introductory eco-guide on saving planet earth by sunflair vintage Becoming Aware of Mother Earth Hey friend! First of all, I am so excited for you to dig into this guide. I think you will find so many useful tips that fit right into your lifestyle. Before I let you flip through the details, I want you to take a minute to think about where your interest in this guide came from. No matter if you’re “eco-curious” or a certified environmentalist, I want to remind you that together we are here for one thing: to give our love to Mother Earth. This goes beyond ditching straws and Styrofoam. We are guests on this planet, and we must be grateful to get to share this space with so many other beautiful living beings. To really love Earth, you have to love these beings too. It’s about devel- oping a respect for the powers of nature. It’s about becoming aware of your surroundings. It’s easy to get caught up in our own minds. Our problems. Our lives. When you start to become less aware of the “I” and become more aware of the “we”, caring for the Earth becomes a lot easier. Signed, An Earth Sign just don’t give up just don’t give Okay great, now that we’ve moved past the statement from the tree-hugger, I want to remind you of something even more important. Yeah, it’s difficult to change. Yeah it’s gonna be hard. Yeah you’re going to want to take the easy way out. Yeah you’re probably still going to drink out of a straw now and again. Okay? Okay. So despite that, you’re still going to do your very best every day. Not every day will be your very best. And that’s okay! Trying to aim for eco-perfect probably isn’t going to happen if you’re just starting out. Do the best you can every single day with the resources you are given. The effort is progress. You will do better tomorrow and it will get easier. Signed, A Flawed Human WHERE TO START: BOOKS TO READ: How to Start Recycling 101 WAYS TO GO ZERO WASTE Going Zero-Waste WEAR NO EVIL Get Your Energy Rating THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING Find a Community Garden SUSTAINABLE HOME groups and resources WHO TO FOLLOW: CLUBHOUSE ROOMS: @earthjustice The Sustainability Club @makeclimatecool Climate Club @sunrisemvmt Future of Food @stevieyaaaay Green Solutions tip one: go meatless I already know the carnivores are rolling their eyes! But hey, if this isn’t the first time you’ve heard this tip, maybe it’s time you try it. As a former carnivore myself, I can tell you that in this day and age, meat can sometimes be the more boring plate on the dinner table. If taste is holding you back, then you’re missing out! If you’re resistant, you need to ask yourself why, and give your own self reasons ‘why not’. When starting your meatless journey, don’t pressure yourself to go all in. Start with swapping one meal a day and see where that leads you. I promise it’s easier than you think! A meatless diet requires 2.5x less the amount of land to grow the same amount food. 8-10% of all global emissions comes from food waste & loss 58% of food-related emissions comes from animal product tip two: single-use substitutes Paper Cups Toothpaste Makeup Remover Replacement: Replacement: Replacement: Reusable Mugs Toothpaste Tabs Reusable Pads How you save: your local How you save: since your How you save: You can wash coffee shop might have a toothpaste is pre-portioned, and re-use these makeup re-usable cup program, you’re less likely to over removers, saving you a offering a small discount on use, thus saving over time! minimum of $5-10 every month. your coffee. Over 380 million tons of plastic is created every year 91% of plastic goes unrecycled Only ten rivers in the world carry 93% of all plastic to the ocean Saran Wrap Produce Bags Bubbly Water Replacement: Replacement: Replacement: Beeswax Wrap Mesh Produce Bags SodaStream How you save: These How you save: you get to What you save: About beeswax wraps can be save space in your trash $2-4 every time you want a washed and reused can and recycling bin! soda or bubbly water! forever, saving you at least $5-10 a month. tip three: slow your fashion Collectively as a society, I can see the awareness of Fast Fashion coming to a peak. I would consider ‘Fast Fashion’ to be a buzzword in the sustainability world. And why? Well, truthfully it’s a really big issue, and we need to keep talking about it until it’s no longer the mainstream way to shop. 1:3 young women 8% of all global consider garments worn emissions comes from once or twice to be old the fashion industry More than $500 billion in clothing materials are lost every year due to underutilization and lack of recycling I can say with complete confidence that you don’t need to shop Fashion Nova or Anthropologie to be a fashion icon. You don’t need to waste your hard earned cash on a sweater that will fall apart in the dryer! Sure, it was $4 so what do you care. But you know what else is $4? A cashmere sweater in perfect condition you just happened to find at the Goodwill. And which has a lower environmental impact? I keep this in mind especially when shopping for leather goods. I couldn’t pull myself to purchase a brand new leather jacket, but if it’s from the 80s and it fits? Well I just scored myself a new staple! Above the environmental impact of slowing your fashion, you will start to develop a more personalized style. After all, who is going to come close to having the same outfit when you personally put it together? Local businesses affect your local economies by 70% more per square foot than larger retail chains This is your sign to get to know your neighborhood better! Shopping local (versus the dreaded Am***n), can have such a positive impact on your community. Do your research. Do you have a Farmers Market that comes through every week? Shopping from local farmers helps reduce resources burned transporting it to your grocery store. tip four: think local Shipping produces 1 59.3% of independent billion metric tons of business owners say co2 a year they occasionally of often using recycled materials tip ve: the big offenders tip ve: Ready to take some actionable steps to reduce your impact on climate change? Here are the big “No-No’s” that you need to stop doing, starting now! These habits and actions have an enormous impact on the environment and are very important to reduce in your personal life. Micro-beads Tossing Recyclables Micro-beads are present in many Before you recycle, make sure beauty products you might already it’s recyclable! Not all ‘recyclable’ own! Toothpaste and face washes items can be recycled from your are the biggest source. There are home. By trying to recycle an currently about 808 trillion ineligible item, you risk causing micro-beads in our ocean right now. damage to the sorting machines and contribute to inefficiencies at the recycling plant. Plastic bags Straws The average American takes Approximately 8.3 billion straws home almost 1.5k in plastic sit on the world’s coast lines. It shopping bags a year. 14 plastic took 5 years to clean up 7.5 bags is the equivalent of one million straws on the US driven mile of gasoline. shorelines. A single straw takes 200 years to decompose. Food Waste Pesticides Food waste is estimated to be If you are using a store-bought about 30-40% of all of the US’s pesticide on your home garden, food supply. 80 Billion pounds of then you could possibly be food is thrown away each year. contributing to the endangerment of The greenhouse gases emitted bees. Make sure any treatment through food waste is equivalent you’re giving to your plants are to the emissions created from 37 100% bee-safe! million cars. it’s not up to you alone you up to it’s not In 2017 Guardian released an article titled ‘Just 100 companies responsible for 71% of global emissions’, and has since gained a lot of attention especially in the environmentalists’ world. Let’s break this down because I believe this study is one of the most important factors to consider in your journey to living green. Let’s start with this statement: “The report found that more than half of global industrial emissions since 1988 -- can be traced to just 25 corporate and state-owned entities.” Unsurprisingly the list consists of mostly Coal and Oil entities. The article continues with this warning: “If fossil fuels continue to be extracted at the same rate over the next 28 years as they were between 1988 and 2017, says the report, global average temperatures would be on course to rise by 4C by the end of the century.” So what’s the takeaway? Reject personal responsibility and leave it up to Shell and Exxon to save the world? Exactly the opposite! I wanted to present this article as a reminder that our actions to save this beautiful planet go beyond sorting your recyclables and attending community forums. Because here’s the tea: if you drive a car or use electricity, your consumption contributes to the 71% of global emissions.