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What is sustainability?
What is sustainability?
Sustainability and Conservation, are important tools for us, as humans that produce waist to be conscious, when possible, about our choices as consumers and dwellers of this earth. Sustainability and Conversation measures are often unaffordable to people in countries that do not focus on sustainable living in attempt to conserve the nature and land around us. This is another way we as humans can respect our environment and those who have lived before us on these lands.
Social
Social
Social Sustainability is a philosophy of doing our part to be active within our communities in ways that are reducing overall burdening of citizens. Being involved in community building through the healing our generational trauma, finding our equity instead of equality.
Environmental
Environmental
Environmental Sustainability is a philoshophy of doing our part in preserving, and healing the planet we walk on, while taking into account our current world. For some its easier to switch from big box stores, to sustainable refill shops. For some, its cleaning up our streets and parks. For many, it's avoiding plastic and reminding ourselves to recycle.
Economical
Economical
Economical Sustainability, is the hope of philosophy adoption that could allow us to find a way to have an economy that favors equitable wealth among the many, and not a few stakeholders in all economical affairs. Again this philosophy that focuses on how one runs a business or economy/government.
Reduce
Reduce
Think about the things you need to purchase to sustain a comfortable life, and decide if there are anythings outside of that group that maybe you can make, already have, or could borrow from a friend. Reducing waist can also look like preparing meals and inviting guests so none of it goes to waist.
Reuse
Reuse
There are many ways to Reuse things in daily life, such as: reusing containers that come with the produce you have to by at the store, see if people in your area could benefit from the containers or other resources you often throw out. In other ways this can mean donating clothes and buying second-hand clothing.
Recycle
Recycle
Finding local recycling centers, asking friends/neighbors /coworkers if they have recycling & maybe to coordinate drop off with you if they are having trouble accessing recycling options. Are there ways in which the items your recycling can be reused in other ways?
Why is sustainability not accessible for everyone?
Why is sustainability not accessible for everyone?
Many people can't afford the products that are marketed in most sustainable spaces, making conservation somewhat exclusive towards wealthier individuals. However, there are some businesses and sustainability groups that focus on bridging this gap between SocioEconomic Groups. You can also create support groups in your area to support one another in the purchasing or borrowing of sustainable goods. (ie. jars, food, cleaning supplies, clothes, blankets, even services, etc.)
We can bridge the gap of accessibility for eco-friendly goods by participating more in the market of them. By ensuring consumerism, small business can lower prices and support their communities more than ever. As long as we do our best to shop small business and eco friendly when we can, we are actively making a difference on our planet.
Resources I am looking for:
Resources I am looking for:
Where should I shop?
Where should I shop?
Small businesses are always going to be more expensive, until lots of people regularly shop there. We can all make an active effort to shop at small businesses when we can. Avoid places that are owned by large corporations. If you are fiscally able to spend more money than it's always helpful to find a long lasting product that may be more expensive upfront but lasts in the long run! Avoid plastic:)
Most affordable options?
Most affordable options?
Buying in Bulk (You can see if neighbors or community members would want to split the larger purchases with you)
Share Reusable Products (having a lawn mower for the street, sharing a tent within a friend group)
Unwrapped items (items that don't have packing)
Compostable Products (products that are compostable at the end of their lifetime)
Long-Lasting Products (products that are made to replace a single/few-use products that elliminate recurrent purchasing)
What is Ethical Consumerism?
What is Ethical Consumerism?
Doing your homework on the brands and companies that benefit from your purchase, and their political/social intentions. There are levels to being conscious of who, what, where, when, and how, you're spending your money; any of them are helpful when shopping.
Remember that sustainability is about cutting out harmful consumerism in relation to how it effects our ecosystem.
Supporting My Community?
Supporting My Community?
