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By: Kat Sarmiento Living sustainably can bring you many benefits. It can help you improve your quality of life, preserve natural resources, and protect the environment from irreversible damage. It’s no wonder why so many people are choosing sustainable lifestyles nowadays.    Surveys show that around 64% of Americans now live more sustainably than they did a few years back. Around 55% now also recycle more than before. If you haven’t started changing your consumption to live more sustainably yet, here are five sustainable habits to adopt at home.  Habit 1: Use Vehicles Wisely Driving more efficiently is not just...

by Janelle Rolke @sustainablestepswithjanelle This is the seventh chapter from "Lead a Circular Lifestyle By Practicing the R's of Sustainability" By composting food waste you are naturally recycling decomposed organic materials. This process is one of the most simple ways to combat climate change, so I’ll cut right to the chase and ask you to start composting TODAY!   In the U.S. 60 billion pounds of food waste goes into landfills each year. Food scraps and other compostables that are sent to the landfill break down in an anaerobic environment (a place lacking oxygen) and create methane gas, which is 25 times worse...

by Janelle Rolke @sustainablestepswithjanelle This is the sixth chapter from "Lead a Circular Lifestyle By Practicing the R's of Sustainability" If a particular item cannot be refused, reduced, or reused then perhaps it can be recycled. Of the seven R’s of sustainability, “Recycle” is the most tedious topic for me to write about.  It’s  confusing, controversial, and there’s always more to learn about. I previously mentioned that the recycling industry is broken.  Here are just a few reasons to support my claim: 91% of plastic is NOT recycled, the process to pick up/sort/melt is expensive, and because plastic degrades, it cannot be reused...

by Janelle Rolke @sustainablestepswithjanelle This is the fifth chapter from "Lead a Circular Lifestyle By Practicing the R's of Sustainability" Refill Stores that offer refill and bulk purchases are encouraging customers to reuse jars and containers again and again to avoid single-use packaging.   By choosing to refill, you are bringing the previous 4 R’s of sustainability full circle: rethinking how you consume, refusing to support companies that may not align with your beliefs towards social and environmental rights, and reducing your waste by reusing a container.   Retailers that offer refill stations and buying in bulk typically allow you to bring in...

by Janelle Rolke @sustainablestepswithjanelle This is the fourth chapter from "Lead a Circular Lifestyle By Practicing the R's of Sustainability" Reuse (Repurpose & Upcycle!) Instead of chucking it all into the trash or recycling, try using things more than once to extend the item's life. Reuse a jar as a flower vase, turn old socks into sock puppets, transform a wood pallet into a vertical wall planter, frame an old carpet or blanket and hang as wall décor, or make a tablecloth into curtains.   Transition from single use items to reusable options to reduce waste and save money! Typically, you will find...