However, a lot of the headline discourse on environmental issues is going on at a political level, far away from the mundanities of everyday life. This means it’s easy to wonder why should we care for the environment, especially if you’re not glued to the news.

If you’re looking for the reasons why we should care for the environment, this article explores the seven key reasons why the environment and its care should matter to every person on the planet.

What do we mean when we refer to ‘the environment’?

Put plainly, the environment is the sum of all living and non-living things on Earth (including climate, radiation, electrical phenomena, and weather) and their non-artificial relationships and interactions. The natural environment exists on a continuum with environments that are artificial or at least heavily influenced by man.

The environment spans vast natural ecosystems, including rock, soil, water, and vegetation. Natural resources like fossil fuels and the atmosphere are also part. Constituent ecosystems within the environment consist of various forms of life, ranging from microorganisms to animals.

Of course, the environment we experience today has been shaped by the activity of man. Built environments are the opposite of natural environments and have been completely modified and developed to meet the requirements of man. Examples of built environments are farms and cities where the natural environment has been altered or effaced, and something else is in its place.

The environment has been impacted by the activity of mankind with contemporary challenges that include:

• Pollution
• Biodiversity loss
• Natural resource depletion
• Atmospheric and climatic changes

7 reasons why we should protect the environment?

1. Environmental degradation is destroying our health

The material benefits of the industrial revolution to much of the world are undeniable, but one of the major downsides of industrialization has been the massive amounts of pollution generated, with a catastrophic impact on human health.

Pollution generated by industrial processes such as mining, transportation, manufacturing, energy generation, and even food processing is incredibly pernicious, affecting almost every organ system in the body.

In many cases, such as the Dupont PFOA scandal, the DDT controversy, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the environment has been deliberately damaged through the dumping of industrial waste or negligent operational procedures.

Recognized effects of environmental pollution on human health include:

Respiratory disease

Air pollution is one of the most serious environmental issues and has been suggested by the UN to cause over 7 million premature deaths each year. Urban areas are particularly affected by dense particulate pollution that can cause or exacerbate respiratory diseases like asthma, bronchitis, and COPD.

In addition, indoor air pollution due to inadequately ventilated cooking or heating puts over a quarter of the world’s population at risk of developing cardiovascular or respiratory health problems.

Reproductive disorders

In many parts of the world, the environment has been polluted by the persistence of a variety of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. These ubiquitous chemicals, which include pesticides, plastics, heavy metals, and the oral contraceptive pill, disrupt the hormone-controlled reproductive processes of humans and animals.

Reproductive disorders like infertility, subfertility, and menstrual disorders may be driven by the pernicious effects of endocrine disruptors in our environment. Sampled average male sperm counts have decreased significantly since the middle of the 20th century, and the downward trend is accelerating.

Cancer

Environmental pollution has led to the widespread dissemination of cancer-causing chemicals called carcinogens. These substances are incredibly diverse and include byproducts of combustion, pesticides, hazardous waste, and ionizing radiation.

Prolonged exposure to these agents has been implicated in the development of cancers in people of all ages. For example, people living in environments with high levels of PM2.5 particulate pollution are at an increased risk of developing lung cancer.

2. Destruction of the environment puts the global food supply at risk

Environmental welfare is a distant thought when we buy our food from grocery stores and markets, but the effects of environmental damage are evident to the food producers who rely on clean water, fertile soil, and a supportive climate to grow and raise our food.

Agriculture is reliant on the environment but can also be one of the biggest polluters due to the use of pesticides, fertilizers, and the generation of agricultural waste. This essential sector is now being threatened by environmental damage in a variety of ways. Examples include:

• Decreasing biodiversity and soil degradation because of intensive farming techniques.
• Loss of viable agricultural land because of the physical presence of a landfill.
• Long-term land and water contamination from landfill leachate.
• Soil and water contamination due to the improper disposal of hazardous waste.
• Pesticides cause the loss of natural pollinators like bees, wasps, and other insects.
• Land loss because of desertification or flooding, driven by climate change. 
• Loss of farmland to construction to accommodate urban sprawl.

The effects of environmental changes may not be apparent in economically advanced countries because they can afford to import food. But poorer countries have a greater dependence on their domestic agricultural production to supply their food. These countries may also be food exporters, putting pressure on available land and compromising food security.

