Imperfectly Sustainable
We have been trying to reduce our waste and live more sustainable for a few years now. Overall, I think we are doing really well and have drastically reduced the amount of waste that we bring into our home but it doesn’t always feel like that! Sometimes we miss ordering from Vula and have to grab some fruit and vegetables from the store and it all arrives in plastic! It is so disheartening but is also not the end of the world.
I have realised that we cannot cut out all plastic in our lives. We can’t reduce our waste to one glass jar. We are going to have weeks where too much convenience food comes into the house. I have also realised that that is ok.
When I take stock of the changes we have made and just how much we have reduced our waste, those bad days (or weeks) are ok, as long as we recalibrate and get back on track!
One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking that sustainable living is all or nothing. It is more about making sustainable choices for your family and your lives, if that means all you do is stop buying veggies in plastic or buy your condiments in glass jars only – that is ok. Every change does make a difference. Your journey can be imperfectly sustainable!
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When I see we are distracted and loosing focus, I stop and take stock and remind myself of these 7 steps to getting back on our imperfectly sustainable journey.
- Use up what we have! If your fridge or bathroom is full of plastic bottles and jars with product still in, don’t throw them away – that is not sustainable. Just don’t buy anything new until it is all finished. It took me over a year to use up all the lotions I had. Our fridge is often pretty empty because we are getting good and using everything up before we buy new stuff.
- Giving ourselves time when we need it. When David’s step dad was in hospital, we were all distracted and stressed, we ordered in more than we used to, I got frozen foods a lot more than we used. It was just where we were at the time. I tried to limit it as much as possible and when we did order something I tried to pick the best of the worst. If all you can do right now is make one change, make that change, it is a start!
- Fix it if you can. We are so quick to toss out stuff that doesn’t work or clothes that have a ripped seem. Jane often takes the items of clothing that need mending and will fix them for us, it gives them a little bit of a longer life and prevents them from being tossed away.
- Buy what we need. This has been a big one for us. I have become a lot more intentional about what I buy – if we don’t need it right now, then I don’t buy it. Online shopping has really helped with this because I don’t see all the in-store specials and am not tempted to buy stuff simple because it is on sale. I still do buy items on sale but it is stuff I know we use regularly.
- So many things can be reused instead of being tossed out. Before you throw something out see if you can’t use it first. Glass jars are always great to keep. Ice-cream containers have a million different uses. This applies to your clothes as well. You don’t need to buy a new wardrobe every season, use and reuse what you have. Old towels can be turned into rags.
- Find easy alternatives. Switching to our fresh fruit and veg supplier was the easiest swap we made. I place an order once a week and it gets delivered, quick and easy. I don’t even really have to think about it. List the clothes you want to sell on Yaga or an even easier option, drop them all off at your local second-hand shop. Sustainable swaps don’t have to be difficult – find solutions that are easy and work for you.
- Small changes matter. It sounds cheesy but it is true. If you just make one small change, it is worth it and will make a difference. You don’t have to remove plastic from your life completely today. You don’t have to start a compost heap today. Just do one thing that is easy and sustainable for you.
"Life isn’t meant to be lived perfectly…but merely to be lived. Boldly, wildly, beautifully, uncertainly, imperfectly, magically lived."
