A guide to sustainability

Payton Zolck

You shove your remaining groceries in a plastic bag, toss your soda bottle into the trash bin after the last sip, and struggle with the candy wrapper clinging to your chocolate bar. But what happens to these items once we are done with them, and what effect do they have?

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as of 2018, an average person uses 4.9 pounds of trash a day, and 50% of that amount is dumped in the landfill.

Well, you may ask, is there a way for me to change my habits regarding waste? The answer is yes, through sustainability.

Sustainability is a word thrown around all the time and widely used to regard many environmental-related subjects, but what is it? According to Oxford Dictionary, sustainability is defined as “an avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance.”

Alejandra Warren, a zero waste specialist and co-founder of the non-profit Plastic Free Future, further explains sustainability and zero waste and what these words truly mean.

“Zero waste is the conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of all products, packaging, and materials. This must be done without burning them, and discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health,” Warren said.

The world we live in is built upon materialistic wants and desires. Sustainability is all about being more conscious of our consumption.

“Zero waste is one of the easiest strategies that municipalities and communities can implement to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Composting can also pull carbon down and store it in our soil while keeping our soils healthy. Healthy soils make healthy food. Healthy food helps us maintain healthy communities,” Warren said.

Warren points out that sustainability and zero waste can also help with problems regarding biodiversity and ecosystem loss.

“Refusing, reusing, repairing, recycling, and composting can help us prevent deforestation, land use changes, and conserve precious resources. Protecting and preserving forests can help us protect important habitats for endangered species,” Warren said.

Warren thinks the movement can also help marginalized communities. Not only can it help create a more sustainable

society, but also a more equitable one.

“Black and brown communities are disproportionately affected by environmental issues, which is also known as environmental racism. Communities of color and low-income communities are often located near landfills, hazardous waste sites, and other industrial facilities; have higher exposure rates to air and water pollution; and experience devastating consequences due to climate change,” Warren said.

Understanding sustainability is very important, but by participating in it, you can make a difference.

The key to sustainability is looking at individual parts of your life and looking for simple ways to swap in more sustainable options. Some examples include making coffee at home rather than getting Starbucks or refilling a reusable water bottle instead of buying a plastic one.

According to Warren, it is important to start small and then expand. It is helpful to make a waste audit list, so you know exactly what areas you need to improve in. She also outlines the critical steps to take when transitioning to zero waste and sustainability.

Start with refusing unnecessary plastic such as what is at stores and then reducing the amount of plastic you consume.

Repair what you have rather than buying new things, reuse what you already have, and use methods such as compost and recycling as a way to discard waste. Finally, minimizing the amount of waste you put in the landfill are all steps on the path to sustainability and zero waste.

The common misconception is that sustainability is a massive effort that is impossible to achieve. Aylin Salahifar, president of the DIY Earthcycle Club, points out that it can be as simple as small changes in your everyday life.

“There are other forms of sustainability like reducing your use of water and electricity, such as turning your water off while brushing your teeth or not leaving on lights in your

house. Those are things with finite resources,” Salahifar said.

Many stores focused on providing sustainable solutions are beginning to pop up now. One example is Byrd’s Filling Station in San Mateo. Laura Porter, the founder of Byrd’s Filling Station, provides some helpful tips on how to shop more sustainably.

“The best way to become aware of the products you use is to do a waste audit. One week, log everything you throw in the garbage. Then start to ask yourself if it can be replaced with something that you could wash and reuse. Can you find it with less packaging or reusable packaging? Once you have a good understanding of what your garbage is and how you make it, you’ll start shopping differently,” Porter said.

For those looking for ways to be more sustainable regarding the products they use, it is important to remember where these products come from.

According to the United Nations (U.N.), when it comes to being a consumer, the best option is to make thoughtful purchases by knowing where your items are coming from.

A report by the U.N. states that an estimated one-third of all food produced ends up rotting in the bins of consumers and retailers or spoiling due to poor transportation and harvesting practices each year.

Reducing the amount of food you buy and buying locally sourced food like those from the Farmers’ Market can help with becoming a more sustainable consumer.

The textile industry, according to the U.N., is the second biggest polluter of water. So even buying clothes from sustainable shops, second-hand and locally, can make an environmental impact and reduce the amount of waste due to transportation and packaging, and shipping products.

However, sustainability can still be achieved through DIY by using what you have and without going out of your way to buy special products.

“DIY makes it easier to be more sustainable because you’re making it fun. I think recycling has this negative connotation and a reputation of not being the most interesting subject. I think DIY upcycling brings a more creative aspect to it, and you can make recycling into a fun project,” Salahifar said.

Sustainability can also have long-term financial benefits; as mentioned by Salahifar, repurposing materials can lead to you not having to buy more things. Porter further talks about the financial benefits of sustainability.

“It’s often said that being sustainable is expensive, and only for people who can afford it. I disagree. We have to stop looking at sustainability as ‘buying the fancy reusable product’ and more about reusing what we already have. If you’re shopping to be more sustainable, you’re doing it wrong, unless it’s groceries,” Porter said.

In fact, sustainability can often save money.

“It’s much cheaper, in the long run, to buy something reusable and ditch the disposables. For example, you can get a set of handkerchiefs at Target for less than $10. Wash it once a week with your laundry, and let’s suppose they last for six years. Compare that to six years of disposable Target brand tissues at $11 per year. You can save over $50,” Porter said.

As a high schooler, it seems hard to make a difference. However, you can make a difference in your community as an individual.

“Educating yourself and your friends, and your family first and foremost is always beneficial. A lot of people think that you have to go wide scale, but just having a really great foundation of knowledge yourself and then spreading that to your close community can really help make an impact,” Salahifar said.

Sustainability may seem like an elusive idea thrown around to make something sound better, but it is so much more. Small changes in your lifestyle can help lead to a more sustainable life. Even as an individual, you can make a difference and bring awareness to an important issue.

“The climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and plastic pollution are the greatest challenges of our generation. We must work together to find solutions,” Warren said.

Payton Zolck