Sustainable - Attainable
It’s July my friends!
July brings feelings of true “Summer” for most. Kids on recess from school, camping trips, lake days, nighttime concerts, tanned skin, warm wind, fresh fruit - these are things I think of when I think of Summer. Mixed in with those hunks of nostalgia is the underlying patriotic feeling of being free - from work and schedules and routine of the cooler months. Freedom from the grey. The opposite time of the year.
July is patriotic to the soul.
In the sustainable living community, it’s a mid-year push to share - engage - commence - converse - begin - procure - all things low waste. The #plasticfreejuly movement happens each year this time and it’s such a fun practice especially in the Summer.
Today here on Life with Liberty I want to chat about just that - sustainable living - and what it truly means, and it might mean to you. The thing about low waste living is that it can be interpreted to just about any lifestyle and any amount, and budget and any level of commitment. Any single extremely minute step, is still a step. These practices are customizable, and I’m going to show you how!
First let’s define sustainable - it’s not always glass jar sets, bamboo toothbrushes or mesh produce bags (although those things make it feel fun fo sho). Living sustainably goes much deeper down to the core of grassroots living. Sustainable living means you could thrive and survive without consumerism at all. Your basic human needs could be met without being dependent on a larger source - like our government or the big box stores. It also goes into the idea and practices of giving, instead of taking, from our Earth and our natural resources.
Eco-friendly, earth-nurturing, symbiotic, planet-existence-prolonging… getting creative as hell with stuff you already have… honoring the earth by being extremely intentional and mindful about the things you do buy and consume and doing these things without the need to be congratulated, but because you truly want to make an impact - that my friends, is sustainable living.
Our quality of life does is not disposable, replaceable, and easily bought again… so let’s live that way too. It’s about releasing the societal pressure that you always need something better or something new. If you really want to get into it… living “low waste” or “plastic free” are just small pieces of the overall picture of living sustainably. But it still makes for a fun way to spend July!
Here’s a couple points that have helped keep me grounded, and that I always come back to - when even living sustainably can be marketed and manipulated into you buying MORE to live with LESS.
Learn to live with less: first overall is the mindset shift. This will be the hardest step for some which is why I listed it first. We live in a culture of promoting, selling, influencing, marketing. It’s consumerism - selling you something you believe you need. So to start the pre-work of living a more sustainable lifestyle, let’s recognize all the things you can make or grow yourself. What’s in your amazon cart right now? Can you actually live without that item and still be fulfilled? If it’s a book, can you go to the library and rent it? If it’s a clothing item, do you have something similar in your closet already? If you ever look around your house and just feel overwhelmed by clutter and chaos - it’s time to imagine living with less. Less participation in the market. Less purchasing, which means less manufacturing, which means less pollution, labor, etc.
Re-purpose and re-use: this one can really bring out your creativity! Need a new vase? Can you use a bottle or a glass a different way? Need new bag? Can you upcycle an old t-shirt? Need some new home decor? How about hanging up a blanket like a tapestry? Pencil holders from pantry cans, hair accessories from shoelaces, furniture from garden pallets - you get the idea. Look around your space and imagine other uses for items you already own. Let’s get resourceful as heck. This is a rabbit hole on Pinterest all it’s own!
Living low waste should be CHEAPER, if not damn near free. So don’t feel like we need to buy all the pretty “zero waste” items all at once. Yes, investment is key in the beginning into a few quality items you can use again and again instead of throw away. But in the end, the idea of living sustainable is that we could do it without money at all. It’s a commitment to the things you bought already. People who live off the land or have extremely limited resources - they are most often the most ingenuitive of us all when it comes to frugal and sustainable living.
TO START your own take on PLASTIC FREE JULY - here is your challenge!
1) Think of three things you use most often throughout the day. Are there versions of those items that are made more sustainably? Or even, could you make that or grow that yourself somehow? Do you know where and how they are manufactured? Are there options you could choose instead that would be better for our planet, your health, and your pocketbook? A one-time purchase that will last a lifetime?
2) Look around you right at this moment and take account of each and every item that is single use. Maybe you see a water bottle or a coffee cup from the drive through.. maybe it’s your lunch that has ziploc bags inside, maybe it’s a way your storing something in your home or the shampoo bottles in your shower. Now pick those three things, and replace them with something that is reusable or package-free.
Plastic over Perfect - this is my interpretation of plastic free July!
It will never be perfect. This lifestyle is something we will work at for the rest of our lives, and one that will grow and change with us as we step into the next chapters of our stories, which are incredibly individual. But if we can stop using single-use plastics as much as possible, we’re on the right path.
Get back to the basics and the fundamentals of what we really need. Keep it light, keep it fun, and keep it going!
Let’s live freely in all aspects, especially here, I can’t wait to see how you live a more sustainable lifestyle!
Love,
Chloe