Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    48 Things to Know About Sustainable Living
    48 Things to Know About Sustainable Living
    48 Things to Know About Sustainable Living
    Ebook179 pages1 hour

    48 Things to Know About Sustainable Living

    By Victoria Klein

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    While the debate over our changing environment rages on, one thing remains clear: being green is a hot topic—socially, politically, and economically. Whether you’ve “been green” from birth or don’t even know what the three “Rs” stand for, 48 Things To Know About Sustainable Living can help you make small, affordable (or free!) changes that will have a major impact on the environment and simplify your everyday life. Chock-full of tips and useful Web sites, 48 Things will show you how to easily become planet-friendly by: 

    • Discovering eco-friendly substitutions for everything from food and clothing to appliances, cleaning products, office supplies, and transportation
    • Reducing waste and electricity, saving you time and money
    • Taking advantage of both modern green technology and renewable natural resources
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTurner Publishing Company
    Release dateOct 28, 2010
    ISBN9781618581150
    48 Things to Know About Sustainable Living

    Related to 48 Things to Know About Sustainable Living

    Related ebooks

    Home & Garden For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Plant-based companion Animals

      Jan 14, 2022

      Happy Benevo customers. So, you’ve started your plant-based journey or have been on the vegan road for a long time. You’ve swapped your leather for pleather, your bacon for ‘facon’ and your shampoo, thankfully, has never been anywhere near a rabbit.

      4 min read

    • Article

      Prebiotics

      Nov 4, 2020

      Prebiotics
      3 min read

    • Article

      News Bites

      Oct 4, 2020

      News Bites
      2 min read

    • Article

      Overweight Women Can Safely Restrict Weight Gain During Pregnancy

      Sep 25, 2018

      Being obese or overweight while pregnant can pose serious health risks for both mother and baby. Now, researchers say that with proper nutrition guidance, restricting weight gain during pregnancy is both safe and feasible. In a new study, women who w

      4 min read

    • Article

      Upfront

      Nov 24, 2019

      Upfront
      19 min read

    • Article

      NUTRITIONIST'S NOTEBOOK Almonds

      Sep 24, 2021

      NUTRITIONIST'S NOTEBOOK Almonds
      4 min read

    • Article

      Financial Wellbeing

      Jun 30, 2021

      Financial Wellbeing
      2 min read

    • Article

      The PLANTFUL life

      Aug 6, 2020

      The PLANTFUL life
      3 min read

    • Article

      Gardening

      Mar 13, 2020

      Gardening
      2 min read

    • Article

      Defying The Odds

      May 24, 2020

      In 2008, Ivelisse was a happy wife and mother of four with a deep faith when she was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. She was 37 at the time, the exact same age her father had been when he was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer. Because Iveliss

      3 min read

    • Article

      A To Z Of Skincare

      Oct 3, 2021

      A To Z Of Skincare
      7 min read

    • Article

      VEGAN KETO – Yes, You Can!

      Sep 21, 2021

      VEGAN KETO – Yes, You Can!
      7 min read

    • Article

      The Fungus Among Us

      Jan 31, 2024

      The Fungus Among Us
      7 min read

    • Article

      How To Bolster Your Immune System

      Aug 31, 2020

      So what has been shown to work? Broadly, the things you can do fall into seven categories, all of which overlap and reinforce each other. If you have a large waist then you are at much greater risk of becoming seriously ill if you get Covid-19. Why?

      2 min read

    • Article

      Peter Singer

      Mar 18, 2020

      Peter Singer
      9 min read

    • Article

      “There’s A Misguided Belief That The More We Have The Happier We’ll Be”

      Mar 31, 2021

      Founder and CEO of 1 Million Women, Natalie has worked over the past 12 years to achieve her goal of mobilising a million women into environmental action – the number has reached 950,000 so far. She believes one small action multiplied by millions ch

      3 min read

    • Article

      Cartoon Heroes

      Feb 23, 2022

      Tell us about your art and why you started creating it… Art has always been a huge part of my life – I’d tried to convey important messages through my art before, but I'd found realism to be a clunky means to that end. Illustration freed me up to foc

      5 min read

    • Article

      The Great Reset

      Jul 1, 2020

      WE DID IT, dear VegNews readers—we made it to the halfway point of what may be the most unusual year in modern history. Air hugs and elbow bumps! As we shift from a sheltering-in-place spring to a cautiously optimistic staycation summer, it feels lik

      2 min read

    • Article

      More Than Enough

      Jan 13, 2020

      More Than Enough
      3 min read

    • Article

      Brave New World

      May 27, 2020

      Brave New World
      4 min read

    • Article

      How To Live A Truly Zero Waste Life

      Jan 7, 2019

      At age twenty-six, I was a manager in a large engineering firm, earning more money than my Chinese migrant parents ever had. On paper, my life was the epitome of success. I was the one my parents didn’t have to worry about – the daughter who graduate

      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for 48 Things to Know About Sustainable Living

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      48 Things to Know About Sustainable Living - Victoria Klein

      Introduction

      The end of the eco-myth

      Breaking News Bulletin: The entire human population agrees on the existence of global warming.

      Yes, I’m dreaming.

      While the debate over our changing environment rages on, the argument is over in my book (literally). As your humble author, I shall not try to sell you on the concept of climate change. No matter your certainties (or lack thereof) on the subject of climate change, you have picked up this book to start learning about living a more sustainable life. Let’s start today!