When thinking about our impact on another there are so many levels to which we effect each other, that we may want to improve. Most of us are good at picking up our trash, or shoveling snow off the side-walk. But we also have the ability to do so much more with the community around us and those we create that can benefit the masses. (like community gardens, group activities, meal-sharing, support,etc)
Things that are easier to share or swap as a community:
Things that are easier to share or swap as a community:
Lawnmower
Gardening Tools
Co-Transportation
Traveling Gear
Camping Gear
Gas Cans
Trash Bins
Compost Areas (Or pick up)
Recycling Drop-Off
Bulk Orders
Baby/ Children's Clothes & Shoes
Maternity Wear
Toys
Old Furniture
Bicycles
Outdoor Gear
How do I find Sustainable shops near me, or that ship around the US?:
How do I find Sustainable shops near me, or that ship around the US?:
Here we have attached our favorite website that has a United States directory for all the sustainable goods you could ask for. Everything from eco-friendly merchandise, to refill shops for cleaning products, facial care, hair care, foods, oils, and more!
(We are not being paid to feature Litterless, but their website has always been so user friendly and knowledgable)
Best First Eco-Friendly Switches:
Best First Eco-Friendly Switches:
Reusable TO-GO food container
Reusable TO-GO utensils
Reusable Water Bottle
Compostable Sponges
Compostable Toothbrush
Concentrated Laundry Detergent
Reusable Towels (to replace/help support paper towel usage)
Non-plastic Packaging Products (Lip balm, Deodorant, Soap)
Bar Soaps, Bar shampoos, Bar Conditioners, Bar shave cream
Compostable Menstrual Products (AUGUST CO.)
Reusable Menstrual Products (GladRags)
Are you looking at the ingredients and don't know what they mean?
Are you looking at the ingredients and don't know what they mean?
There can be a lot of miss information and scare tactics when it comes to picking cleaning agents or goods for yourself or your family. We have a few different resources to help you find the best information on those ingredients, and give you some peace of mind.
Understand Skin Deep - this site has gradings and information on most chemicals used in soap and skin care products. Check them out and drop the chemical in question into their search bar.
Chemical Safety Facts - this site will help with any really concerning chemical interactions or things to be aware of.
US EPA: Basics of Green Chemistry - this site is a more educational source for finding and seeking out the chemicals that are healthy or avoid those you want to stay away from.
What is Equity?
What is Equity?
Equity as a concept differentiates from equality in that it is a way for us to view the necessity of not having equal support for each person, but rather finding the way for everyone to have equal access to the support they may need to meet their basic human needs and have access to the spaces and resources necessary for human spiritual health. A goal of equity is to acknowledge how the trades that we make of our energy for a common goal, may not always look equal, but have similar weight to each person and their ability to contribute. Equity is a large piece to understanding the best ways we can create more accessible spaces, as well as essential to addressing various kinds of power imbalances relating to hierarchies of race, class, citizenship, sexuality, assigned gender status, ability, and more.
Sustainability and Health:
Sustainability and Health:
Why is it important that we discuss the relationships we have with other people when it comes to the hygiene of our immune system and body? Well there are many reasons, but to start: we share our microbiome with our closest community members. When we share food, space, bodily fluids, etc. with our community, we are sharing our microbiomes. If you live with other people, you share dominant parts of your microbiome with them. We all share many of the same biometric make up in our microbiomes without directly sharing those microbes; however, the specific types or mutations can vary person-to-person.
When we are sharing our enviroment with others we have to ask ourselves if the environment were in is conducive to good hygiene practices. We are aware that many people don't have readily access to safe hygienic environments, due to the criminalization of homelessness and lack of access for most health conditions. We have people in our community who have to take their health very seriously, and for these individuals, thinking about their community support can be hard without us all having access to microbiome education. It's vitally important that we remember disability, and immunocompromisation is not someone's choice, they are forced to live their life under those regulations, because if they don't they are at a higher risk of death.
There are many good microbes, and as we've learned there is one microbe-cell for every human-cell in our bocies. We know that our personal, communal, and regional microbiomes are a big piece of our health and hygiene puzzle. When we are moving long distances, or changing our environment all together, we are more likely to experience exposure to microbes that could become pathogens for us.
Sharing space with community should be fun and without social pressure to risk your health, thats why having shared-community-values can help people feel better about sharing that space. We know that the more we lack strength in our community values, the more we are likely to be exposed to things we didn't consent to. Having a good sense of your community, through conversation and criticism, can make one feel a lot better about the potential risks of being in that shared space.
