The above photo is me standing in a field of Calendula flowers that came up to my hips, picking the flower heads for “Tzimchi,” aka medicinal herbs, my job for the day. I was on an eco-educational farm, Chava v’Adam, outside of Modi’in, in Israel. This farm was my favorite part of my three months in Israel, and the part that, in retrospect, I look upon the most fondly.

At Chava v’Adam, we strived for sustainability, for farm-to-table food, and for living in harmony with the land, rather than exploiting it. Sounds hippie, I know. But it was magical.

We tried to produce as much of our own food as possible. We built outdoor showers that fit into the existing rock structures that worked as drainage, instead of trying to level the land. We composted leftover food, we had compost toilets, a lot of composting went on. We lived in temporary structures, and the buildings were made of clay so that when humans had vacated the land, it could return to what it was before we came along.

We strove for sustainability, and here’s the thing: it wasn’t difficult. I’ll say that a little louder for the people in the back: it wasn’t difficult.

Climate change is real. As a scientist, I fully believe that climate change is not a myth. And we, as humans, should do something about it. I mean, if we want there to be the world for generations to come, that is. Like I said before, living sustainability doesn’t have to be some difficult, elusive thing. It can just be a few things you do to help the planet out- Mother Earth will thank you, as will future generations.

Here’s a list of sustainable practices you can adopt right away, compiled by me and my ultimately sustainable friend Sam!

1. Buy a reusable water bottle

I find that I consume a fair amount of water, and, let’s be real, bottled water is such a waste of resources. Not only that, but plastic has a tendency to harbor bacteria when reused without frequent washing (and no, refilling it with water is not washing). So, do yourself a favor and grab a steel or glass reusable water bottle.

2. On that note, have a reusable coffee cup on hand.

Coffee spots like Starbucks offer discounts to people who bring these in. It’s a win-win situation!

3. Turn off the light when you know you’re leaving the room for an extended period of time.

that way, you don’t have electricity running for no reason. After all, no one benefits from your room being lit other than you. Turning off the lights when you don’t need them- it’s lit!

4. Try eating vegetarian a little more often.

Whaaaaaat, you mean that meat is contributing to the deterioration of the earth? Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. Here’s the thing about meat: animals raised for meat need food, and growing that food takes up a lot of land and water resources. I’m not telling you to give up meat entirely, you do you but think about maybe having one vegetarian day a week.

5. Next time you go grocery shopping, use a reusable bag for your groceries.

Let’s be real, you really don’t need a plastic bag full of plastic bags that you never use in your closet. Plus, reusable grocery bags are so much prettier than just plain plastic, and your bag won’t break as you’re carrying out your groceries to your car- your eggs and anything in glass jars will be safer!

6. Doing some closet cleaning? You have options.

If you have things you want to part with, donate them and help some other humans out! Alternatively, if things are in bad shape, there are places that will recycle fabrics- much better than just sitting in a landfill.

7. Buy things one at a time.

Honestly, you don’t need 5 mascaras or 6 ChapSticks. at one time. When you finish one, you can buy another. Plus, you get the satisfaction of actually finishing a tube of ChapStick! Also, think about possible non-disposable options for things like razors, toothbrushes, straws, those little cups that people keep in the bathroom, etc.

These tips aren’t hard to implement, and Mother Earth will thank you!

Until next time,

Your friendly neighborhood hippie