All change starts small and has the potential to ripple into a much larger movement. While large issues like climate change and plastic pollution require large solutions, starting small and locally can inspire the big waves needed to save the planet. This is precisely what happened with a group of five middle schoolers in 2015. 

You may have noticed that quarantine-cuisine and to-go coffee orders come with a lot of plastic utensils, single-use straws, and styrofoam containers. What were once sustainability sins are now quarantine commonplace as we navigate the realities of COVID-19. 

Efforts to reduce plastic consumption do not need to go out the window. There are still plenty of things you can do to reduce your own plastic intake and spread the socially-distant word to your friends and family. Here are a few ideas to get you started. 

Sustainability starts at home. With more and more of us working from home, now is as good an opportunity as ever to improve sustainability habits. 

Smarter Lighting

Harsh artificial lighting is one of the worst parts of working in an office — so why reproduce that at home? Save energy by positioning your desk near a sunny window and turning down the lights around your house. This study found that natural sunlight improves employee mood and productivity — aka energy-saving efforts plus an added boost to productivity. 

Bamboo, when used as a material for packaging, offers a high level of durability along with versatility. Bamboo has a rapid growth rate, making it an abundant and biodegradable renewable resource. This giant grass-type plant functions in many capacities from fabric to food to flooring.

As climate change increasingly becomes a problem, the world’s greatest minds are seeking creative solutions to clean our earth’s air. Some environmental scientists, architects, and designers are analyzing buildings to determine how to effectively use them for passively cleaning smoggy urban air.

CBD is becoming more widely available in legalized capacities and is currently the fastest growing industry in the United States — thirty states plus the District of Columbia have already enacted laws that broadly legalize marijuana. This swift CBD industry boom has made designing the right packaging more important than ever. 

Businesses that focus on green initiatives for their workspace, employees, and products prioritize the health of the planet and environment. More and more, society is recognizing that a healthy planet means a sustainable life for future generations. In fact, more than 1.2 billion jobs depend on the earth’s ecosystems.

Everyone knows that trees are essential for combatting climate change and maintaining the earth’s air quality. As society begins to take notice of the effects of climate change, there is a desperate need for solutions. That’s where reforestation comes in. Reforestation offers a natural climate solution, promising to potentially provide 37% of the greenhouse gas mitigation and stabilize global heating. Research reveals that trees benefit the climate and human health.

In order for consumers and businesses to develop a greener world, it’s important to know how to recognize sustainable packaging. Over the last decade, socially responsible companies have been creating a strategy for becoming environmentally conscious from their processes to their packaging. While many green buzzwords exist, learning to actually recognize green practices and packaging can be difficult.

Molded fiber pulp is a biodegradable raw material that is renewable and usually wood-based. In many cases, fiber pulp is used to manufacture paper, molded fiber packaging, tissue, board, and specialty paper.