Antibiotic Resistance (Bacteria):
Antibiotic Resistance (Bacteria):
Antibiotics are a class of drugs that are known for their ability to kill or eradicate (overtime) BACTERIAL infections in the body, or on surfaces. Antibiotics are all around, they are in our Cleaning supplies, Meats (given to livestock), Soaps, First Aid Supplies, and more. Consequently, we have a large amount of antibiotics that make it into our water runoff/sewage. While some of these things are beneficial because they can protect us from pathogenic infection. However, we know that the more exposure these microbes have to antibiotics, the more they are able to become Antibiotic Resistance.
How do Bacteria become Antibiotic Resistant:
How do Bacteria become Antibiotic Resistant:
Since microbes are often prokaryotic, their DNA is free floating which means when they die from antibiotic use, the pieces of DNA that are antibiotic resistant may survive. These DNA strands are then able to be picked up by other microbes or (most often) the residual surviving cells of that initial infection pick the DNA up, causing a secondary infection that is often much worse than the original. No matter how much sanitization we are able to complete, the dead microbes, their DNA, and new Microbes will always be in an environment. The only things we know are perfectly clean are sterilized items, which often are found in hospitals that own a autoclave, and prepackaged sterile bandages etc.
This is also why when prescribed antibiotics, we should always finish the entire prescription regardless of if we are feeling better. Misuse of Antibiotics causes Antibiotic Resistance, which long-term and short-term is very dangerous and deadly for people around the world.
As a community, country, and greater global people, we have to be very cautious around how we fight off microbial infections, and make sure that we understand how antibiotic resistance can occur. To keep ourselves and other people safe, we should spread information about proper surface cleaning methods, beneficial diet changes, hygiene, and when to seek medical help.
If you believe you have a bacterial infection, it's most likely that you need antibiotics to get better, which means you have to contact a healthcare professional for a proper understanding of which antibiotic is best for you.
If you are an AFAB person, our reproductive system has it's own microbiome. While many people can have tummy/gut issues from taking antibiotics, AFAB people often face potential yeast (fungus) infections in their reproductive system because the antibiotics can throw the microbiome off balance.
If you believe you have a bacterial infection, it's most likely that you need antibiotics to get better, which means you have to contact a healthcare professional for a proper understanding of which antibiotic is best for you.
There are some things that if you've never taken an antibiotic before, you may encounter things like tummy upset, bloating, fatigue, etc. When we take an Anti-biotic we are taking a drug that kills a specfic kind of microbe, bacteria. From there we have different anti-biotics for differnt types of bacteria. You may have heard Gram+/- bacteria before, that refers to the type of cell membrane the bacterium has. Often times our choices of antibiotics are based on factors like this so that we are attempting to specialize our drug for specific use. This doesn't stop the antibiotic from killing the good bacteria in our body's aswell. That's why keeping a probiotic-heavy diet while on antibiotics, can help ease the discomfort of the changes happenign to the gut's microbiome (often the most sympotmatic). There are a (few) people who can gain secondary infections because killing off one type of bacteria allows for another to flourish without restraint (becoming an unbalanced flora). It's important to keep in contact with your doctor if you have any questions about your symptoms or experiences while taking antibiotics. This is another reason why we NEVER take antibiotics for non-bacterial infections, they will not help during a viral infection. However, if someone has a viral infection, sometimes they can contract a bacterial infection as well (example: flu causing pneumonia), this is why we should monitor our symptoms and health even when we are sick to make sure we are treating our bodies with health as a priority.
If you are an AFAB (assigned female at birth) person, your reproductive system has its own microbiome! The microbiome of the vaginal canal and uterus is a very intentional design to keep our bodies safe from potential pathogens that could be introduced. While many people can have tummy/gut issues from taking antibiotics, AFAB people often face potential yeast (fungus) infections in their reproductive system because the antibiotics can throw the microbiome off balance. Aside from Antibiotics, introducing 'cleaners', 'fragrance', and other chemicals to your vaginal canal can be very detrimental for ones overall bodily health. There are many chemicals that effects the abilty for microbes to live in harmony, avoiding added chemicals to your body can help protect the good microbiome you have.
There is more research being done to finish this page, please be patient with us.
There is more research being done to finish this page, please be patient with us.
If you would like to help us write about commonly silenced areas or personal experiences you may have with these topics, contact us at thisisactivism2023@gmail.com or fill out our Comments page. We want our website to be a continuous growth of knowledge to share with each other in a positive way. There are so many things we don't talk about and we should!
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