Sustainability - October
I set the theme for October with fall in mind - home. Back in January when I assigned each month a fun, different theme, I figured that October would be a great month to focus on sustainability at home because (presumably) I would be home and inside so much more.
What I didn’t know then, was that so much of the year leading up to October would be spent at home. Luckily, that allowed me to make progress on making my lifestyle at home more sustainable earlier in the year. However, there were still some things that I wanted to tackle this month - as there always are.
I decided to begin by assessing the habits and swaps that I’ve already made this year to make my home habits more sustainable. Some I picked up during my months focused on cleaning and clothing. Others in the months focused on face and body. And still others in the months focused on food and shopping. Many were things I researched and realized I needed to change - and I didn’t want to wait until October to do so! I’ve shared some of the research behind these changes in my other sustainability posts, so I won’t do it again here. And even if I didn’t share it there, just know that plenty of time, energy, and thought went into these decisions.
This was the (inexhaustive) list that I came up with of some of the changes I’ve made to make my home, and living in it, more sustainable:
Cleaning with my refillable Blueland products and unpaper towels
Washing only full loads of laundry (every two or three weeks) in cold water
Drying my full load of laundry for a longer time at a lower temperature and hanging to dry what I can (both save energy!)
Taking shorter showers with my low-flow showerhead, and still sometimes timing myself to make sure they don’t stretch out too long.
Enrolling in the renewable energy option with my local energy provider - 100% green power for me!
Unplugging appliances when they are not in use and turning off any extra lights
Shopping less and shopping better
Buying and eating less meat, dairy, and other animal products
Using glass Tupperware and silicone bags to store leftovers - long-lasting reusables whenever possible!
In light of those last changes, I was reminded of one more product that I had been wanting to add to my arsenal of reusable home products. I don’t buy cling wrap or aluminum foil anymore, but there have been some times when I have wished I had something put over the top of a pot or to use to wrap the last slice of pizza. Luckily, I knew what I needed and decided to make it my product of the month.
I purchased some beeswax wrap to use for just such occasions as I mentioned above - and although I haven’t tried them yet, I know that I will be utilizing them in the near future. They look great and I’m excited for the perfect opportunity to break them in. The only thing to keep in mind about these is that since they use beeswax, they aren’t vegan. If you want a vegan option, you can find vegan wax wraps pretty easily online. The vegan wraps tend to be a bit less pliable and mendable, and the beeswax ones tend to hold moisture a bit better. So depending on what you’re looking for, there’s a sustainable wrap option for you. And no matter which kind you get, make sure that it is ethically sourced and made!
This month I read Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste, since it fit with the October theme so perfectly. Although I’d been looking forward to this book all year, I found it to be a bit repetitive, covering a lot of the same ground as the other books on zero waste I’ve read. But I guess that is to be expected. If anything, this book went a bit further than some of the others - and I’d expect nothing less from an author who even foraged in the woods for a time to find items to use as toilet paper alternatives.
I think that there are great ideas in the book, although many of them are a little extreme for me, at least at this point in my life. I have implemented several of the more moderate practices mentioned in this book - and in all the others I’ve read this year. Some of the other ideas I will incorporate into my life in the longer term, and others I plan to forgo entirely.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, going zero waste altogether has never been my plan. Instead, I want to cultivate a sustainable lifestyle through intentional and value-based decisions in every area of my life.
In my home that has looked like using fewer resources overall, choosing the green option when at all possible, and finding and choosing the products, habits, and resources that help me to live out my sustainable values.
When I planned out October (back in January), I figured that part of the theme of this month would also be to analyze the habits that help me maintain a clean and organized home to make sure that they are sustainable for me in the long run. But I am in a really good rhythm in my home right now, and don’t think that I need to make any changes! Everything is going really smoothly, and while things will probably change in my life in the future (as I move and when I go to solely working from home), I am content for now. And no matter what lies ahead, most of the habits and systems I have established in this season will continue to serve me well in those too.
I can’t believe that my sustainability project is almost over! Only two months left. Luckily, they’re going to be fun ones and I am also so excited to take some time to look back over this year and how much I have learned.
Until next time,