Sustainability

As I continue on my journey to sustainability, I have come to view it as a lifestyle that is interconnected with healthy, worldview, diet, everyday choices, etc. It doesn’t seem possible to have one without the other. Growing up in a society that, from day one, teaches you to be a mindless consumer, has made it really difficult to achieve sustainability. Now that I am aware of the impacts that my lifestyle has, I feel betrayed by everything I’ve every been taught. Here are some things I’ve learned while moving towards a sustainable lifestyle:

Living a zero waste life style is difficult at the best of times, but becomes nearly impossible if your diet consists of fast food, meat, dairy or other processed food. All of these things come with some type of packaging. To give up these things, you would be living a much more sustainable lifestyle, both for your body and for the planet. It is a lot healthier to fuel your body with natural, fresh foods; factory farms are killing the planet; wrappers & packaging end up in the ocean & landfills.

Additionally, individuals who choose to adapt this lifestyle are much more likely to be mindful and make growth choices. They have goals, they are aware of what they are putting into their body, where it is coming from, and they are choosing to take an active role in what they are consuming. Mindfulness is a large aspect of achieving positive psychological well-being.

This is something that is a personal struggle for me. I do my best to uphold my values and to cut back as much as I can on the waste I produce and the foods I consume. Regardless, I still feel guilty about buying products that have plastic packaging. And although guilt isn’t healthy, it keeps me thinking critically about the choices I am making and motivates me to find new ways to reduce my carbon footprint.

Shopping zero waste means taking all of your own jars and containers to a store and filling them with whatever you are there to buy. This means you need a bulk food story that is more comprehensive than the local bulk barn. Living zero waste goes far beyond your diet – it extends to shampoo, menstrual products, clothes, and every other aspect of your life.

It has been so ingrained into our society to choose convenience over sustainability, but we need to start thinking differently.