Sustainability is a huge topic right now and for good reason. While I still have a lot to learn on the topic I have been so inspired to do my part by raising awareness with my audience and provide education and resources to help combat this massive concern. The health of this world depends on the collective action from all of us to change our ways and reduce our impact.
There is clear evidence that the ways we are living is damaging the Earth and contributing to global warming. The effects of global warming is widespread. Oceans are getting warmer, damaging the ecosystem of marine life and causing more dangerous tropical storms. Have you noticed how much more intense the hurricane’s have been? The increased global temperature is leading to extremely hot conditions. In fact the five warmest years ever recorded have been since 2005 1. Have you noticed how much more drought we’re in and the extreme fires we have been witnessing? The warming ocean, flooding, droughts, fires all place huge burdens on our farmers and in turn will jeopardize the way we are able to get our food.
The details above only scratches the surface of what global warming will cause but what is causing this increased warming? The Industrial Revolution around 1760 kickstarted the climate change catastrophe and has since then only worsened. Burning of fossil fuels, increased transportation, deforestation, pollution, overfishing and factory farming are some of the biggest contributors to production of damaging gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide) released into the atmosphere.
In regards to food production and food waste well this area is a massive contributor to green house gases. Initially I would think of the high-use of plastics and processing methods that are the most damaging and while this area is still concerning I have discovered the issue starts well before the packaging even begins. A few examples are monoculture cropping in which only one crop is produced in a specific field. The main crops are corn, wheat, rice and soy. This type of farming relies on synthetic fertilizers and GMO strains to ensure that the crop is plentiful at all times of the year when really this crop may generally only have specific harvest times. These fertilizers can find their way into streams, rivers, and in to the ocean increasing the pollution. The soil health also becomes depleted as it will lack that biodiversity and inputs from other plants. This in turn means less nutrients in our soil and then less nutrients in our food. Root systems are also impacted. With only root type the risk of soil erosion increases meaning when that rain comes flooding will become more prominent as the soil can not retain the moisture without a complex root system in the ground.
So what are some practices you can do? This is a big question and one that can easily make your head spin as there are so many parts of our life that contribute to the problem. I found myself getting a bit worked up over this as I was literally looking at every area of my lifestyle and habits and seeing there could be change applied to each part. But I had to realize that the best thing I could do was become aware. I realized I am not going to be perfect or be able to change everything all at once but just the step of noticing there is a problem and start making changes was the best option for me. In the next few Sustainable Practices blogs I will be sharing my steps to live more sustainably with the first step highlighted today. You’ll find a few tips I have found to be useful as well as some products and resources I have personally used and have been enjoying.
First step: Cut down on plastics
Fact: “…scientists think about 8 million metric tons of plastic entered the ocean in 2010. That’s the weight of about 90 aircraft carriers, and the problem continues to grow”2
- Plastics: I did an inventory of the products I use and thought about ways to use an alternative. Some examples here were the plastic bags for produce, plastic lettuce/greens containers (which I found out my local recycling center does not accept), storage bags, plastic wrap and then my cleaning products.
- In place of plastic produce bag I use re-usable mesh produce bags and re-usable grocery bags whenever I visit the grocery store or the farmers market. I also try to buy my produce in it’s least processed form. For example I try to buy a loose, bunch of carrots rather than a pre-cut bag of baby carrots. Instead of buying pre-packaged lettuce and spinach I get the actual head of lettuce or spinach bunch. To clean I fill up my kitchen sink and soak the leaves then put into a salad spinner to dry and store in glass storage containers. I have found that this way actually tastes much fresher and provides a bigger yield.
- Think about all the zippered plastic storage bags and plastic wrap you use in the kitchen. Every time I reach for one of those bags I think, is there a way I could use a glass container instead?. In most cases yes I can use re-usable containers. On that note I highly encourage having a wide variety of storage containers on hand. I like these.
- Now to the plastic wrap…I have found a really neat alternate to the plastic wrap called Bees Wrap and it works much better than the flimsy plastic wrap. It uses organic cotton,
beeswax, jojoba oil and tree resin to make a re-usable wrap that uses the warmth of your hands to mold the wrap over whatever you need. I’ve never found a better a way to keep my avocado’s green after cutting them in half. I highly, highly recommend!
- Cleaning products…over the last year I can only imagine how many households stocked up with whatever product they could find to clean their homes. All of these bottles generally are used once and tossed in the trash. What I was thinking was why the heck do we need a cleaner for the windows, a cleaner for the bathroom, a cleaner for the kitchen, basically every item has its own bottle. Then to read the ingredient list and read how it should stay away from our animals or open a window when using…that is a bit concerning. I found a wonderful solution that replaces all of those cleaners, is non-toxic and EPA certified to kill COVID-19 as well as many other viruses. The
Force of Nature starter kit comes with the small appliance that electrolyzes water and a capsule of pre-measured salt and vinegar into hypochlorous acid which is safe and just as effective as bleach (plus I feel like a scientist every time I make a new batch). I literally use only this cleaner and my doTERRA concoctions ** to clean my home. From the kitchen, to the bathroom, to the rugs, furniture and exercise equipment it cleans so well and has a really nice, fresh scent. Love, love, love this product.
**doTERRA oils have benefited many parts of my life including my goal to live more holistically with reduced synthetic and chemical-laden products. I love their On-guard line. A blend of orange, clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus and rosemary smells heavenly and is a great cleaner.
I purchased some glass bottles and have used the oil itself with water or the On Guard Cleaner Concentrate to make my cleaner. No plastic bottles to waste, non-toxic, smells wonderful and my house is clean, what more could you ask for? If you have any questions about doTERRA oils or how you can incorporate them into your life I would love to chat with you about that! Click here to schedule a free chat!
These are all just a few examples of ways we can do our part to make an impact. I hope to continue sharing this sustainable quest journey including my second step which was to cut down on food waste. If this topic interests you stay tuned as this blog category continues to grow. If you’re feeling up to it comment below any ideas, tips, or tricks you have to practice sustainability.