      In this book, you’ll find real ways to help improve your life, the lives of those around you, and Planet Earth herself. If you still have a few misgivings, how about I assure you of a few things?

      What sustainable living is not:

      Complicated

      Expensive

      Exhausting

      Pointless

      What sustainable living is:

      Simple

      Affordable (sometimes even free!)

      Fun

      Creative

      Innovative

      Important

      Mythos surrounding an eco-existence is boundless. For those who are ready to move past the illusions, shocking statistics, and stigmas to make the first step towards lasting change, keep on reading! With 48 ways to integrate planet-friendly habits into your life, undertaking your own sustainable goals is just a page away.

      - 1 -

      What do we need?

      Before organic cotton and farmers’ markets, before composting and bicycling, before telecommuting and alternative energy, we must talk about our needs and wants. The distinction between a want and a need has become ever hazier in our culture. In the end, we have more stuff, less money, and are none the happier for the experience.

      For parents, teaching your children the difference between a want and need is a vital part of your biological duty. For others, here’s a bit of review:

      A need is something you must have in order to survive, i.e., food, water, and shelter. Today, we can add employment, transportation, basic clothing, and possibly health care.

      A want is entirely optional, something we may enjoy having, i.e., fancy clothing, sugar, electronics, jewelry, fast cars, a DVD collection, and video games (just to name a few).

      I’m not going to be a massive killjoy and say that you can’t have some of these things—many of them are just plain fun! The key here is determining what you need first and making sure that it is provided for you in a sustainable way. After that, a few indulgences (which can also be sustainable; I’ll show you how) can be embraced.

      The next time you think of buying something, ask yourself: Can I live without this? Will I physically die without this? Will I go into debt to buy this?

      Living with less = good; debt = bad. These are simple equations for healthy, eco-conscious living.

      A common issue today is that we just don’t have time to stop and think. When was the last time you thought about what made you happy? Why did you stop enjoying that long-forgotten hobby? Our species is known for its adaptability. Take away your cable TV and you will soon find a bigger world of pleasures and amusements in your home, your library, or your community.

      We think we don’t have time to partake in the simple enjoyment of reading a good book, cooking a flavorful meal, or taking a walk around the neighborhood. Humans do not need constant stimulation or instant gratification. Our spectacular advancements over the past two hundred years have afforded humans many luxuries. The question lies with which of said discoveries have advanced our well-being, and which are holding us back from our personal accomplishments.

      Has watching TV really made you happier, healthier, and more informed? Many of us are out of shape, addicted to eating junk food, and more worried about the world than ever. With any invention, there is the risk of turning it into something harmful. A former shopaholic and media addict, I ran up nearly $30,000 in credit card debt, developed serious depression, and was forty pounds overweight before I turned twenty-one. My treatment? A culture diet: less TV, less processed food, less exposure to advertising, more books, more moving, more time outdoors. The results? All positive: I’ve lost the weight, paid over half my debt, gone off my psychological medication, and regained over twenty hours a week for my own pursuits. If I can do it, so can you.

      It all begins with one simple question: What do I need? (The answer? Nothing that Mother Nature doesn’t need.)

      For more about our addiction to stuff and how we can change the harmful cycle, check out the Story of Stuff Project (www.storyofstuff.com) from Annie Leonard.

      - 2 -

      All the eco-benefits

      The advantages to living a more sustainable lifestyle far outweigh any fear or discomfort of change you may have. Although we can be comfortable with the habits we’ve developed, that doesn’t mean they are the best thing for us or our world.

      In the last chapter, I shared how my elected separation from massive doses of modern media helped me lose weight, regain my sanity, and reduce my debt. That was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. A more eco-conscious lifestyle can bring a whole host of benefits:

      Cost-effectiveness

      More quality time with friends and family

      Greater appreciation for what you already have (people, places, and things)

      Increased confidence due to newly acquired skills of self-reliance

      Possible weight loss and increased fitness

      Improved life balance (no work e-mails after 6 P.M.—yay!)

      Reconnection with your local community

      A healthier, more stable planet for future generations

      The joyous feeling of being a part of something worthwhile

      . . . and this is just my list. I’ll wager that by the end of this book, you’ll have a number of other perks to add to our sustainable lifestyle benefits collection.

      Such benefits are achieved through the many different methods of living an eco-lifestyle. For most people, living without a car isn’t an option. While that is unfortunate, it is a reality of some communities, but it doesn’t mean there aren’t many other ways you can have a positive impact. Even the kind of car you choose to drive can reduce waste and pollution. Add in your food choices, hobbies, electronics, and vacations, and you’ve got countless opportunities for worthwhile sustainable change.

      No one is perfect, and no one’s lifestyle is likely to be 100 percent planet-friendly. Often, one conscious choice leads to another and another and another. Before you know it, your life is transformed with a feeling of purpose, thanks to a sense of community and the worthwhile accomplishment of being a part of something bigger than yourself. Although it would be great if everyone rode a bicycle, grew their own food, and lived off solar power, that isn’t likely to happen for many decades. Until then, every change counts, every purchase (or lack thereof) counts, every action counts. With a list of benefits like ours, living a sustainable lifestyle is the only thing worth counting.

      - 3 -

      The three Rs

      Fear not—no one is sending you back to elementary school for Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic.

      I’m here to school you on the three eco-Rs: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. All three are very simple concepts,

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1