3. Caring for the environment helps us to live productive lives

The welfare of the environment is also important to our ability to work and the wider economy. Pollution has tangible human and economic costs that impact the lives of communities and nations.

According to the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health pollution and environmental damage cost the global economy up to $4.6 trillion per year, more than 6% of the total economic output of the world! A large contribution to this sum is the loss of human productivity from health problems, polluted land, and population displacement due to environmental changes.

Human activity needs to be sustainable if we are to maintain our environment long-term and lead productive healthy lives. Developing sustainable ways of living and managing the Earth’s resources is, in fact, a major economic opportunity that could lift billions of people out of poverty.

For example, the $65 billion the United States has invested in air pollution control since the 1970s has yielded over $1.5 trillion in economic benefit. New and innovative solutions for the world’s most challenging environmental problems could lead to commercial sectors that every country can access and use profitably. 

4. Environmental integrity promotes peace

Though the causes of war are multifactorial, environmental degradation can be a significant stressor as nations and communities compete for dwindling natural resources. Over the last century, there have been numerous domestic and international conflicts as nations and people fight over water, land for agriculture and grazing, and natural resources.

Environmental changes like deforestation and desertification limit the natural resources available to communities. In pastoral or subsistence farming communities, the integrity and resilience of the environment can be the difference between life and death and increases the potential for struggles for the remaining land.

Wars damage and pollute the environment, exacerbating the scarcity surviving people experience. There needs to be a global effort to ensure that environmental conditions do not deteriorate in the poorest and most challenged regions so that people are less likely to resort to conflict.

5. Protecting the environment prevents the displacement of people 

Migration is a global issue that is heavily affected by environmental degradation. Pollution, drought, and local climate and weather changes are making parts of the earth uninhabitable for existing populations and leading to involuntary migration.

Environmentally displaced people

These people termed ‘Environmentally displaced people’, have no choice but to leave regions that have been degraded by environmental degradation or natural disasters, leaving them unable to pursue their livelihoods.

Large population shifts because of environmental change 

The neglect of environmental issues and subsequent stress and degradation could lead to upward of 200 million people being forced to leave their homeland and resettle by 2050. According to Oxford University’s Refugees Studies Center, countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ghana, Kenya, and Somalia as well as the Pacific island are already affected by this problem.

6. Future generations will have to survive on the Earth we leave behind 

We are responsible for the environmental legacy we leave to future generations. All human activity affects the environment in some way. Sustained negative impact on ecosystems, will lead to the depletion of natural resources and loss of biodiversity, leaving the next generation to inherit our contaminated land, water, and air.

Unrestrained consumption leads to loss of resources

We are currently in the midst of a massive loss of biodiversity, with 25% of wild species facing extinction. This leaves the world a poorer and ecologically scarcer place with the absence of species that may have performed vital but unrecognized roles.

Industry and governmental stakeholders are already aware that the current rate of consumption of natural resources like oil may become critically diminished as the decades roll on. Future generations may not be able to live a lifestyle similar to the ones we’re used to.

However, the outlook isn’t all negative. Recognizing the need to care for the environment returns us precious time to remedy current environmental problems and find new ways to live more sustainably. With effort and investment, we may be able to leave the Earth better than we found it.

7. We are all called to be stewards of the environment we have received

Whatever your belief system, there is an innate understanding of our sovereignty and the need for us to become stewards of the resources that are in our care. Over millennia, mankind has cultivated and tended to its immediate environment with plant and animal husbandry continuing to be a key means of survival to the present day.

But, the mass production of goods and services and careless consumer culture has robbed many people of the sense of responsibility and moral obligation by which efforts could be made to live in a way that is less environmentally damaging. Not caring for or about the environment often serves the agenda of corporate interests that want to sell products at all costs.

Environmental damage for profit

Much of the damage to the environment has not been committed by individuals but by corporations who have exploited environmental resources for profits and polluted carelessly. Great wealth has been generated and is now held by stakeholders who have taught populations the consumerism that is now condemned. 

Control of populations 

Since the early 20th century, urbanization has accelerated. At the start of the 20th century, half of Americans lived on farms. The number of farms in the US has steadily declined from 7 million in the 1930s to 2 million today.

The impact of this massive shift in how people live, and work is that vast populations are completely disconnected from the land and obligated to be consumers of food and goods with little choice or say in how they are produced. This alienation is often the root of indifference to environmental issues across the world.

