There is lots of discussion on the environmental impacts of drinking coffee.  For some, that means giving up coffee.  For others, that means trying to reduce the impact of the coffee you drink, although that leads to a lot of complicated choices.  Many of us really enjoy a cup or several of coffee and would like to make good choices while still enjoying the drink.   I’ve included some thoughts in this post and the attached article includes a lot of detail on certifications and choices.  

• Use re-usable cups to drink your coffee.  Instead of getting a disposable cup from the drive-through coffee ship, park, go inside, and have them fill your re-usable cup.
• When you make coffee at home, save the used coffee grounds.  They make great plant fertilizer, and this keeps the grounds out of the landfill where they will decompose to make methane.  The used grounds also make a great addition to compost. 
• Look for certifications that show the coffee is being produced in a responsible way.  There doesn’t seem to be an umbrella “this is the most sustainable, fair, responsible coffee ever” certification, but choose coffee with the certifications that are meaningful to you.  The attached article explains what some of the certifications mean.
• As the article states, how you brew your coffee can make a large difference in the sustainability aspects.  There’s a nice graph in the article that has comparison information. 

https://earth911.com/how-and-buy/the-complicated-choices-in-a-cup-of-coffee/
 

Most people follow family traditions and use special decorations during their holiday celebrations.  These traditions and decorations help make the season and its events festive.  Here are a few thoughts on how to keep the special feeling of the holidays while being more eco-friendly. 

• Avoid disposables.  Use cloth napkins and tablecloths and re-usable tableware. 
• Choose decorations that can be stored and re-used year after year.
• If you have lighted decorations, either inside the house or outside, turn them off when no one is likely to see them.   Putting them on a timer is an easy way to make sure they’re off when they should be.   And choose energy-efficient LED lights. 
• Avoid single-use gift wrap.  Choose a re-usable decorative cloth bag or wrap gifts using materials you already have, like old magazines, newspapers, comics, or paper shopping bags. You can also use clean fabric like scarves, bandannas, or even pretty dish towels for a reusable wrapping.
• When choosing gifts, consider giving tickets for an experience the recipients might enjoy.  If you know their preferences, food from local businesses might be enjoyed much more than a random gift quickly chosen to fill an obligation.  Offers to help with chores or donations to charity in the recipient’s name might be good options for some on your list.  Try to avoid generic gift purchases that are not meaningful to the recipients. 
• Plan holiday meals to avoid food waste as much as possible.  Plan food preparation according to the number of expected guests and have a plan for leftovers.  Sending leftovers home with willing guests can be an excellent way to share the holiday spirit. 
• Before heading out of town, unplug electronics and other appliances to conserve energy. Even small actions like this can reduce your carbon footprint.
• When it comes to ambiance, choose candles made from soy or beeswax instead of paraffin. Soy and beeswax candles burn cleaner, making them healthier for your indoor air quality while providing the same warm glow.

 

​Most of us have clothes we are not likely to use again, but are not sure what to do with them.  The attached article discusses what happens when you donate them to one of the large non-profit thrift organizations.  The used clothing may get re-sold, or it might be recycled, both of which are better than ending up in a landfill.  The article also lists suggestions for other alternatives that might be better.  Here are a few of them plus a few from me:

• Buy better quality clothing so it lasts longer, and avoid fast-fashion. 
• Learn how to care for, mend, and launder your clothing so it lasts longer.
• Use your imagination to repurpose or upcycle your old clothing.  One person I know turned old t-shirts into cloths for washing dishes.   My grandmother made hundreds of quilts out of clothing scraps and donated them.  Patch a hole with a cute applique or fancy stitch.  I bought a really nice pair of wool mittens made from an old sweater that was too torn to be repaired. 
• A friend of mine held clothing-swap parties, where a group of friends traded clothes they no longer wanted. 
• Gently-used baby and children’s clothing could be donated to a church or women’s shelter.  Look for alternative places to donate. 
• And remember that if your clothing goes to a textile recycler, that is still much better than going to a landfill.

https://www.rd.com/article/what-happens-used-clothing-donations/
 

Saving energy is not only a good way to help the planet, but it saves you money too.  This article has lots of good tips to reduce your energy use while cooking. 
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https://energized.edison.com/stories/easy-ways-to-save-energy-while-cooking
 

It’s not easy finding products that are truly eco-friendly.  Some products claim to be, but you have to be watchful for greenwashing, misleading information, and vague terms such as “natural”, which don’t really provide useful information.  The attached article provides good information on the types of questions to ask as you’re making decisions about what (or whether) to buy.  It also provides information on third-party certification and evaluation organizations that can help you understand the environmental impacts of your choices. 

https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/eco-friendly-products.htm

Even if you live in an area with abundant rainfall, there may be reasons to reduce water use.  And if you live in one of the semi-arid or arid regions of the world, water conservation is ever more important.  In many areas, water supplies are shrinking due to climate change.  If your water comes from a municipal treatment plant, and/or your wastewater goes to a water plant, conserving water conserves all the energy, chemicals, and other supplies needed to treat the water both before and after you use it.  For many of us, all of these reasons apply.  Here are several ideas:

