As I’ve explored nutrition and responsibility, I’ve found that the principle of sustainability, or living in a way that contributes to the preservation and restoration of the world, is most certainly relevant.
Day 12: Give back to the environment
Although sustainability encompasses many things, I most often think about its relation to the environment. There are many ways [both big and small] to practice environmental responsibility:
- buy local food
- reusable shopping bags [I love baggu…but know they are “ethically” made in china]
- recycle via thrifting
- support sustainability efforts [Sustainable Harvest International, Microloan Coffee]
One thing I have always found interesting is the concept of commuter cycling…not only for its positive effect on the environment but for its contribution to health. I had the pleasure of interviewing 4 fantastic individuals from all over (St. Louis, Nashville, Chicago, W. Michigan) about their experiences with cycling as a primary form of transportation.
Dan is one my classmates from SLU’s dietetic internship. While the rest of us drove to our rotation sites and classes, Dan braved the crazy St. Louis drivers on his bike.
Dottie lives in Chicago and is a fantastic photographer. She and her husband decided to ditch their car after a year of living in Chicago…and never looked back.
Dave is a friend who’s made a lot of great strides toward sustainable living in a very non-progressive town. He loves Michael Pollan’s books and discussing food responsibility [and also commuted by foot for the first 1.5 years without a car].
Trisha is 1/2 of the blogging team behind Let’s Go Ride a Bike. She still has a car but bikes 2.5 miles daily to work.
What are some of the ways you practice sustainability? Have you ever thought about commuting via bicycle? If you have any questions, leave some comment love, and I’ll forward them to my contributors. Thanks to Dan, Dottie and Trisha at Let’s Go Ride a Bike, and Dave for collaborating with me on this post.
