Sustainability

You Start With The Middle Tray
My mother has excellent taste. While I would never admit that to her face, I'm sure there's no harm in confiding this well-kept family secret here on the internet. Ever since I was very small, she has consistently recommended what would become my favorite books, recipes, movies, TV shows, musicals, restaurants, day trips, and random experiences. Being a headstrong child, followed by an impossible teenager, and finally, a cheeky adult, each one of her recommendations has been met with a firm, "No thanks!" That is, until someone else offers their own acclaim.
By D M Alvarez5 years ago in Earth
The Economy of an Old Shirt
Consumerism is the fundamental divide between our current societal model and the bitter cries of our suffering planet. On an individual level, each time we opt out of buying something new to suit our need or perhaps greed, we spare our vote to cast another day.
By Samantha Joy5 years ago in Earth
"Build it and they will come"
This morning as I sat on my back patio looking around at the back garden drinking a coffee, a butterfly almost landed on my head. How delightful that sensation was once I had got over the initial shock response! I watched it fly away and cross the path of two other butterflies in the process. As I reflected on the growing number of insects I have been seeing in my garden lately I was reminded of a conversation that I had with my sister yesterday. Somehow the conversation got around to the praying mantis egg case that I had discovered before and after hatching. She commented on how lucky I am to have that happen in my very own garden and told me that her husband’s brother had just bought a praying mantis egg case because he couldn’t seem to attract them to his garden. She asked me what I was doing that I thought might be helping them thrive in my garden. The truth is that I am not really sure. I think that a garden is such a complex system with such an abundance of variables that it’s hard to isolate one or two things that make a difference, but here are the things I think are making a difference.
By Jane Grows Garden Rooms 5 years ago in Earth
It's been 13 years, where's Wall-E?
In 2008 the world was gifted an incredible film by the name of, Wall-E. The premise being; humans have left earth hundreds of years of years ago leaving behind; thousands of "Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class" aka "Wall-E". Wall-e's are robots designed to help clean up the earth for us. We currently have some machines, that are kind of like Wall-e except they're in the ocean. Which I love and appreciate, but I want wall-e!
By Dyllon Rodillon5 years ago in Earth
Sustainability is Like Learning Math
I write as my recent laundry load is swaying in the early afternoon sun - hang-drying as the water slowly evaporates into the warm air. Below, my plant babies extend their limbs & leaves to maximize surface area for photosynthesis. Bees buzz in the distance. And above, my hummingbird feeder hangs as a popular brunch spot for thirsty guests. Sitting at my desk I take a drink of water - *ahhh* life is good as I too quench my thirst, but not from a toxic plastic bottle - rather from my reusable bottle.
By Sustainable Shane5 years ago in Earth
Create The Change We Deserve
Mother Nature has tolerated our overuse of plastic for decades, and slowly it is taking its toll. As consumers, it is our responsibility to reduce our carbon footprint and make the change we want to see. There are a variety of other things we could do to reduce our carbon footprint. Composting, recycling, and cutting out single-use products are small changes anyone can make to a busy schedule.
By Morgan Clark5 years ago in Earth
Unravelling the Thread
Cloaked in thread expertly spun by the robotic movements of calloused hands, I window shop the latest fashion trends through my browser. Obsessing over the articles of clothing and an uncontrollable need for instant gratification has created an environment for fast fashion to thrive… at the cost of the environment.
By Kishan Baskaran5 years ago in Earth
Smaller Footprint, Bigger Wave
At first thought, leaving less of a carbon footprint may seem like too tall of an order for anyone to tackle. Before taking that step though, I think it is important to note that we know something must be done to protect our oceans and atmosphere from the carbon emissions that we are producing.
By Mike Owczarek5 years ago in Earth
Growing the resistance
It’s such a mess, isn’t it? The topic of how we as individuals can slow the climate catastrophe train is so fraught and depressing, because even as we take radical action – having no more than one child, eliminating meat from our diets, buying hybrid or all-electric cars, thinking hard about all the places we dream of going and which very few feel essential enough to justify the noxious emissions of greenhouse gases high into the atmosphere – even as we reexamine everything about how we live, the fiercely-defended ignorance of others slows the sea change that must occur at all levels to stop this runaway train. But here’s the thing: while we do our little part to advocate for those systemic changes, we have to do what we can in our own lives. What else are we going to do? Reduce life to some logical gamesmanship where we take no action until everyone does? How can those of us who understand the impacts of everything we do convince ourselves that our individual acts are too small to matter?
By Gina King5 years ago in Earth
The Repurpose Driven Life
The reason this meme is so funny is its accuracy. I remember opening my grandma's refrigerator to get out something she asked for and being overwhelmed by the butter containers and milk jugs that held everything but butter and milk. Due to my grandparents' age, they were used to keeping everything they thought they might use again. For my grandpa, it was screws, nails, nuts and bolts; stored in a coffee can.
By Yvonne Lovejoy5 years ago in Earth
Cleaning the Ego With the Fight Against Littering
It’s never been cooler to be focused on being clean, and those who create the wave are often less noticed than those who choose to run on it. While the planet spins at ridiculous speeds through an unforgiving cosmos, we are caught trying our best to stand still, take pause, and enjoy the moment. Unfortunately, in our efforts to do this, we forget about our spherical creator and the accumulation of trash the human race has dumped across Earth.
By Kishan Baskaran5 years ago in Earth
Bodies of Water
My first step toward making waves of transformation was a scary one. I listened to my heart pound every night like the rhythm of the waves crashing violently as I lay in bed anticipating my new life adventure and leaving behind my old life as a carpenter and a painter. I began to recognize through the years that this feeling was my aliveness coming to get me, like a swinging trapeze bar according to Danaan Parry in Warriors of the Heart. I had never been whitewater rafting before or been camping longer than a weekend. Now I was about to become a whitewater raft guide and live out of my tent for the summer. Little did I know that I was about to take a huge vote for mother earth and myself. To the average person, I may seem like a ski bum, a river bum or the crazy water lady telling everyone to "hydrate your brain". Little did I know that one day I would be rowing my own 18ft raft down the heart of the Grand Canyon and navigating class five rapids. I am beginning to see that this wave I am making is building into a massive title wave.
By Arieal Pearl Healy5 years ago in Earth