by Rosari Sarasvaty

“Life hacks from mom because sometimes on sale get the best of me.”

 Far before sustainability and minimalism became hip, my mom has long practiced a sustainable lifestyle. As a mother of three, she feels somewhat obligated to ensure the well being of the environment for generations to come. Besides, being sustainable is also budget friendly.

For the past decade, she has become the true worshipper of reduce, reuse and recycle. She has been carrying reusable bags every time she went shopping. She also brings a water bottle to avoid buying plastic water bottles. At some point, she even dug biopore infiltration holes in our backyard as a way to compost and minimize our household waste. She is pretty optimistic and believes that the accumulation of repetitive small acts can make a difference.

My mom always folds plastic bags into a mini triangle and puts it in her purse and my purse. So every time we go shopping we always use our bag. This often means coming out of Zara with a Uniqlo bag. Her actions are mostly simple and applicable. It is not time-consuming nor economically unfriendly. Hence it is very suitable for a starter like me who is not looking for a grand gesture or dramatic change in order to be sustainable. I was simply looking for a minimal effort that has great impact. However, it took a while for me to actually become conscious and put in the effort. 

 I did not buy her lifestyle until I moved to Manhattan and failed to cram my clothes into my petite closet. Ten tutorials on how to organize later, I manage to get my clothes situated. While sorting out my clothes, I feel upset knowing that I barely touch most of them. I realize that my way of living has been built by the culture of consumerism that was driven by the impulse to buy to feel good and fulfilled. Marketing ads that I see everyday and everywhere, convince me that I need the latest model. Truth be told – I do not need any of those. 

However the word ‘sale’ or ‘75% off’ caught me off guard from time to time. Check out the the several mantras that come in handy during my journey in practicing sustainable lifestyle.  

 Add one – dispose one 

Growing up my mom always told me not to buy stuff unless I know exactly how to dispose the old one. Luckily in this era, there are a lot of channels to ensure that our pre-loved items will not go to waste. In fact, it can serve a purpose outside our life. Before I buy a new item I make sure I donate my pre-loved to Goodwill or to sell it on thredUP. 

A turtle might die

In other words, just be conscious that certain action leads to a consequence. While it is nice to sip my ice green tea latte from a single use plastic straw, I came to my senses and have decided that 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean does not need a new sister. Plus, I also feel haunted by the infamous image of a turtle that got a straw stuck in its nose. 

 Like a salmon, I swim upstream 

Unfortunately, the world that we live in today was not designed to be “as sustainable as possible” yet it was designed to be cost effective regardless of the impact to the environment. Therefore, sustainable journeys can be challenging at times. A lot of products that are available and easy to access are not environmentally friendly – we need to be resourceful in this journey. SUSTAIN the Mag is clearly my go to in finding sustainable and ethical brands.  You might also want to check Earthical, an e-commerce platform that sells only sustainable goods.

Sustainability is definitely a journey that begins with a consciousness you can no longer ignore. Like any other journey you might face a setback or celebrate a small win from time to time. Whether you start making a mini triangle and bring your own bag like me and my mom or even start going vegan - it is all a start of something great. Best of luck!

Photo by Luna Zorro