Real People Who are Practicing Sustainability

Before I started sharing about my passion for sustainability, I had no idea how many other people in my life also cared about it. I reached out to some of these people and asked them why they care and how they got into sustainability, as well as things they do in their own lives to be more sustainable and eco-friendly. The cool thing about this is that, anyone at any level, can do things to be more sustainable - whether you've spent a lot of time researching it or just want to do a few small things to help keep the earth beautiful. It's not just sustainability influencers pushing this lifestyle - a lot of normal people are doing things that you might not have realized make an impact. My hope is that these other perspectives will inspire you like they inspired me.

Why Do Other People Care About Sustainability?

"We only have one earth" responds Jess Hirzel, a student at SUU. Each of the 7 women I reached out to had similar motives for wanting to develop sustainable and eco-friendly habits. Jessica Simpson, a family friend and activist, shares that she challenged herself to think of other ways she could be sustainable about 5 years ago when people started boycotting plastic straws. Clara Nickels, a college student at BYU-I, says "I've been sewing as long as I can remember and it’s very time consuming, so I've always been curious about mass produced clothes. As I got older and learned more about consumerism it was crazy to parallel the prices of clothes to the labor, time, and materials because it didn’t make sense how a dress could be just $8 from Shein. There’s no ethical way that could’ve been produced! I want people who make the clothes I wear to be payed fairly and have good working conditions. not to mention the toll on the planet and the sheer amount of waste fast fashion creates." It's cool to hear everyone's motives, but even more interesting to see what they're doing because of it.

One Thing They Do Use Up What They Already Have

Like I've said before, the most sustainable thing you can do is to take care of what you already own. My sister, who is a student at Millikin University, Madeleine Stavast, told me this: "I try to not buy things new unless I have to, and I tend to wear things until they literally can't be worn anymore, which is kinda helping me to save money and also just take better care of my things." ​Clara and Eden Black, of Provo, Utah, try to extend the lives of their clothes by altering and mending them. Jessica tries to buy "core items that will last forever" when she needs to buy something new. She also tries to use up her products as much as she can to reduce waste, and even cuts open the tube if that's what a product comes in to make sure nothing is going to waste!!

They Loveee Thrifting (I mean, who doesn't?!?)

It's (hopefully) no secret that I am a big fan of thrifting. And the people I talked to are also. Clara, Eden, and Jessica all talked about how they try to thrift instead of buying things new. Jess has even started a thrifting brand, @thunderbirdthriftco where she shares her love and passion of thrifting. Thrifting is a great way to keep things that are still usable out of landfills.

Some of Them Compost or Recycle

Another common way to practice sustainability is to compost & recycle. Camille Solis-Horna, a student at UVU, and my great-aunt, Becky Hinkley, both told me that they try to recycle as much as they can! Which I think is super awesome. Jessica uses compostable q-tips and toothbrushes and uses eggshells to fertilize her plants. Becky saves fabric scraps to make them into something new. There are so many ways to recycle; it's fun to see what people come up with!

They Are Working to Reduce Their Plastic Consumption & Water Usage

Another big thing is reducing your plastic consumption to begin with, instead of always relying on recycling. Eden uses a reusable bag when shopping because "plastic bags last long and have little use." Jess also avoids plastic bags, as well as chooses to use reusable water bottles. The main thing is just being mindful and aware of single-use plastics. Jess also mentioned trying to take shorter showers and Jessica saves her "shower water as it heats up to water plants." This wasn't even something I've thought of before that I could do to be more sustainable, but it just goes to show that everyone has different things they do to be more sustainable and we can each tackle one at a time!

Here are a Few Other Things People are Doing

A few of the other habits that were brought up were avoiding littering (Camille), car pooling (Jess), and avoiding red meat/eating one vegetarian meal a day (Jessica). Jessica also brought up supporting businesses who actually go green. Eden brought up that she has a goal to work on creating less food waste. I. Love. All. Of. These. I seriously am so fascinated by everyone's different approaches and 'why's' but we all still have the same goal - to help keep this earth beautiful and healthy. I also love how a lot of these habits and switches don't require much effort and money. I'm a firm believer that anyone can become more sustainable and I loved talking to all these women who are in different states and stages of life. I would love to hear how you a practicing sustainability or let me know if any of these examples inspired you too in the comments! ​ **And thank you to Jessica, Jess, Eden, Clara, Madeleine, Becky, and Camille for letting me ask them about their journeys & habits!**

This article was originally posted on 4/8/2022.