YOUNG, BROKE AND MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Story by Alexis Lynde Illustrations by Ray Alarcon Marquez

For many people, your twenties are a time of intense studying, working, and partying. But most importantly, they are about getting your life started. Some fear what their future might look like due to the rising climate change crisis. People like Maria Dotz and Sarah Alame began practicing a more sustainable lifestyle in their early adulthood to do their part and help the cause.

Dotz, 24, who works at a biological consulting firm, said, “We specialize in biological services such as plant and wildlife surveys, mitigation plans, and impact analysis.”

Alame, 26, began practicing sustainability at 18 years old, and is now the president of Students for Sustainability at CSUB and ASI director for sustainability.

As for myself, I am a busy, broke 21-year-old and am guilty of consuming fast food and fashion, which are known to be especially wasteful. Trying to keep up with trends and live within a tight budget can be a challenge.

I have been interested in living a more zero-waste lifestyle, but getting started can be both overwhelming and intimidating. Many high-quality, sustainable products can be expensive, and almost everything nowadays is wrapped in plastic, so where does one start? Thanks to Dotz and Alame, here is a list of four tips and tricks that have helped me adjust to a more sustainable lifestyle.

1.

How to practice sustainable living SHOP LOCALLY

Alame and Dotz said that big corporations produce an incredibly large amount of waste. Though it would be nice if they took more accountability for their actions, it’s also our job as consumers to change our shopping habits.

Alame said, “If we’re funding these companies that are mass producing, producing a lot of greenhouse gasses, they’re producing a lot of excess, unnecessary waste, that’s on us. That’s why it’s always important to try and shop local if you can.”

And with that I headed to the local farmers market and picked up some local honey. Not only was I supporting a local business, but the honey also came in a glass jar I could reuse and was approximately half the cost for the same amount of honey from a grocery store.

Make Mindful Packaging Swaps

I explained to Alame that the amount of packaging used in stores could be discouraging.

“We generate waste on a daily basis. We’re humans and the whole idea of living a sustainable lifestyle is to make sure that your needs are met without compromising the state of our already suffering environment,” said Alame.

In order to try and achieve this, Alame and Dotz recommended switching to products that have either compostable or recyclable packaging.

Dotz said, “You can buy powdered Gatorade and lemonade instead of bottles; canned juice- just add water; a big bag of chips instead of many individually wrapped bags. If you can get the item you need in a more sustainable package or with no packaging, try that one instead. Try aluminum and glass bottles instead of plastic; they are both infinitely recyclable.”

For me, this was as simple as switching to bar soap and getting a giant tub of Gatorade. Both lasted me longer and were cheaper in the long run.

Reuse What You Have

Alame suggests reusing takeout boxes and coffee cups provided by restaurants and coffee shops. I gave her suggestion a try and instead of throwing a take-out ramen tub away, I washed it along with the rest of my dishes and used the same tub to store my lunch the next day.

The hardest part about this tip wasn’t just reusing what I already had, but learning what I didn’t need. Reusing certain appliances forced me to use what I had at home instead of buying new products or more prepackaged foods, leading to a more budget friendly and eco-friendly lifestyle change.

2. 3. 4.

TURN OFF WHAT YOU’RE NOT USING

Conserving energy is a great way to help the environment, and it doesn’t cost anything. In fact, it saves you money. All it takes is being a little more mindful of your appliances. That means unplugging LEDs or fairy lights and turning off fans when they’re not in use.

In the end, I have learned that living a sustainable lifestyle is, well, sustainable. It is not as daunting, intimidating or as expensive as it may seem. You don’t need to be perfect to make a difference. All it takes is small changes here and there. If we all imperfectly try, we might just save the world.