What Does Sustainable Actually Mean?
Contrary to what “sustainable companies” would have us believe, the most sustainable choice is the no-buy option.
According to Dictionary.com the word sustainable has a few meanings, but for the purpose of this post I believe these three apply:
pertaining to a system that maintains its own viability by using techniques that allow for continual reuse
able to be maintained or kept going, as an action or process
able to be supported as with the basic necessities or sufficient funds
What I’m referring to is preserving and maintaining Earth’s precious, natural resources that allow humans to breathe clean air, drink clean water and protect us from burning the hell up in our sun’s powerful rays. How do we do this? We produce less waste and conserve vital resources by employing thoughtful and intentional strategies in regards to consuming. Put simply, in order to live more sustainably we must consume less! Live Sustainably = Consume Less
If you’re sitting there thinking, “But how can my choices really affect an issue that is so global in scope? I’m not some major corporation polluting the environment with tons upon tons of waste. I don’t have billions of dollars and a platform to influence thousands of people.” Maybe that’s true. However, you and I are individual consumers and collectively we decide which companies have power and ultimately we dictate the amount of shit those companies produce.
What does consuming less look like when put into practice? I have found that when trying to adopt a new habit it’s helpful for me to have a checklist to refer to. Below I’ve listed in sequence, questions I ask myself when I’m tempted to consume. If you take nothing else from this article, getting into the habit of asking yourself these three questions, I believe, will be one of the simplest as well as most impactful practices you can do to live more sustainably.
Do I actually have a need for this item or can I live comfortably/happily without it? The most sustainable choice will always be the no-buy option! No-buy, as the term indicates, means to refrain from purchasing. It’s important to be honest with yourself when deciding if an item will be useful to you. Get good at determining your specific needs. Just because someone else cannot live without their Keurig coffee maker, doesn’t mean that you will find use in one.
Can I fulfill this need by repurposing, altering or repairing an item I already own? Also a no-buy option—Using creativity to give something new life can be a fulfilling process in and of itself. I like to repurpose jam/pickle jars for candle-making.
Would it make more sense to borrow this item or purchase it secondhand? Why waste money on something I may only use once or twice a year? Can I find a thrifted option that will suit my needs just as well as a new one might? Purchasing secondhand discourages the market from producing more than the population could ever use. Let’s give value to products that are already in circulation. Many times I have found items with tags still attached or in barely used condition available at a fraction of the cost of purchasing new.
If I conclude that I indeed have a need to be met and I’ve decided that using an object I already own or utilizing a secondhand item won’t be satisfactory, only then should I proceed with my last resort: source something new. I consider my next set of criteria:
Which of the products offered most closely fits my need?
Does this brand support my ideals?
How and where is this item made? What materials were used?
Will this item serve me for years to come?
How do I plan to dispose of this item once it has served its function? Can it be re-homed, repurposed or recycled?
Being able to work my way down this list and check criteria off as I go has helped me make an enormous change in my shopping habits! Most notably in regards to my closet—which I plan to share more about as I continue to add more content to the blog. My aim with this discussion is to try and simplify what it means to live more sustainably so that the prospect of embracing sustainable habits doesn’t seem quite as intimidating as you may have perceived previously. [Insert image of the perfect family of four living a zero waste lifestyle in their California beach-side estate.]
There is no singular answer, not one formula for adopting sustainable practices into your routine. This isn’t a race to the finish to determine who among us is most sustainable, instead it is a series of ongoing daily choices made by the individual (You!) that can ultimately change the tide. Each new day is another chance to make a sustainable choice, but remember to be kind to yourself. This is a constant learning process and we’re not always going to make the best decision. There are so many ways in which we can choose to live more sustainably for the good of our Earth, and my hope is that I’ve given you some ideas on how you might be able to reasonably practice this in your life.
Thanks for reading!