As a sustainability-focused registered dietitian, this is what I do at home!
Sustain + Nourish has taken a bit of back seat this summer as I’ve been busy with other work and trying to enjoy the beautiful weather.
Well, I’m back with another post!
While I have plenty of interesting environmentally-focused topics to come, I thought a simple post about the sustainability practices that I’ve been engaging in this summer would be fun. And although some of these are not groundbreaking, they’re a peek into what I actually do in my day-to-day, hopefully inspiring some people to action!
Hitting The Farmer’s Market
This may not come as a surprise, but the farmer’s market is something I look forward to every week. Fresh produce, delicious food vendors, and artisan-made products? Sign me up. But aside from being a lovely activity, procuring food from the farmer’s market is a classic sustainability practice.
Often, since participating farmers are customer-facing, they’re much more likely to engage is organic, low-chemical practices, or more ecological-friendly farming practices. The produce for sale at the market is also recently picked, so it’s going to last much longer in proper storage at home — saving money and reducing food waste. Plus, the transportation miles on farmer’s market food are generally significantly lower than grocery store products, reducing their overall emissions.
Listening to My Body
Something else I’ve really been trying to tap into this summer is listening to my body. Am I tired? Hungry? Frustrated? Motivated? Sore? Busy? Excited? Deepening this level of attunement to myself has been super important in not only supporting myself emotionally but also in best directing my energy. I’m lucky that I work for myself and create my own schedule. This allows me the freedom to take this information from my body and plan my day accordingly, preventing burnout and allowing me engage in a more sustainable lifestyle.
I heard a theory once that we wake up with a certain amount of willpower everyday and that willpower meter goes down as the day goes on regardless of what we do. I’ve found this to ring really true for me and if I waste my willpower on things that don’t bring me joy or help me be productive (especially early in the day), I’ll have less time and energy to participate in activities that bring me joy — including simple sustainability practices.
Saving My Scraps Stink-Free
With the summer months comes serious heat! And with heat, food spoilage accelerates, especially when it’s sitting at room temperature in the trash. One way I combat this all year round is by “throwing away” any stinky food scraps into designated freezer containers. One container is dedicated to compostable goods that can’t be re-consumed: produce scraps that can’t be turned into broth, compostable paper towels, moldy produce, etc. The other is for produce that can be made into compost broth which I’ve talked about on the blog before (stay tuned for a recipe post soon!). This way, all potentially stinky garbage is on ice, where it will produce no smell whatsoever — and reduce the amount of total garbage I’m producing.
Zero Waste has plenty of compost bins that are perfect for trying this at home!
Growing a Small Handful Herbs
If you live in an apartment, growing your own food can be tough. Sure, there’s grow lights and other inventive systems to make even the darkest of dwellings amenable to growing food but the barrier to entry can be steep: expensive and bulky. I luckily have a small balcony at my place that gets spotty direct sunlight for a small portion of the day. Last year, I thought this light was enough to try my hand at several window boxes…only to discover that it wasn’t.
So this year, I instead opted to just have three individual planters of basil (my most-used herb). This way I can still engage in the fun of growing a small amount of my own food, moving these plants around to catch the best rays. Plus, I can bring them to friend’s houses when I travel — something that was impossible last year. All that’s to say every little bit counts when it comes to growing food. Even if it’s just a few plants, that’s still helping to reduce your reliance on our flawed food system and the emissions associated with it.
Boosting My Dog’s Food
I have a very sweet standard poodle named Gypsy Rose who’s 11 years old. While I can’t quite afford fancy fresh food like the Farmer’s Dog quite yet, I do supplement her kibble with fresh animal protein and a veggie blend. I either will feed her raw eggs that need to be used or meat I purchase from the store. I don’t really cook meat for myself at home, but for her, anything.
What I like to do is get bone-in chicken thighs and boil them to not only cook the meat but also get a hefty supply of chicken broth for her. When it comes time to feed I save those bones and boil them a second time for another batch of broth, getting even more bang for my buck and environmental impact. I also like to mix dog-safe veggie scraps from cooking or juicing to add to her food, as I’ve been told by our vet that this produce is super good for her.
I also have a horse, Wish, whom I give all my apple cores, carrot tops, and carrots that need to be enjoyed.
Embracing the Heat
This tip might be a bit extreme, but I tend to run cold, generally. So, throughout the summer I really only turn on the A/C while I’m sleeping (because, of course, I run hot while sleeping). During the day I opt to open my windows to air out my unit, helping air quality, saving money, and cutting down on electricity usage.
Leaving My Phone Behind
While I’m certainly not perfect when it comes to phone usage, I do try to make a concerted effort to physically separate from it. I never have it when I’m with Wish, it never comes in my bedroom, and I often leave it in another room if I’m watching TV or working. I find that by staying away from my phone I not only gain a lot more time in my day but a lot more motivation to continue to make good choices, including environmentally-focused ones.
Shopping My Pantry
One of my favorite things to do is meal plan based on what I have lying around in my pantry, fridge, and freezer — my own Chopped challenge, if you will. This is a smart sustainable nutrition move because it reduces the risk that food in pantry, fridge, and freezer will go bad and prevents unnecessary purchasing. In fact, there are several weeks throughout the summer where the only food shopping I need to do is from the farmer’s market.