• Fix leaky faucets right away.  A surprising amount of water is wasted by a leaky faucet.
• When purchasing appliances and bathroom fixtures, look for low-water options. 
• Don’t leave the water running while you brush your teeth, peel vegetables, or wash dishes (and modern dishwashers use less water than washing dishes by hand). 
• If you need a small amount of hot water in the kitchen, warm it with an electric kettle or microwave instead of running the water from the faucet until it gets hot.
• Keep showers short.  If more than one person in the household uses a particular shower, try to time the showers one right after the other so the water only needs to warm up once. 
• If you have an automatic sprinkler system for your yard, don’t just set it and leave it the same all year.  Monitor the weather conditions.  Turn the system off for a few days if you get a good rain.  Reduce the duration of the watering cycles when the weather is cool and near the end of the growing season. 
• Plan your landscaping to reduce water use.  A monoculture manicured bluegrass lawn requires a lot of resources (water, fertilizer, energy for lawnmowers, and herbidcides) to maintain.  Look at planting with native plants.  They generally need much less water, add biodiversity to the neighborhood, and nurture insects, birds, and other critters.  I personally don’t like xeriscaping with vast swaths of rocks (or concrete), because it leaves the land unable to nurture anything and the rocks hold heat, creating “heat islands” that radiate heat even after the sun goes down. 
  

When we choose a product or service, we don’t see all the processes and materials that are used to make the product, and we frequently don’t see what happens when we are finished with the product or service.  This makes it hard to assess the overall impact of our choices on the environment, and to choose more sustainable options.  Advertising and media information generally only show a portion of the process.  However, many companies have started using a Lifecycle Analysis (LCA) to learn how products affect the environment before, during, and after you use them.  “An LCA counts all the energy and materials used to make, ship, use, and get rid of a product. It also tracks all the pollution and waste created at each step.”  As you can see, an LCA is a complex evaluation, even for a simple item or activity.  The attached article discusses how to find and interpret LCAs.  It may take some digging to find them, but they can help you choose more sustainable options. 
https://earth911.com/how-and-buy/what-is-life-cycle-analysis

Check out your local library.  Most are not just a building full of shelves of books, although for book-a-holics like me, that’s awesome too.  Not only can you borrow books to read for free, but many libraries in the US provide a lot of other resources.  In my library, you can check out electronic items such as projectors, laptops, and telescopes.  One of our branch libraries has a large makerspace, where you can use tools including sewing machines, woodworking tools, 3-D printers, and a podcast/film studio.  There are educational programs, and my branch has a “plant library” where you can get a free houseplant.  They host a spring garden seed exchange.  They also host groups that meet to pursue a common interest, such as quilting or genealogy.  Most US libraries also provide access to electronic resources such as ebooks, audio books, and movies.  And the librarians are always happy to help you find information to learn something new. 

Per the New Mexico Healthy Soil Working Group, “Healthy soils have a much greater ability to absorb and hold water, which cuts down on evaporation and creates resilience to drought and extreme weather events. With soil microbes providing nourishment for plants instead of synthetic fertilizers, nutrient density in foods is increased which improves public health. Crops are better able to fight pests and disease, reducing the need for expensive chemicals –this is good for farmers’ bottom line and at the same time helps lessen pollution, leading to improved watersheds and water quality. Healthy soils also foster biodiversity, enhanced wildlife and pollinator habitat and absorb atmospheric carbon.”  However, as described in the attached article, soil in much of the world is becoming depleted and contains less organic matter than is required for healthy soil.  Healthy soil is critical for a healthy planet.  Most of us do not own large tracts of land, but we can work within our own yards or neighborhoods.  Here are some thoughts:

• Plant native plants and encourage native critters including insects.  They’re best adapted to the climate in your area and promote healthy ecosystems.
• Avoid chemical pesticides and artificial fertilizers when possible. 
• If you have a farm or ranch or other large area, investigate regenerative practices appropriate for your part of the world and type of soil
• In your yard, leave leaf litter, lawn clippings, and other plant material in the yard to help enrich the soil.  If you have to rake leaves because they form too thick a layer on your yard, use them for mulch or pile them in a side area of the yard rather than bagging them up for the landfill. Insects and other small critters need leaf litter and other “wild” places for their homes.  Unless it appears diseased, till your garden foliage back into the ground at the end of the summer to help enrich the soil. 
• Encourage underground critters such as earthworms, but if you decide to “add” earthworms or insects, make sure they’re native to your location so you aren’t adding a problematic invasive species. 
  
• Look for local organizations that are working to increase soil health and see if you can participate.  Or work with your local government to change how parks and other common areas are managed.  Encourage your homeowner’s association to allow natural areas. 

https://earth.org/to-address-water-shortage-look-below-your-feet/
 

It takes a lot of resources to manufacture a car, and then to dispose of the car at the end of its life.  Maintaining  your car so you can use it longer is a good way to increase your sustainability.  Proper maintenance can also help your car get better gas mileage.  Here are some tips:

• Make sure your tires are inflated to the proper pressure for your car and tire type.  This will help your gas mileage and minimize wear on your tires.
• Get your wheel alignment checked once a year.  Poorly aligned wheels can lead to extra wear on the tires and possibly lower gas mileage. 
• Cars have outside drains, probably covered by rubber strips, that channel water away.  If the drains are plugged, pooled water can cause rust, and leaks can lead to mold inside your car.  Look for sunroof drains, trunk, hatch, and door drains.  Check and clean them periodically. 
•  Check and change fluids such as oil, transmission fluid, and coolant per the manufacturer’s recommendations.  Also change air filters for the engine and the passenger spaces, and more often if you drive on dusty roads frequently. 
• If you live in a place where salt on the roads or in the air is a problem, wash your car, including the undercarriage, a little more often to reduce corrosion. 
• Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for type of gasoline and oil, and for other service recommendations.