I would consider the article at the link below to be a mini-course in sustainability.  It’s easy to read and covers a wide range of sustainability topics.  There are links to dozens of articles with more detail.  I am still following links from this article and learning new things. 

https://www.rd.com/article/sustainable-living/

TED talks are well known by many.  These are short presentations, available on YouTube, by experts in a wide variety of fields.  TED has developed a webpage and newsletter focusing on climate change.  The newsletter is filled with links to information on climate change, including tips for individuals and discussions on climate policy.  The most recent newsletter contains links to information such as tips to reduce food waste, a list of books on climate change, vegan recipes, a video on Uruguay’s use of renewable energy (98% of their electricity), and solutions to reducing the impact of the fast fashion clothing industry.  I always find useful information in this newsletter.  Consider signing up for it at https://countdown.ted.com/. 

The average American generates almost five pounds of trash per day, which is about three times the global average.  Although some of it gets recycled, most of it ends up in landfills.  Not only are the materials wasted, but any organic (food, paper, yard waste, etc.) materials in the landfill create methane gas as they decompose.  The attached article discusses ways to reduce the waste you discard.  And, as the article points out, ”lowering the amount of waste you create doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing pursuit…Find changes that work for you and you'll be more likely to stick with them.”  Every little bit helps. 

https://www.npr.org/2023/11/06/1199885874/low-waste-practices
 

Many products used for personal care or household cleaning contain large amounts of water and are packaged in plastic bottles.  The labels for many of these products list the first ingredient as water.  This requires the use of more fuel to transport the water in the products and promotes the use and disposal of single-use plastics.  A good way to decrease your environmental impact is to reduce your purchases of products that primarily contain water and are contained in single-use plastic containers.  More of these environmentally friendly products are available than ever before; however, it might take some experimenting and research to find those that work for you.  Choosing environmentally friendly ingredients is also important.  I’ll have more information on that in a later post.  For now, here are some ideas to tackle reducing your use of products that are mostly water and are packaged in single use bottles. 

• There are many brands of personal care products such as shampoo and toothpaste that are now sold in bars, tablets, or powders.  These eliminate both the water and, generally, the plastic bottle or tube.  It’s a bonus if the product is fragrance-free because no extra chemicals are added to the product and the fragrance chemicals are not released into the air. 
• Buy “extra-concentrated” products or refills that contain less water.  I bought a very concentrated environmentally friendly household cleaner and add my own water to the concentrate in a spray bottle that I have already reused dozens of times.  At the rate I am using the concentrate, it will be many years before I need to buy another bottle
• Investigate laundry sheets or concentrated laundry powders. Replace fabric softeners with reusable drying aids such as wool dryer balls.
  
• I just saw a description of a new product that uses hand-soap tablets added to water in your refillable dispenser.