, use the plastic because it's convenient, or leave the grocery store without the unpackaged produce. Or you could be hardcore and just take the produce without a bag to carry them in, and if that's your style, I respect it. But I do have a solution for the next time you're heading out to the grocery store. Reusable mesh produce bags. You know the ones that you'd probably see someone using at a farmers market. Like these from the Shinok brand on Amazon:

Well guess what, you can 100% bring them into a grocery store to use instead of the plastic. Just tuck them in with your reusable shopping bags and you're good to go. Same goes for containers, some groceries stores will let you use your own Tupperware or glass containers to fill up on things like loose oats or like trail mix items. While those aren't always as ideal to bring around like bags, if you are someone who frequently uses those little "scoop your own" displays, it might make a big difference in your plastic consumption. 

   Alright, I got one more good tip for you that's been such an easy change for me. And no it is not metal straws, we all know that piece of sustainable rhetoric has been beat to death for awhile now. Although, you know, reusable straws are a simple change as well, it's not the thing I want to tell you about. No, no, no the thing I want to tell you about is composting! It's nothing new, it's something you've probably heard of before. But it's so simple. Like incredibly simple. You throw out a lot of things without thinking about it, right? Tossing the ends of vegetables that you've chopped, or some egg shells into the trash. Well, instead of throwing those away into your garage can, keep a little compost bucket beside it and chuck those food scraps in there instead! Simple. It takes maybe fifteen seconds to put the bucket (preferably one with a lid) next to your garbage and no extra effort require until that bucket is filled. You're going to want to get a bigger composter for outside, of course, but those are really easily bought at Home Hardware stores or Canadian tires. There's a ton of videos and information about composting at the tips of your fingers. Seriously, even Siri can give you a good debrief about Composting 101 if you ask. There's also the possibility that the town or city you're living in has a composting project, so that you don't have to keep a big bin in your backyard or on your balcony. Another quick search will help you with that and you'll be on your way to becoming an everyday sustainable guru. 

There are a lot of other ways you can help save the planet in your own little (or even big) ways. These are some that are really good diving points into the sustainable world if you're feeling overwhelmed about all the possibilities. Even if you can only take the time to start slowly incorporating one of these methods into your lifestyle it's still a good thing! I'm gonna leave you with one of my favourite quotes by Jana Stanfield, and that's “I cannot do all the good that the world needs. But the world needs all the good that I can do.” So take that into account, remember it if you're ever feeling like you aren't doing enough eco activities, and good luck on your sustainable journey!