Sustainable Choices
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Choices sorted by
challenge
descending [
sort ascending
]
H = high, M = medium, L = low
1
H
Reduce your use of fossil fuels in every way
2
H
Question every claim and every norm of the currently prevailing system of destructive consumption
3
H
Buy organic food
4
H
Reduce your use of plastic
5
M
Install solar water heating at your home
6
M
Become a locavore or partial locavore
7
M
Remove non-native plants on your property
8
M
Prefer groceries and products in minimal packaging and in paper instead of plastic
9
M
Take the train instead of the plane for mid-range trips
10
M
Take a train vacation
11
M
Use drying racks instead of gas or electric dryers
12
M
Talk with others about issues of sustainability
13
M
Adopt low-tech when it helps sustainability
14
M
Change your attitude about what constitutes "progress"
15
M
Record the electrical use of every device in your home
16
M
Prefer minimal recyclable packaging for all products
17
M
Use a bicycle
18
M
Become a walker
19
M
Reduce your driving
20
M
Use public transportation
21
M
Keep dead trees for use by birds, small mammals, insects
22
M
Take a sailing vacation
23
M
Swap in low-flow toilets
24
M
Install insulation in your home
25
M
Promote healthy soil
26
M
Learn how to best manage interactions with wildlife
27
M
Consider carbon offsets
28
M
Practice frugality in all matters of purchasing
29
M
Study nature more and pay less attention to the works and doings of humanity
30
M
Become creative and flexible in your cooking
31
M
Cook at home more
32
M
Stop buying synthetic "food" that damages your health and is manufactured in damaging ways
33
M
Use a heat pump for both heating and air conditioning
34
M
Learn about green building materials
35
M
Live with others and share resources
36
M
Plant native plants on your property
37
M
Prefer glass bottles over plastic
38
M
Buy for durability
39
M
Give experiences and love for the holidays instead of products
40
M
Grow some vegetables
41
M
Sell or give away anything you don't actually need
42
M
Replace all or part of your lawn with a pollinator meadow
43
M
Shop for furniture at thrift stores
44
M
Shop for clothing at thrift stores
45
M
Support local farmers' markets
46
M
Reduce your purchase of clothing that sheds microfibers
47
M
Get your property certified as wildlife habitat
48
M
Adopt natural forms of tick abatement
49
M
Chew your food thoroughly
50
M
Change your attitude about what you "need"
51
M
Reduce your consumption in general
52
M
Compost everything you can
53
M
Learn to love all forms of non-fossil-fuel transportation
54
M
Choose hobbies that help sustainability
55
M
Waste no food
56
M
Buy experiences instead of products
57
M
Support the economy of the non-material
58
M
Install a greywater system
59
L
Reduce your use of plastic with refillable deodorant
60
L
Use dental floss refills to reduce your use of plastic
61
L
Reduce your use of plastic with a permanent toothbrush
62
L
Eliminate vampire power at home and at work
63
L
Reduce your use of plastic by making your own carbonated drinks
64
L
If you prefer to use a power lawn mower, choose an electric model
65
L
Read and study sustainability and clean energy news sources
66
L
Use your local libraries
67
L
Use simple non-harmful cleaners to clean your toilets
68
L
Reject the temptation to take "souvenirs" from nature
69
L
Make good use of chicken and turkey carcasses by turning them into soup
70
L
Switch to green banking services
71
L
Refuse plastic straws
72
L
Use a glass water filter with no-waste carbon filters
73
L
Grow plants from seeds instead of buying them in plastic pots
74
L
Research innovative sustainable products in development and give them early support
75
L
Get your tap water tested
76
L
Use reusable produce bags
77
L
Make your own nut milks
78
L
Use laundry sheets instead of liquid detergent in plastic
79
L
Use rain barrels for water conservation
80
L
Drink tap water or filtered tap water
81
L
Don't use wasteful K-cup coffee makers
82
L
Share your knowledge of sustainable practices and products
83
L
Eat less sugar
84
L
Grow some sprouts
85
L
Get exercise picking up litter
86
L
Make your own ricotta, sour cream and other cheeses
87
L
Become a litter picker upper
88
L
Provide habitat for wildlife and insects
89
L
Don't make overpopulation worse
90
L
Calculate your carbon footprint
91
L
Use a corded electric leaf blower
92
L
Keep your car tires inflated to the proper pressure
93
L
Participate in "buy nothing" groups
94
L
Chop up leaves with a lawn mower for compost
95
L
Make your own delicious soup from your own soup stock
96
L
Use an induction stove
97
L
If you give products as gifts for the holidays, use minimal packaging
98
L
Install low-flow showerheads
99
L
Cook with an air fryer instead of less efficient means
100
L
Learn about organic gardening
101
L
Buy used books
102
L
Write to your representatives
103
L
Learn more about the non-recyclability of plastic
104
L
Stop eating beef
105
L
Stop eating pork
106
L
Eat more vegetables
107
L
Eat more fruit
108
L
Grow some fruit
109
L
Make good use of grass clippings from lawn mowing
110
L
Use less water
111
L
Stop using synthetic fertilizers
112
L
Adopt natural forms of mosquito abatement
113
L
Cook with an InstantPot instead of less efficient means
114
L
Make your own yogurt in an InstantPot
115
L
Take up solar cooking
116
L
Drive an electric car
117
L
Use a manual lawn mower
118
L
Use a bidet
119
L
Learn about your local plants, animals and insects
120
L
Learn about soil biology and soil health
121
L
Learn about your local ecosystems
122
L
Learn more about nature in general
123
L
Stop using pesticides and other poisons
124
L
Use a programmable thermostat
125
L
Learn about LEED certification for your place of employment
126
L
Learn to appreciate the intangible and all its value
127
L
If you drive a gas-powered car, get regular tuneups
128
L
Mulch or compost organic matter on your property instead of sending it to the landfill
129
L
Grow herbs
130
L
Use a shampoo bar instead of liquid shampoo in plastic
131
L
Read aloud the ingredients in your "food"
132
L
Read aloud the ingredients in your personal care products
133
L
Buy an insect house
134
L
Use artificial intelligence to help you stop wasting food
135
L
Use tooth brushing tablets in minimal packaging instead of toothpaste in a plastic tube
136
L
Eat less beef
137
L
Use a stainless steel canteen for water on the go
138
L
Never buy bottled water
139
L
Get your electricity from a solar farm
140
L
Install solar power at your home
141
L
Keep stainless steel food leftover containers in your car and bring them into the restaurant
142
L
Keep durable metal eating utensils in your car and refuse plastic utensils
143
L
Substitute closer more satisfying vacations for distant exotic vacations
144
L
Stop using synthetic cleaners
145
L
Learn about natural cleaners
146
L
Buy natural cleaners
147
L
Accept that there is no "planet B"
148
L
Learn about all-season gardening
149
L
Get an energy audit for your dwelling
150
L
Eat less pork