I convinced telemarketers not to send junk mail to me by requesting it not be sent, and for those that persisted, returning all their mail. Instead of finding creative ways of disposing of materials, why not just never use the materials in the first place?

I switched to unbleached coffee filters. In the end, coffee filters are all the same color after usage. Besides, who wants to drink bleach? Also, I stored the overly strong and mildly corrosive coffee in glass rather than foam or paper cups.

Driving is not a necessity in the dormitory lifestyle. Therefore, a car is also not necessary. By not having a car, I waste nothing cleaning it, pollute no air or water, and consume no fossil fuels.

As I predicted, this did not really have any negative impacts on my lifestyle. I just changed a few minor habits, which in the end had no real influence on my day-to-day activity. However, over a lifetime, the saved materials could quite possibly supply more than one other person with the same things I was using. None of these changes were difficult, and required very minimal amounts of thought. Therefore, I’ve concluded anyone could easily make these changes in their life with little to no difficulty, and without lessening the quality of life. I accomplished all the tasks I listed, without any real alterations to my normal habits. In some cases, such as reusing coffee filters and not driving, the alterations to my life made many actions much simpler.

Without the ability to drive, I really didn’t think of things I could drive to, so I didn’t waste time wondering what to do. It limited my options, and my choices much easier.

Many great philosophies of life state that the path to peace and enlightenment is SIMPLICITY. Henry David Thoreau took this to an extreme, simplifying life down to growing food and enjoying the forest. Sustainability-wise, Thoreau cut the amount of land it took to sustain his life to a bare minimum, one to two acres. Moreover, he was happier there than he was for most of his life in the company of society. I don’t suggest changes so drastic as Thoreau’s, but small changes can be more of a change than actions like Thoreau. The simple fact that their mind changes from total environmental unconsciousness to a mental awakening is rather valuable in itself. Realizing that one SHOULD be concerned about the environment does more than any amount of work afterwards toward sustainability. In other words, the fight for sustainability is more about the realization that sustainability is necessary than the actions and changes so often associated with environmentalism. Realization may not lead to action, but action cannot be successful without such a realization.

Things You Can Do to Save the Earth

Ecological Footprint information

CEIS: EPA Center for Environmental Information and Statistics