Sustainability tips (while social distancing)

Explore how to make your time social distancing fun, positive, and creative.

Sustainable (adj): conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources Here, I'm viewing resources as food, materials, physical and mental health.

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Reduce waste: In the home

Proper food storage There’s a big difference in both taste and preservation when you store produce in the wrong place. Tomatoes and apples tend to get mealy when put in the fridge, and leafy greens will rot if kept on the counter. Storing your produce properly can increase the longevity of your food!

• If you are ever unsure of where to store an item, consider where it was located in the grocery store. If it’s in the cool section, store in the fridge. If not, store on the counter.

  • All counter produce is best kept out of plastic bags.

  • If you want to speed up the ripening process for foods such as 🍌 banana, tomato, or avocado, place them in a paper bag until they reach the ripeness you desire.

• When saving a cut open 🥑 avocado, make sure to keep the pit in, store in an airtight container in the fridge. Drizzling 🍋 lemon or lime juice on the open skin of the avocado will preserve it further.

• Store 🧅 onions away from all other counter produce, as they cause premature rotting/sprouting if in close proximity to other foods (i.e. potatoes).

• Store 🧄 garlic, onion & potatoes in a cool, dark place - if you have room in your pantry, you can store them in there.

• Always keep fresh basil on the counter - storing it in the fridge will cause it to turn black and spoil.

• Preserve fresh herbs like cilantro and parsley by keeping them in a jar of water and covering with a bag in the fridge. They will keep for several weeks this way.

Grocery shopping

• Since grocery stores are 🛍 erring on the side of caution surrounding patrons bringing in their own bags, be sure to ask for paper bags rather than plastic.

  • Use paper bags to hold ♻️ recycling, or use as 🔥 fire kindling in your outdoor fire pit or indoor fireplace.

• Get some reusable ziplock bags for at-home storage (great for cut-up citrus, veggies, etc)

• Don’t buy fruits and veggies that are wrapped in plastic or come in a plastic container

• Go in with a list, and try to stick to it.

  • Be mindful of the fresh produce you buy, only get as much as you plan to eat by the time it would go bad. If you’re unsure, buy frozen.

  • If you’re unable to eat any fresh veggies or fruit before they spoil, freeze them and use in soups/curries/smoothies/etc down the road.

• Know how to properly clean your groceries.

Cleaning

• Make your own 🧼 house cleaner and 🤚 hand sanitizer

• Re-use old 👕 t-shirts for cleaning rags and dusting

• Use empty boxes to organize junk drawers and pantry space
  

Reduce waste: On your plate

Food scraps

• You can regrow used veggies like 🥬 lettuce, green onion, and celery by placing them in water

• Use 🥕 leftover veggie scraps for veggie broth

• Banana peels, coffee grounds, and egg shells also make for great fertilizer (no composting needed!)

• Learn how to pickle any vegetable

Composting

• Build a compost bin, or buy one to put together.

• Sign up for your city’s composting program.

Grow your own

• Learn 🌱 how to grow microgreens indoors, year-round.

  • If you want a super-simple method, consider buying a microgreens growing kit

  • Due to its ease of use, Hamama growing kit is my favorite!

• If you have outdoor space, there are lots of herbs that are easy to grow in containers

Food choices Eating less meat and dairy products helps save tons of food, water, and land mass from the supply chain of animal agriculture. In 1997, a Cornell ecologist estimated that the U.S. could feed 800 million people with the grain that we grow to feed livestock alone. Fast forward 23 years and an ever-growing population/demand for meat, this number is likely much higher today.

Plant-based eating

• Learn more about how a reducetarian (or, flexitarian) diet can make a difference

• Can’t find 🍳 eggs at the grocery store, or trying to lower your cholesterol? Try these alternatives in baking! (Due to its high nutrient profile, my favorite egg replacement is ground flaxseed.)

• Consider getting a 📚 vegan or vegetarian cookbook

Positive activities

Move your body

• Sneak in 🏃‍♂️ movement and 🧘‍♀️ stretching throughout the day (5-10 push-ups before a call,1 minute planks after a meeting)

  • Use free weights or get creative with household items (like laundry detergent, heavy books, etc)

  • Take a walk/run outside, bike, or rollerblade

• If you have a meeting that doesn’t require sharing screens or a rigid agenda, suggest taking a 🚶‍♀️walking meeting via 📞 phone call

• Check out these 👟 sustainable athletic wear brands

Stay connected

• Schedule a recurring virtual meet-up with friends or family every Sunday. You can play games, have a topic to discuss, or just hop on with no agenda.

  • Be careful to not over-do it with these meetings, as they can be energy-sucking.

• Call 🗣 someone you care about while taking a walk.

• Send your loved ones a 💌 letter. Consider buying new stamps to support our postal service.

Get crafty

• Follow reddit r/zerowaste

• Get creative with Earth Day inspired crafts using recycled materials

• Join the 👗 slow fashion movement (learn what ‘slow fashion’ really means)

• Learn how to make your own mask

• Make 🎨 water-color paint with 🌼 flower petals
  

Regenerative documentaries

Chasing Coral 🐚

• Topic: A team of divers, photographers and scientists set out on a thrilling ocean adventure to discover why coral reefs are vanishing at a rapid rate.

• Watch on: Netflix

The Game Changers 💪

• Topic: High-performance athletes dispel age-old myths about meat, protein and strength.

• Watch on: Netflix

The Biggest Little Farm 👩‍🌾

• Topic: Chronicles the 8-year quest of two farmers as they trade city living for 200 acres of barren farmland and a dream to harvest in harmony with nature.

• Watch on: Hulu, or rent or buy on-demand

The Promise of Biomimicry 🦜

• Topic: A new 20-minute film on nature-inspired design

• Watch: online for free

The Third Industrial Revolution💡

• Topic: Social and economic theorist Jeremy Rifkin outlines a new economic system that will require an ideological shift.

• Watch: online for free

Stress relief with nature

Fun facts 🌳

• Did you know that spending 120 minutes in nature per week is associated with good health and well being?

• Being in nature (or even looking at scenes of nature) can reduce anger, fear, and stress while elevating pleasant feelings.

• Research done in hospitals, offices, and schools has found that even having a single plant in a room can have a significant impact on stress and anxiety.

• Spending time in your 🌻 garden can help improve your mood.

  • Known as “the Farm-Effect,” dirt is shown to strengthen your immune system.

Put into action

• Go for a leisurely walk around your neighborhood - find the streets with the most trees.

• If you can, go barefoot in the grass.🦶 Research shows that barefoot contact with the Earth can create positive changes in a variety of physiological measures: improving sleep, reducing pain, decreasing muscle tension and lowering stress.

• Set your 💻 computer and📱phone backgrounds to a serene nature scene.

• Buy a houseplant - perhaps invest in one that is shown to improve indoor air quality.

• Hug a tree! 🌲 The Icelandic Forestry Service is encouraging people to hug trees while social distancing measures prevent them from hugging others.