Earth Day is this weekend! This annual celebration of the environmental movement helps raise awareness around protecting Earth’s natural resources for future generations. There’s no better opportunity to learn how you can live more sustainably, even in an era defined by mass convenient consumption. It’s too easy to consume without thinking about better alternatives.
Now, for the most overwhelming question ever – how can we make our lives more sustainable? While one small step might not feel like much in the grand scheme of it all, it can lead to some bigger change down the line. Here are four easy changes you can make if you want to live more sustainably.
Shop Secondhand
Thrifting is a great way to spare pre-loved items and clothes from a lifetime in a landfill. Many such items are made from synthetic fibers, plastics that don’t break down over time, or other materials that are harmful to the environment. If you need more reasons to consider thrifting check out our previous blog, Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Thrift This Year.
Think Local
Edmonton is blessed to have farmers' markets all across the city – some are open year-round! Shopping local is a great sustainable alternative to hitting up bigger chain stores. The shorter the food chain, the less waste is created before it reaches your kitchen. This doesn’t apply just to fruits or vegetables – sourcing meat from a local butcher is another great way to support local producers and businesses.
Growing a small garden is a really fun way to grow the things you need right from home. Even if it is just an herb garden for your windowsill! Better yet, check out your neighborhood to see if there is a community garden you can be a part of.
If you can start your own garden, preserving your produce can also lower your grocery bill. Let’s be real everything tastes 100 times better when it came from your yard – or your community.
Avoid Single Use Plastic
We all know this tune – even the City of Edmonton has widely banned single-use plastics from retailers. It’s not hard to see why this City would take this approach. Single-use plastics can cause a lot of harm to the environment. A better alternative to single-use plastics is bringing your own bags when shopping. Most stores nowadays even offer their own reusable bags that can easily be used again and again. A good tip – keep a few reusable bags in your car or in your purse/backpack for when you make an unplanned purchase. If you do end up with plastic bags, reuse them in any way you can! A couple other tips: use cloth bags when you buy produce (light enough cloth won’t add any weight to your bundle). And keep a reusable water bottle at home, in your car, at work, or in your bag. Who actually likes buying gas station water anyways?
Donate Pre-Loved Items
Like we said before, so much waste goes to our landfills every year. No one wants to see our landfills expand like they have been in recent years. If you have clothes or furniture that’s in good shape, don’t just throw them away! Often these items can go back into the community and straight to folks who need them most. A great place for donating your clothing and household items is Bissell Centre! Much of the pre-loved clothes that come through are given to our Community Members in our Community Closet program. Anything that isn’t a fit for the Community Closet is sent to our Thrift Shops, where families can access items through our voucher system. Plus, 89 cents of every dollar sold goes back into Bissell Centre community programs and services. Did you know Bissell Thrift Shop is also a drop-off location for Quantum Lifecycle Partners? Instead of throwing away your old Walkman (no matter how good your mixtapes are) or other electronics, this is a sustainable way to ensure old electronics stay out of landfills.
We also encourage people to donate your furniture to our friends at Find. This organization accepts pre-loved furniture for its Housing First program, which serves a lot of Edmontonians facing poverty and houselessness.
There’s far more that needs to be done to address climate change and it can feel daunting. Even the smallest changes to our mindsets and some daily habits can make a positive change. Your own changes can cause a ripple effect and spread to your social circles and your wider community. We are all in this together – and making small changes can create lasting impacts!
A great opportunity to donate your clothes, electronics and furniture is coming up this weekend! On April 22 and 23, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., stop by Parking Lot 12 at the South Edmonton Common IKEA for our Earth Day-inspired Donation Drive!
Although we take an array of donations, we can’t accept everything. Make sure to visit an eco-station near you so nothing winds up in a landfill.