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10 Simple Ways to Support Sustainable Living in the Ozarks
Save money and save the environment!
1) Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
We can have a major impact on the amount of garbage we produce by becoming aware of how much we throw out, changing some of our habits, and reducing our use non-recyclable materials. Environmentally aware consumers are producing less waste by practicing the “3 Rs:” Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. They are buying products that are less toxic or contain less packaging, using reusable containers and other reusable items, participating in recycling programs, and buying products made from recycled materials.
2) Support Organic Farming
3) Think Globally, Shop Locally
4) Shop and Support Fair Trade
5) Join an Organization
6) Invest in Alternative Energy
7) Join an Online Action Network
8) Buy Used Books
9) Limit Your Use of Household Cleansers
10) Bike More, Drive Less
1) Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
To make recycling easier and cost-efficient for you, the Sustainability Comittee at Drury University has researched the least expensive curbside trash and recycling service in Springfield.
Curbside service easily pays for itself because you will notice a drastic decrease in the amount of trash you throw out each week (good news for the landfill!) and that results in direct savings of money spent on plastic trash bags. Recycling is an education issue. Once you learn how to do it, you'll never go back. The feeling of knowing that you are directly contributing to helping clean up the environment is addictive! Another reason to recycle is that it creates jobs in our local economy - think about that!
2) Support Organic Farming
Over the last two decades small family farming has been pushed out of the market by large corporate agriculture. Yet organic produce and meat and dairy products tend to come from small family farms. By purchasing organic produce, meat, and dairy products, not only are you supporting small family farms, but you are also supporting a food market that does not use pesticides or bovine growth hormones in livestock. That’s good for you and the environment! And once you taste organic produce and meat and dairy products, you will notice the profound difference in taste and quality. Every extra penny you spend on organics will be worth it. Once you have an organic tomato, the mass-produced tomatoes you purchase at the grocery store will taste like cardboard in comparison!
So, how do you purchase organic produce, meat, and dairy products in Southwest Missouri? You can start by visiting the Missouri Farmers’ Market Directory. There are also a number of health food stores in the Springfield area. The next time you see one, stop in and have a visit. Make a pledge to buy at least one organic product that you have never tried each time you visit. Finally, the Dillon's Superstore on National @ St. Louis has a small, but impressive, selection of organic products.
3) Think Globally, Shop Locally
It’s hard to fight the urge to buy almost everything you need at discounted prices from your local Target, Home Depot, or Barnes & Noble, but make an effort at least once a month to purchase goods and services from smaller, locally-based companies and stores. This helps keep the Springfield economy strong. It‘s not pleasant to think about or admit to ourselves, but we can often enjoy the bargain prices at large corporate retail establishments because the products were produced in poor countries where labor laws and environmental standards are much lower than those in the United States. Your consumer purchasing power is enormous and has a huge impact on the way the world does business. Use that power wisely and ethically.
This also holds true for where you dine. Springfield is blessed with some delicious and affordable food establishments, and many of them are locally owned and operated. Think about this the next time you and your friends or family are deciding where to go out to eat.
4) Shop and Support Fair Trade
Fair Trade is the promotion of more equitable, less exploitative economic system of commerce and trade with producers in developing countries. In the last decade the United States has engaged in many “free trade” agreements with numerous governments worldwide, particularly in Latin America. Sadly, most free trade agreements have set few standards for ethical labor or environmental practices for U.S. companies abroad. Sweatshop labor and exploitation of child workers is rampant, and the local environment is often polluted or destroyed beyond repair.
The Fair Trade Movement is a direct response to these unethical practices and targets industries such as coffee, chocolate and indigenous arts and crafts. When a product is certified as “fairly-traded” that means the farmers or artisans that have produced the product have been paid a living wage, are working in safe conditions, and that in many cases, the product is organic.
You can help promote fair trade right here on the Drury campus by asking that Collegiate Catering serve Starbucks’ Fair Trade Coffee (there is suggestion box in the Findlay Student Center Cafeteria). You can also Act Now! Online to support fair trade worldwide.