Making the individual a stakeholder

Fostering engaged, self-determining communities that care for the environment would require whole populations to regain sovereignty that has been ceded to commercial and governmental interests, with critical thinking and reflection on how the present environmental challenges have arisen. 

Many governments espouse behavioral change, sustainability, and reduced resource consumption as the key solutions to the environmental challenges of the 21st century, but without the reclamation of personal responsibility and equitable access and ownership of land, these changes are likely to be cosmetic.

The environment affects everyone

For many people, their immediate environment in a city or town is completely removed from rainforests, rivers, deserts, and the natural disasters we hear about on the news.

Caring for their environment may involve picking up litter, recycling, or choosing to drive an electric car. It is hard to see how the daily activities of running a household and feeding oneself are connected to famines and droughts.

Many countries are geographically and economically shielded from the stark consequences of environmental degradation, but they cannot be indefinitely insulated. Famine, war, and migration are capable of reaching any shore, and decades of unrestrained pollution affect the health of everyone.

Caring for our environment is a must if we want to guarantee ourselves a healthy life, as well as a good life for future generations. Our environment is life-sustaining and must be preserved for all.

How can we save our Earth?

Across the world, people are rightly concerned about the state of the environment and want to take action to make things better. The are numerous initiatives and protest movements that are pressing for urgent changes to the way we live to mitigate environmental damage. 

However, the steps that need to be taken aren’t specific actions, behavioral or lifestyle changes. These are superficial as long as the stakeholders who undertake the most polluting activities for profit on an industrial scale can continue to do so without meaningful change.

In many countries, a significant amount of the waste the people diligently separate for recycling is landfilled because it costs ‘too much’ money to recycle. Electric vehicles run on electricity generated by cutting down trees and shipping them thousands of miles to be burnt, all for profit. Groceries clock up thousands of air miles when they could have been grown locally.

Here are some thoughts on how the environment can be helped:

Regain individual sovereignty

We’re only going to care for the environment when we cultivate personal responsibility and see ourselves as stakeholders in the environment we live in. We need to push back against the disenfranchisement that comes with consumerism and dig deeper.

Take time to learn about the state of our environment and its root causes, drawing information from a range of sources that you can critically evaluate. Think objectively about the way we live and the true cost of convenience in advanced economies.

Develop productive local communities

Armed with personal sovereignty, people can come together and reason to gain a collective, objective understanding of why environmental change has happened and what needs to be done. With cooperation, productivity can shift from taking place at a national or international level to a local scale so communities become resilient and truly sustainable.

Strengthen national sovereignty

With strong, locally productive communities, nations become better equipped to manage their environment by harnessing the skills and expertise of their population to develop strong domestic economies. 

Rather than selling out to supranational interests, lawmakers and governments can hold these corporate and financial entities to account so that they have to change their polluting activities at their own expense.

As Steve Cohen from the Columbia Climate School states;

“I believe that on a more crowded planet, with instant and inexpensive global communication, a company that engages in wanton acts of environmental destruction will not survive long in the marketplace.”

Develop a less opportunistic global economy

We live in societies that are dominated by the demands of economic systems rather than what is best for individuals, communities, and the environment. This has led to the prioritization of global economic agendas and profiteering at the expense of environmental welfare and authentic sustainability.

Not everything should be done because a profit can be made, but until countries regain their sovereignty, they and their citizens are largely captive to a way of living that damages the environment and generates vast profits for a small group of people.

A step in the right direction would be nations coming together to insist that the crippling debts that prevent poorer countries from developing basic infrastructure for sanitation, waste management, and other environmental problems are canceled.

So why should we care for the environment? Because we need change!

Caring for the environment is really caring for ourselves, but it needs to be done with understanding rather than superficial choices and activities that do not contend with the sources of large-scale environmental degradation.

By making the decision to become an engaged and informed citizen, you can start to build grassroots communities that are truly sustainable and hold the sovereignty and power to hold the corporate polluters to account.

The average American produces 4.51 pounds of trash a day up from 2.68 pounds in 1960. Recycling has long been touted as the solution, but there are downsides to recycling too.

Pros and cons of recycling

Recycling can be an important part of waste management: effective recycling of all kinds of materials can prevent them from clogging up landfill, polluting the environment, and can avoid the environmental strain caused by manufacturing new items.

However, there are many issues associated with recycling. It’s important to understand these complexities in order to make more eco-friendly decisions not only around how you deal with your waste, but in how you live your life more generally.

