Sustainability, according to the EPA, involves ensuring positive environmental contexts for survival. Finding ways to incorporate sustainable products into your life is an environmentally responsible idea. You can pay attention to whether your clothing fabric choices are sustainable. For instance, organic cotton is a sustainable fabric to consider. For furniture, wood that has been recycled or reclaimed could be a sustainable option. Due to air quality and health concerns, VOC-containing paint could be avoided when painting.
In addition to buying new sustainable products, you can also engage in vintage shopping. Buying vintage products can give these items a chance to bring you joy. Also, you are ensuring that environmental resources are not spent unnecessarily creating new items. In addition, you can be creative and make products for yourself. You can incorporate sustainable materials into your creations.
Sustainability Overview
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) presents sustainability as based on a central idea. According to the EPA, what is needed for “survival and well-being depends… on our environment.” Ensuring sustainability involves building and supporting environmental situations conducive to survival. The EPA advocates conditions wherein “humans and nature can exist in productive harmony.” Prioritizing sustainability aims to ensure that generations in the future can thrive.
The purpose of sustainable products is to help people contribute to a sustainable future. For example, the Plastic Expert website presents recycling as a step toward sustainability. Plastic Expert states that recycling ensures that “items can be recreated as innovative products.” In general, the more sustainable products exist for consumers, the more options people have. People can buy products they need and also contribute to a healthy environment. Two ways consumers can shop sustainably are by choosing sustainable clothing and sustainable home products.
Sustainable Products to Wear
When looking for sustainable clothing products, consider fabric choice. For instance, Plastic Expert lists organic cotton as a sustainable fabric for clothing. Organic cotton is grown with care. The process of creating organic cotton does not involve pesticides. According to the clothing care company Nori, buying organic cotton is a responsible environmental choice.
Buying clothing made with organic cotton can also be a healthy choice. Pesticides such as those avoided in the organic cotton clothing industry can be harmful. The Nori website states that organic cotton is generally “better for your skin.” People whose skin is sensitive may appreciate the lack of unhealthy additives in organic cotton. Also, organic cotton is soft and breathable.
Sustainable Products for the Home
The furniture purveyor Joybird states that purchasing sustainable furniture combines environmental concern with design consciousness. You can choose beautiful furniture that is produced with sustainable materials. Plastic Expert suggests considering “recycled or reclaimed wood” for furniture purchases. Joybird’s website states that by choosing “responsibly sourced wood, you support the preservation of forests.”
For home painting projects, it can be worth considering whether your paint contains VOCs. VOCs can potentially be harmful to the air quality in your home. The acronym VOC stands for volatile organic compound. According to ECOS Paints, volatile organic compounds are “carbon-containing substances that become vapors or gases.”
VOCs can be found in paint and other home improvement products. They can help with paint drying and application. The ECOS Paints website states that VOCs can “cause respiratory and other health problems.” Therefore, it can be worth choosing paint that contains few to no VOCs.
Sustainability in Everyday Life
Choosing sustainable products for clothing and for your home can have immediate effects. You can choose products that are healthier for your life. In addition, choosing sustainable products has the added benefit of building a better future. You are supporting environmentally friendly processes. These processes work to ensure that a healthy environment is available for the future.
You can pay attention to the processes and ingredients involved in your clothing and furnishings. You can also try shopping for vintage clothing and furniture. You can find wonderful items that can find new purposes in your life. Also, vintage shopping is an environmentally considerate choice. According to Zero Waste Scotland, shopping vintage “reduces the energy and resources used to produce new clothes.” In addition, you can find sustainable materials and get creative. You can make sustainable products that can bring you happiness.
