Curate, connect, and discover
hi! since i've really leaned into witchcraft and spirituality, i became much more appreciative of the earth and i've been talking to her lots but i want to also become more sustainable in my daily life to help the environment even in small ways. do you have any ideas for simple things to do or habits to change to be more sustainable?
I do indeed!!
I think some the best things you can do for sustainable living is develop sustainable skills:
Learning to sew allows you to:
- fix holes in clothes
- adjust the height/seams/etc of clothes
- crop or add to items of clothing
Which means that clothes have a longer lifespan in general!
Learning to garden (even if its windowsill gardening!) helps you:
- spend less on certain herbs or plants (an easy way to start is regrowing spring onions in water)
- grow more native plants in your area
- encourage more insects into your garden
Learning to cook and bake can actually be super helpful because:
- you don't rely on takeaways or ready meals as often
- you can have more control over where your food is sourced and what you're eating
- you can meal plan and prep which saves time and money
- you can learn how to make your own jams, pickles, syrups etc! And you can get pretty creative with it!
Learning simple diy skills is super beneficial as you can:
- make things unqiue and suited to yourself (I.e. perfect sized shelves or a cabinet that fits perfectly in that gap between your bed and wall)
- restore thrifted furniture (staining to a preferred colour, cutting off legs to shorten it, fix the wobbly door etc)
- recycle old furniture, cabinets or similiar unused items into something else (I've turned a old cabinet into a small outdoor storage unit) rather than throwing them away
Learning basic maintenance for things you own is a money saver and:
- means you can fix your bike chain or replace your car's oil and filter without needing to call anyone or spend extra money
- can keep you safe and at a lower risk of motor accident (knowing how to do basic maintenance checks can help you see warning signs for damage)
- means that simpler things like clogged drains, non-flushing toilets, leaky taps etc no longer require calling and paying for a plumber
Of course you don't need to be an expert in any of these, I'm certainly not! But I can cook myself a decent meal, sew some new buttons on an old shirt or fix a hole in my jeans and restore an old wardrobe into something usable.
I love Pete Seeger's quote:
"If it can’t be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, refinished, resold, recycled or composted, then it should be restricted, redesigned or removed from production."
Basically it's so important to be aware of your consumption - avoid overconsumption, buy quality over quantity, thrift and reuse things, trade with people. Throwing things away should be a last resort or a necessity, rather than a "I don't know what else to do with it".
And, while recycling isn't quite the saviour people think it is, it is so important to get into the habit of sorting your rubbish correctly!!
Other important sustainable habits include:
Changing your eating habits. If it's feasible for you, try:
- reduce meat and dairy consumption (including fish, as they're massively overharvested)
- prioritise locally and ethically sourced animal produce (local butchers can be a great place to start for this)
- eat more seasonally (its not really feasible to only eat seasonal foods, but try to learn about them and incorporate them more)
- reduce food waste with composting, food donations, meal planning/prepping and learn to love leftovers
- invest in a tap filter and reusable water bottle (drinking tap water is not always safe depending on where you live so research first!!!)
- use public transport (or walk) where possible!
- connect with other people near you who also care about sustainable living: trade services and items and knowledge!
- learn about your local area and ecology!! I sound like a broken record saying this, but the BEST way to start living with nature, is to understand it. You can't help your local wildlife if you don't know it, you can't take steps to protect your environment if you don't know the threats.
All of these are just a few tips and ideas, they may not be feasible for everyone for numerous reasons but it's important to remember that it's not about being perfect, it's about *trying* and doing what you can.
There's so much more I could get into here, from foraging to activism to how and what to thrift vs when to splurge on new items but I think this post is long enough! Let me know if there's anything you want expanding or going into more depth on!!!