We’ve all heard the buzz word “sustainability” ad infinitum.  By definition, sustainability means “the capacity for the biosphere and human civilization to coexist”.  Simply put, it means to reduce your demand on natural resources to protect the beautiful planet we live in. That’s a big task, and one that we all must strive to achieve.  But how?  While I don’t profess to have the perfect answer, I can share a few tips of some of the ways the Hiking Lady family works towards a sustainable lifestyle.

Sustainability at Home

• Gardening. At the Hiking Lady home, we do our best to garden and share our “harvests” with family, friends, and neighbors. We have a lemon tree, an orange tree, rosemary, and seasonal vegetables growing in pots. While we still have to buy most of our groceries, it is fun, educational, and helps teach our children sustainable living.



• Lighting up with LEDs. All of the lights inside and outside our home are LEDs. Not only do we save electricity, but each month our electric bills are quite low! Plus, the bulbs last for years, so we don’t jam up landfill space with used bulbs on a regular basis.
• Bye bye plastic. No plastic straws in our house! The kiddos have stainless steel straws that they can use at home and on the go. (United by Blue kit – comes with a cleaning brush!)



• Recycle! This is self explanatory. Everyone should do it and continue to do it!

Shopping Sustainably

• Minimalism. It’s pretty simple. The less you buy, the less packaging waste, the less you have to dispose when the item is at the end of its useful life, and the more time and money you save (so you’ll be able to hit the trails more often!).
• When we shop, shop smart! We buy most of our apparel, and all of our hiking and backpacking gear at REI Co-op. I love their commitment to sustainability, and they have such a wide range of Bluesign certified products. (Bluesign means that the company who made the product took painstaking steps to ensure that the materials used in the product are environmentally friendly).
  

• Sustainability on the Go

  • Reusuable water bottles go everywhere! With two children in tow, it can sometimes be extra challenging to live sustainably. One easy step is to buy a durable, stainless steel water bottle for each family member. That’s what we did, and it has been an excellent investment. Our preference are the HydroFlask bottles, since they have straws (great for the children) and rubber bumpers (avoids all those dents when dropped), plus they keep drinks chilled for hours. As to be expected from earth-friendly and people-friendly Hydro Flask products, these bottles are BPA and phthalate-free. If all of that wasn’t enough, Hydro Flask has a lifetime warranty!

  

  

  • Plan activities like biking, hiking, our exploring your neighborhood with the family. There is no need to always jump in your car to have an adventure. Many days we do our adventuring locally…we literally put on our shoes or boots and head out the door. Not only do you get more exercise this way, but you also burn less fuel.

  How do you live sustainably? Please share your tips!

  Happy trails!

  Disclosure: Hiking Lady occasionally receives products or services from companies for free or at-cost for review purposes, and in some cases may receive a small percentage of sales if a product is purchased. As always, companies whose products are being reviewed are NOT allowed to exercise creative or editorial control over content.