5) Join an Organization
Our grandparents’ generation was raised with the belief that one must tithe 10% of their income to help the poor. Over the last few decades this dedication to helping others financially has been lost. In today’s world 10% of our income is a lot of money! Fortunately, most non-profit organizations understand this and set their membership levels for as little as $25 a year. Becoming a member of an organization is a very satisfying feeling and you will usually receive quarterly print newsletters and monthly e-newsletters. Joining helps you feel connected to thousands of other individuals around the world that support the same issues, and your membership dues are tax-deductible! Below is a list of organizations that support various sustainability issues:
Co-op America: $20 Annual Dues (Get the Green Pages Free!)
Defenders of Wildlife: $25 Annual Dues (Get a free backpack!)
Global Exchange: $25 Annual Dues
Natural Resources Defense Council: $10 Annual Dues (Get a free tote bag!)
The Nature Conservancy: $25 Annual Dues (Get a free umbrella!)
Oceana: $15 Annual Dues (Get a free t-shirt!)
Oxfam International: $35 Annual Dues
Ozark Greenways: $25 Annual Dues
Peace Network of the Ozarks: $10 Annual Dues
Ozark Greenways: $25 Annual Dues
Sierra Club: $25 Annual Dues
Union of Concerned Scientists: $35 Annual Dues (Get a free mouse pad!)
World Wildlife Fund: $15 Annual Dues (Get a free WWF hat!)
Memberships to the above organizations also make great gifts for friends and family for birthdays and holidays!
6) Invest in Alternative Energy
Our dependence upon fossil fuels is not only destroying the environment, but it is also one of the reasons that we are war in the Middle East. Natural resources are limited and we will start to see this intensely in our lifetimes. Gas prices will continue to soar and so will electricity and heating bills.
The U.S. Government has been slow to invest in research for alternative energy sources, such as fuel cells, solar, wind, and bio-diesel. These new energy sources have the potential to reverse global warming, create tens-of-thousands of new jobs which will stimulate the U.S. economy, and release our dependence upon Middle Eastern oil. It is a win-win (and inevitable) situation. By investing in alternative energy sources can help our country grow stronger and improve the environment, and you have the potential of making a lot of money! Alternative energy is the future. That’s why BP and Shell Oil are investing billions of dollars in alternative energy sources. The oil companies even know that the Age of Oil is coming to an end!
Alternative energy stocks can easily be traded at Scottrade.com which allows you to open an online account for only $500 - and they have an office in Springfield!
7) Join an Online Action Network
Many organizations now have online action networks where you can send e-mails in three clicks or less to Congress and corporate CEOs expressing your opinions on various sustainability issues. Make you voice heard! Sign up for one or all of the online action networks listed below:
20/20 Vision's Action Center
Action! Network
Amnesty International's Action Network
Defenders Environmental Action Center
Earthjustice Action Center
Natural Resources Defense Council's Earth Action Network
Progressive Portal: Easy Online Activism
Union of Concerned Scientists' Action Center
World Wildlife Fund's Conservation Action Network
8) Buy Used Books
Save a tree and some money! Well Fed Head Books in Downtown Springfield has an excellent selection of used fiction and non-fiction books as wells as travel guides. For used texts books, there is the DU Book Store.
9) Limit Your Use of Household Cleansers
The majority of household cleansers are highly toxic and very destructive to the environment, especially chlorine bleach (don't use it!). From our household drains they will eventually make it into our drinking water, groundwater, lakes, and rivers. Below you will find recipes for alternative, homemade cleansers that will help keep your home and the Ozarks clean and toxic-free:
All Purpose Cleaner
3 tsp. liquid soap, or
¼ cup vinegar, or
¼ cup lemon juice, or
¼ cup Borax
(per gallon of water)
Window Cleaner
½ cup vinegar
1 gallon warm water
Fill your own spray bottle.
Stain Remover
Soak fabrics in water mixed with borax, lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide, or white vinegar.
Controlling Cockroaches and Ants
Powdered Sugar
Borax
Combine in equal parts and sprinkle where insects crawl.
Air fresheners and other perfumed products are also very toxic. Freshen the air in your home by opening windows or using baking soda, cedar blocks, or dried flowers.
10) Bike More, Drive Less
Not only is bike riding good for your health, but it conserves gas which results in less pollution. Not to mention all the money you will save!
If you do make any of the lifestyle changes listed above, please send us an e-mail and let us know! We're curious to see if this list makes a difference in the minds of people living in the Ozarks. At the end of the 2005-06 school year, we will publish the results. Thank you!