(0:41) Welcome
Welcome back to The Paleo View listeners! And boy do we have a show for you today!
This week Sarah and Stacy will be talking about sustainability
While this is a topic that Sarah and Stacy talk about often as it pertains to diet and lifestyle, today's episode will focus on two specific pieces to the puzzle
Why is sustainability so important
What can we all do in general
This episode was inspired by Earth Day and the new show Our Planet
Stacy's son Finn came home from school recently with a lot of information on what resources will soon be gone, and Stacy is excited to see that this is a conversation even happening at that level
So for this week's episode, we are going to get you listeners fired up so that you can walk away with some action items and feel inspired to talk to others about this as well
There is no motive behind this episode, other than we want this planet to be here for our children
We are going to mention a lot of different things you can do or places you can support and its because Stacy and Sarah are so very passionate about protecting the planet
One of the things that Sarah did at her workshop in February was to end the entire event with a discussion on how our dietary priorities can translate into looking after the planet
For this week's episode, Sarah looks forward to taking that conversation one step further and talking about our impact as human beings on the planet
There are a lot of small adjustments that we can make that can have a really big impact
Stacy wrote a blog post on Earth Daysharing ways in which you can not avoid damaging the environment, and ways in which you can reverse the damage as well
What can you do to give back to the Earth? What can you do to help offset your carbon footprint?
Sarah wants to note that Stacy and Sarah will be referring to net-zero carbon emissions, which means that ways in which we offset the carbon that we are putting out into the atmosphere
This carbon is put into the atmosphere through the consumption of fossil fuels in various forms
The by-product of consuming fossil fuels is the release of carbon dioxide into the air which is a greenhouse gas, which is increasing the average global temperature
This has a lot of impact on things like the ice sheets, sea levels, major weather events
This is creating a system where there is more energy in the atmosphere
Heat is energy - so if you have more heat because of the rise in the average global temperature, you have more energy to put into something like a storm
This is why we are seeing more extreme weather events
Many catastrophic events can be traced back to manmade global climate change
When preparing for this show, Sarah debated getting into some climate science
However, she decided that it is so unequivocal - there is a consensus among climatologists that the increase in the average global temperature is driven by the greenhouse gases that humans are putting into the atmosphere
It is a direct link
There are multiple lines of evidence point to an explanation
So we are just going to jump right into things we can do to achieve net zero carbon emissions
That we both reduce our carbon footprint and also look at ways that we can remove carbon from the atmosphere
We are going to hone in on real-world solutions and skip over the controversy thing because it is not a controversy
(11:12) Reducing the Carbon Foot Print
Sarah remembers that when she was in school they had the three R's - reduce, reuse and recycle and there are a ton of different strategies that fall under this banner that still apply today
A real obvious place to start is being careful about what you throw in the trash and recycling anything that is recyclable
Put a sheet on the fridge with information on what can go in your local recycle bin versus what needs to go in the trash bin
If you have access to compost services or a yard where you can have a compost bin or a compost pile, these are simple steps that can help reduce how much waste you are producing that is going into landfills
Know your recycling center policies - do you have to separate the items, or can they all go into one big bin?
With a bit of research, you can also find local recycling centers where you can bring items that aren't picked up (ex: batteries, old electronics)
When you can't hand items down (like old toys or clothes), you can drop these items off at a donation center or to a charity
Be intentional and aware of what you consume that doesn't need to go into landfill or into an incinerator
There is a lot of plastic waste in America that there isn't room for, which is then loaded on a barge and shipped overseas where other countries will take it and this is how plastic most often gets into the ocean
Do what you can to limit your consumption of goods that requires fossil fuels to create
If you set aside an area of your home, get a bucket with a lid that you put in the garage or closet, and put the items that need to go to the dump in that bucket
Once it is full, simply load it in your car and next time you are driving by the dump just make a drop-off
Sarah's kids love nature shows and they did watch all of the Planet Earths, all of the Blue Planets and all of the Our Planet episodes
These are great educational resources to help train your family on why habit changes matter
Watching Our Planet did inspire Sarah to up her recycling approach
If you don't have solar power, are electric cars really helping the environment?
