“It does not do to leave a dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.” -J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

Leading a low-impact lifestyle in today’s world is anything but intuitive. Wasteful options are easy, quick, and require little thought. True ‘green’ living takes planning. It takes time. You have to be present and consciously think through the decisions you make on a daily basis.

You need to arm yourself with the proper tools and knowledge to prevent waste, reduce your impact, and cause less harm. Here are a few examples of how you can to start.

Plan to invest. Think beyond this very moment, or even your next trip to the grocery store. You’ll need to invest in some basics: cloth bags for produce, larger bags for groceries, glass jars for storing bulk goods, a reusable water bottle, travel mug for coffee runs, bus pass or bike, etc. These items may come at a larger price than their less eco-friendly counterparts, but they’re less damaging and many companies will give you a discount for bringing your own bags, travel mug, etc.

Plan to make the right choice easy. Prepare every area of your life so it’s easy to make the right decision. Keep four to five cloth bags in your trunk for impromptu grocery or farm stand stops. Keep tins or tupperware in your car for takeout. Arm yourself with a reusable water bottle and travel mug always.

Plan your weekly meals out beforehand. Is hummus on your grocery list? Look up a recipe for making it at home from dried beans you can buy in bulk. This will save you money and prevent more waste from going into a landfill. How many times a week will you go out to eat? Account for these outings and don’t buy too much food. I like to add my detailed meal and grocery list to Evernote, which syncs with my phone, so I can’t forget my list at home.

Plan clothes shopping for only a few times a year. Keep your wardrobe minimal. Never go clothes shopping without a specific product in mind. Even better, take a Saturday to learn the basics of sewing. When you find a hole in your favorite sweater or need to take in or let out your jeans, fix it yourself instead of dumping it.

Above all, plan to think. Re-examine your daily habits and think about how you could reduce waste and energy use. One of my favorite sites for this is Zero Waste Home.

You get the point. The trick is to make it impossible for life to surprise you into choosing wasteful options. I’m all for spontaneity and flying by the seat of your pants, but not when the outcome will be harmful to the earth or others.

What are your methods for living a low-impact lifestyle? Do you plan, or does winging it work for you? Please share your tips below.

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There’s something very wrong with the way we look at the material world today. Not only do we want more—more clothes, more gadgets, more stuff—we want it on the cheap. And when we’re bored with it, especially clothing, we throw it away. Some call this phenomenon ‘fast fashion.’

I bought into fast fashion for a very long time. I’d purchase super trendy, poor quality clothes from bottom-dollar stores or on clearance racks. Scooping up a jacket for $10 seemed like a steal, and for many, it’s simply all they can afford.

But what happens in a few months or even weeks when the seams start pulling apart and the fabric gets stretched and thin, making it completely irreparable? What happens when it goes out of style? You’ll probably buy a new, trendier one. And the destructive cycle continues.

Quickly that $10 jacket multiplies into a $20, $30, even $40 insult to your wallet, not to mention the social/health/environmental impact it’s made. Many extremely cheap clothes share a few things in common:

• You don’t know where they came from. Was it made by an ethical company that values its employees’ health and comfort, or was it cranked out in a sweatshop by children forced into labor? This isn’t a radical idea. It’s reality in many cases.
• They may (and probably do) contain toxic chemicals. Many chemicals used in clothing manufacturing disrupt hormone levels and may even cause cancer. Why risk that for a cheap shirt?
• The environmental impact is phenomenal. This deserves its own blog post. Many manufacturing facilities are considered “hazardous waste generators” by the EPA. Not only does manufacturing clothing leave quite a large environmental footprint, but tossing it into a landfill after a few weeks or months furthers that impact.

The good news is you have the power to change the system. I saw this quote yesterday and it really inspired me:

You, as a food buyer, have the distinct privilege of proactively participating in shaping the world your children will inherit. -Joel Salatin

The same goes for clothing. Don’t discredit your dollar. Your voice. Your vote. Don’t go down without a fight. Tell the industry what you want. You’re the only reason they can and do exist. Here are some ideas to help start you off:

1. Choose quality pieces you love. This is key. Without this, the rest will not work. You need quality, timeless clothing pieces that you absolutely love. When a button pops or a seam starts to tear (hopefully after a long time of use), you’ll repair instead of replace. This doesn’t mean you need to throw out all of your lesser-quality purchases and buy all new stuff immediately. Use what you have, and when it’s time to replace, choose quality.

2. Repair. Learn how to mend clothes. Always try to find ways to make your clothing last longer. If a shirt says to dry clean (preferably a company committed non-toxic practices) or hand wash, do it. When you get a hole in the soles of your shoes, find a cobbler! I know, sounds archaic, right? Let’s keep these companies around by giving them our business. Cobblers, tailors—these are honorable trades that are hurting in our culture.

3. Toss the fashion magazines. When you’re constantly feeding your brain the images and wording found in magazines, you’ll want more stuff. They’re really good at making you feel like you need to jump on the newest trend, which will probably be ‘out’ shortly. If you truly enjoy fashion, read your mags mindfully, being aware of when they’re trying to dupe you into spending cash on a fleeting, unnecessary trend (which is almost always).

4. Buy used when possible. I am continually amazed at the gems some folks donate to thrift shops. I found a very high-quality Ralph Lauren flannel three years ago that still fits and looks perfect. It’s sometimes hard to find great-fitting items in thrift shops, but it’s worth a shot. I also enjoy the vintage and handmade items on Etsy.

5. Test yourself. First of all, never go into a clothing store unless you have a specific item in mind that you are looking for. If you happen to stumble upon an item and want to buy it, wait a week. Just a week. See if you remember it or still feel you could really use it. If you’re still convinced, consider purchasing it.

6. Take the Common Threads pledge. There’s something about publicly stating your new (or continued) intentions. Patagonia is one of my favorite companies, and they have a wonderful initiative that focuses on reducing excess consumption. Take the pledge and learn more about how you can reduce your impact!

By embracing these positive changes I guarantee you will save money, lessen your environmental impact, help revolutionize the consumer the retail industry, and perhaps even gain peace of mind. Are you in?

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