welcome...

"I have found that it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folks that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love."
- Gandalf (J.R.R. Tolkien) from The Hobbit, Or There And Back Again

this page is intended as a sincere consciousness raising effort intended to affect change as well as a resource for a more eco-minded lifestyle. please navigate this page with an open mind. limiting beliefs are limiting beliefs. if you take away anything, let it be: please think and act for the future. this is written by a united states citizen so your local resources may be different.

i want to avoid sounded alarmist but climate change is getting to a critical point wherein we must act immediately. the endless consumerism mindset must change to mitigate damage and pass on a culture of stewardship and reverence for our only home. the earth is a finite resource. we cannot buy a backup planet. money can't bring back the ecological niches millions of animals once filled. a unique birdsong in a thousands of years old forest is priceless. those who would have you believe otherwise only seek to control the planet and YOU for their own aims. there is nothing coming to save us. we only have ourselves. it is serious and severe, though it is only too far gone if you believe it so. i ask you to choose to have hope that a difference can be made for generations to come, and do it collectively.

join

i've made graphics you can use to share this page. or i will once i'm done coding this... please add them to your site if my work here has made any sort of impression at all so others may find it and consider their place in the future.

the reality

the western world is consuming the earth's resources at a rate of 1.7 earths a year, a number that has been creeping up since the 70's. can life on our planet is changing rapidly, and we cannot sit by the wayside anymore. everything that has allowed us to reach this point is interconnected, and everything we ignore will continue. catatrophic once-in-a-lifetime weather events are our enviornment itself screaming a warning of things to come, yet we do nothing and allow them to become commonplace. we are numb to the fact we are in a mass extinction event. plants, animals, and people are dying, and will continue to die under the current system. sustainability is no longer a choice but a question of how we can lessen upcoming catastrophes.

in our time on earth as humans we have lived within temperature variations of 1 degree celcius. as of 2025 we have pushed into 1.5 degrees celcius, and have been feeling the if we aren't drowned by rising seawater from the melting arctic we are headed for wet-bulb temperatures. meaning temperatures will reach a point humidity in the air will be too heavy with moisture for your sweat to cool you. this results in heat stroke where there is no air conditioning to remove humidity. A FAN IS NOT SUFFICIENT. blowing hot air around acts like a convection oven, basically cooking you alive. this is heat stroke. sit with the reality of anyone who cannot PAY to be in an air conditioned environment boiling in their own skin. who suffers? who benefits? what kind of culture does this create?

if you have or ever hope to have children, what kind of world do you hope to leave them with?

the list

these are all things that i do or aim to in my day-to-day life. give yourself grace, as no one person can be perfect. it has been a massive effort of modern capitalism to make individuals feel too comfortable and too powerless. we are being strangled by our fear of giving up easy dopamine. when you are apathetic and scared those in power can squeeze more and more out of you and those you love for dwindling resources. dwindling resources of which they manufactured the conditions of! everything you needed to live is was free.

admitting defeat without trying is submission. trying is empowering--tending to Earth is also tending to yourself! if you feel listless and hobby-less, there are many skills you can learn for free. and if i am wrong, which i would love to be, in the worse case scenario you'll be a more conscientious, well-rounded person with more abilities and money in your wallet. if something seems like a big sacrifice, even doing it less and substituting a more sustainable option sometimes is better than nothing.

reduce

• #1 eat less red meat and dairy! beef farming is one of the major contributors to CO2 and deforestation. and cows are so cute :(
• also eat less buying only what you need, and at home.
• buy less. the most eco-friendly water bottle, bag, shoe, etc. is the one you already have.
• when you do buy something, deeply consider what the life cycle of that item will look like with you. is this a passing trend or something that speaks to you and you want to give it a home for years? what will disposing of this item necessitate? shift toward thinking about the value of the item instead of the immediate dopamine.
• avoid plastic where possible and favor paper, glass, and metal products that can be more easily recycled.
• where you do use plastic, try to reuse the container for something else in order to keep it out of a landfill as long as possible. (be careful though as there are different grades of plastic, some more toxic than others)
• invest in rechargeable batteries
• take less and shorter showers
• consider installing a bidet in your home. trees cut down for toilet paper require far more water. and yes... flush less.
• do more free things and picnic. tres parisienne!
• refuse ai! switch to tools that do not use AI where possible. the resource draw they require is not worth our future. they are also largely wrong! there is a massive industry growing seeking to outscource your own human creativity and self reliance
• use more public transport. if you can bus, bike, or walk instead, do it! its not only better for the planet but for your wellbeing as well seeing others and being outside.
• run laundry in tap cold water. cooler temperatures are also better for fabrics. also air dry your clothes when possible. less time in the drier also extends the life of garments
• don't leave faucets running and don't leave lights on in empty rooms, or during the day when light is plentiful
• unplug chargers when not in use. idle chargers = loads of electricity gone to waste and co2 needlessly in the atmosphere

reuse

• instead of buying single-use items, look for a reusable alternative
• buy secondhand or refurbished and learn to repair.
• when you do want to give up old items, have a yard sale or sell them locally online via facebook marketplace, buy nothing groups, craigslist, etc. a lot of thrift stores nowadays have lost the plot charging exorbitant prices for things they get for free and have too much inventory to reasonably sort through, meaning your stuff likely is taking an extra step to the landfill.

recycle

• separate your recycling properly if it is available to you by looking up your local guidelines
• compost-food and yard waste in landfills rots and emits methane pollution which contributes more heat to the climate 84 times more than CO2. learn more

resources

web links

Local Harvest

plastics

Common Types of Plastics

this is a general rule for each. please check your local websites for what to put in your personal bins. not all recycling programs accept all recycling. Knowing what to recycle and how to recycle it prevents grade contamination. Placing something in the recycling bin that is not recyclable makes makes recyclable materials less valuable for recycling markets. machines that sort and process recyclables can only manage certain items without causing sorting and processing problems. only place known recyclable materials in the recycling bin. generally if it does not have the "chasing arrows" symbol with a number it does not belong in the bin.

#1-PET-Polyethylene terephthalate

Lowest grade single use for mass consumption bottles and the like. Recyclable if it makes it to the proper disposal sites. Leaches as it degrades so do not reuse. Avoid.

#2-HDPE-High-density polyethylene

Food containers. Safe to reuse and recycle.

#3-PVC-Polyvinyl chloride

You know this in PVC pipes but its very toxic. Releases chlorine gas when burnt too so don't do that. Do not reuse.

#4-LDPE-Low-density polyethylene

Grocery bags, liners, plastic wraps, cartons. Safe-ish to reuse. 100% recyclable but often doesn't make it there. Return plastic bags to the grocery store

#5-PP-Polypropylene

Food packaging like tubs. Very durable and safe to reuse! Can be recycled but not always.

#6-PS-Polystyrene "Styrofoam"

Often in packaging materials. Degrades into smaller pieces. Leaches. Also do not heat as it releases styrene which is a known carcinogen. Avoid and do not recycle.

#7–O (Other) All other plastics

Landfill only

composting

composting is a brilliant way to be greener in that it saves methane from entering the atmosphere while organic waste rots in a landfill, and allows the nutrients to be returned to soil for agriculture purposes. again look up your local guidelines. they will also be able to tell you if their system can take compostable bags. you also don't need to do anything to get started besides save some paper bags to keep on your countertop.

yard

grass clippings, leaves, weeds, flowers, other yard waste with some exceptions.

kitchen

fruit, bread, fish, meat, vegetables, dairy, fats, oil, and grease. moldy items are OK! paper that has been soiled with food is also (usually) permitted like coffee grounds with the filter.