Sarah discussed the various sources of power and the ways in which electricity are generated
If you are not living in an area where coal is the main source of electricity than you are probably living in an area where an electric car will have a lower carbon footprint than a gasoline car
Stacy encourages everyone to look up your recycling center's standards to make sure that you aren't adding items to your recycling bin that are going right into the dump
Know your local resources, do the research and make the best choices for you
Support brands that reuse plastic
One of the brands that Stacy loves is Rothys- these are shoes made entirely of reused plastic
Check out Certified B Corporation's websiteto see which brands are making investments in their business to offset their carbon footprint
When you support these brands, you are supporting a brand that puts back into the earth
Some other brands that Stacy and Sarah recommend are:
Alter Eco Chocolate
Seventh Generation
Method
G Diapers
Earthbound Farms
Peeled Snacks
Patagonia
Athleta
Lunapads
Klean Kanteen
Beauty Counter
King Arthur Flour
Tropical Traditions
Check out this blog postfor a full list of brands that Stacy recommends
Sarah notes the flip side of this piece and encourages people to be aware of the companies that are not taking steps to support the environment, and are instead making the choice to do things at the environment's expense
Sarah shared details on what is happening in the Amazon rainforest and Madagascar and how these ecosystems are being impacted by business practices in those areas
What we lose when we lose species
As carbon dioxide goes into the atmosphere, plants take in carbon dioxide and put out oxygen
So plants are the main way to sequester carbon dioxide at this time
Don't let perfection be the enemy of the good, but also don't walk around with blinders on when selecting what brands you support through your dollars
Give yourself permission to educate yourself on harmful practices and harmful companies, and give yourself permission to not support them and find alternatives
This is where the local food movement is so critical
Empower yourself to be motivated and do good, without guilt around not being perfect
Allow your land to be planted and let part of your land be unmanicured
There are many easy ways to locally increase the green space
Even plants in your home or plants on your balcony can have an impact on the environment
If everyone made a choice to do a couple of little things it would elongate how long our great great grandchildren have on this Earth and instill in them habits to take even more steps to heal the environment
Stacy recommends checking out Crystal's site, Wholefed Homesteadfor ideas on how to use your land
With a little bit of homework and commitment, you can make a difference
Make changes that are sustainable and that set you up for success so that you don't give up
(45:45) More Changes You Can Make
Sarah notes that a simple place to start with change is to get reusable grocery bags and keep them in the car
Purchase a reusable water bottle
Keep a reusable coffee cup with you
Set your thermostat a couple of degrees higher in the summer, and a couple of degrees lower in the winter
Evaluate your transportation
Pick up some reusable silicone or cotton bags for your produce - or skip the produce bags all together
Remember don't let perfect be the enemy of good, make the best choices that you can at the time
Matt and Stacy have also reduced the number of deliveries they are receiving
Look for ways you can reduce packaging and frequency of deliveries
There is a site where you can calculate your usageand how much you need to offset
There are other things you can do to support initiatives outside of your house or your land
If you are able to, you can donate trees, or water, or money towards sustainable sources of energy
Check out BEF (Bonneville Environmental Foundation)
And Climate Action Reserve– they review, certify and catalog offset programs
It is very important to both Stacy and Sarah to instill this sustainability mindset in their children
Here’s a list of resources we think are fantastic for sharing this with children of all ages:
Matt and Stacy's post onArcadia Farm Campand theirwebsite
UNESCO’slist of programsdevoted to teaching kids about the environment
Children And The Environment: Why It’s Important To Teach Them Young
There are also organizations doing great work sharing information on environmental protectionism that you can support:
World Wild Life Fund
Natural Resources Defense Council
Friends of the Earth
350.org
Environmental Defense Fund
Sarah recommends doing your research and if an organization is consistent with how you want to support the planet, donate to a foundation if you can
(53:56) Closing Thoughts
Stacy thanked Sarah for tackling this topic with her
This is something that Sarah is very passionate about and she is happy to bring this discussion to the podcast
We need to live in harmony with the Earth, so it is a matter of figuring out how that harmony will work best with you
Stacy hopes that today's show gave you some ideas on how you can make a difference
Remember that you don't need to walk away from this show feeling guilty and like you need to do so many things
Things happen over time
Take time and make small steps towards big changes
Feel good about every little thing you do
When this podcast goes live, for just this weekend only, there is a special offer for Sarah's Essential Autoimmune Protocol Ebook Librarybeing made available
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The library is only $28 and 10% of all sales will be donated to charities working to expand and support the AIP community
For more information, go here: https://www.thepaleomom.com/go/aip-library/
This resource is available for four days only - first thing Friday morning, through midnight Monday evening
Thank you again, listeners, for tuning in! We will be back next week!
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