What does it even mean to live 'sustainably'?
I thought about this question a lot before starting Green Ocean Co. I used to think that living sustainably meant I had to give up all modern conveniences - cell phones, TV, running water and toilets, washing machines, etc. - not to mention even worse....Instagram, Facebook, the internet! - alllll the Desperate Housewives and all of Bravo..... crazy right?!?
Secretly I've always wanted to live like The Little House on the Prairie (Nellie was the best). While admirable, the extreme form of living sustainably isn't a realistic option for most people in the modern age.
So, from the truth's of the internet:
Sustainability is the ability to exist constantly. In the 21st century, it refers generally to the capacity for the biosphere and human civilization to coexist. It is also defined as the process of people maintaining change in a homeostasis balanced environment, in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development and institutional change are all in harmony and enhance both current and future potential to meet human needs and aspirations.
Say what now?...
In my opinion, sustainability simply means being aware of the impact your choices have on the environment and making conscious decisions to reduce negative effects.
Being sustainable means paying attention to the plastic straws, bags, cups, bottles, etc that you use on a daily basis and finding other options when you can.
Being sustainable means you are aware that the trash you use everyday doesn't just disappear. It goes somewhere and most of the trash we've used in our lives is still out there somewhere. So you make choices to reduce the excess.
Being sustainable means making due with with what you've got (and being grateful for it).
For some, being sustainable can mean shopping second hand and upcycling furniture or clothes when you have the option.
Sustainability will mean a lot of different things to different people, and that is ok. Sustainability is 'progress not perfection', it's making conscious decisions about what you buy and what you use, and most importantly it's caring about the future planet we are leaving to our children.
Lots of love,
Green Ocean Co.