Advantages of recycling

Before we dive into the issues and challenges associated with recycling, let’s take a look at the benefits of this approach and why it can be valuable in some circumstances.

Recycling helps reduce pollution

Traditionally, the world has dealt with its trash in one of two ways, both of which cause pollution:

In addition to these types of pollution, landfill also causes other kinds of environmental degradation. Most notably, large tracts of native habitats are cleared to make way for landfill, resulting in deforestation, which can, in turn, threaten endemic species, lead to water scarcity, and contribute to climate change.

One of the major benefits of recycling is that it can greatly reduce the amount of trash we send to landfills or incinerators, helping to reduce pollution as well as avoid other environmental problems associated with these approaches.

Additionally, responsibly recycling hazardous waste ensures that it won’t pollute the environment and threaten human health. For example, one quart of engine oil can contaminate over two million gallons of fresh water if not disposed of properly.

For advice on how to recycle or otherwise responsibly dispose of tricky household items, see our posts on LED light bulbs, kitchen knives, propane tanks, and broken glass.

Recycling cuts energy and resource use

By recovering materials rather than sending them to landfill, we don’t need to mine or manufacture new ones, thereby protecting our planet’s limited resources.

Furthermore, the mining and manufacturing industries damage the environment in a range of ways from clearing native habitats to leaching toxins into the soil and waterways and emitting greenhouse gasses which contribute to climate change.

Therefore, recycling materials can help to scale back these activities and reduce their negative impacts on the environment.

Recycling also helps to save on the energy needed to make these new products and materials. Although the recycling process uses some energy, this is generally much less than manufacturing new materials.

Glass, for example, requires less energy to recycle than manufacture, as existing glass melts at much lower temperatures than its raw materials. In this way, recycling helps to reduce fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as having economic benefits.

Recycling raises awareness of environmental issues

Getting people to recycle can have impacts far beyond the initial effect of recycling that plastic bottle or BRITA filter. By getting more involved in this process and making an effort to dispose of our trash more responsibly, we become more conscious of our eco-footprint.

Essentially, going through our trash and recycling what we can makes us think about the environment and how we impact it, on a regular basis. It makes us think about how much waste we create, and may well encourage us to take steps to reduce this.

Furthermore, for anyone who wants to be more eco-friendly, recycling can be an easy first step to take, as well as being a great way to teach kids about environmental issues. It can also be an important part of a mindset shift that may open people up to be more environmentally-friendly in other ways too.

In some cases, this can pave the way for other lifestyle choices that go even further to protect the planet, such as composting, installing solar panels, or avoiding palm oil.

Recycling can save you money

Not only can recycling be beneficial to the environment, but it can also be advantageous to your wallet.

You can make money through recycling certain materials, most notably some types of metals – learn how here. You’re unlikely to earn large amounts this way, but it’s something!

Some towns also offer cash incentives for recycling glass items or aluminum cans. Products made from recycled materials are often cheaper, so opting for these kinds of products can save you some cash.

The recycling industry creates jobs

Recycling is a labor-intensive process: large numbers of people are needed to run recycling facilities, from transporting and processing waste to creating new products from recovered materials. In this way, the industry can create a range of skilled and semi-skilled jobs.

Ecocycle.org estimates that we would generate around 1.1 million jobs in the USA if the recycling rate increased to 75%. Currently, we recycle around 30% of solid municipal waste.

According to the same organization, recycling and reuse creates nine times more job opportunities than incinerators and landfill sites.

Furthermore, the recycling industry has the potential to drive economic growth, creating new jobs as it does.

Pitfalls of recycling

While recycling can be environmentally, socially, and economically beneficial, the wide-spread and aggressive campaigns promoting it over the past few decades have overlooked its risks and downsides. This has also led to it becoming something of a band-aid solution that can allow us to overlook the more challenging, underlying causes of our waste problems.

Our recyclables may be exported

China took almost half of the world’s recycling waste for decades until they banned the process in 2018. In the years immediately before the ban, many Western countries exported large volumes of their recyclables there: in 2016, the US alone sent them 16 million tons of paper, metal, and plastic.

Of these, around one-third were not recycled due to contamination and ended up littering the Chinese countryside and oceans instead. We continue to send our recycling to low-income countries across the world, such as Kenya, Senegal, Ethiopia, Ghana, Laos, Bangladesh, and Cambodia.

Not only does this pass the waste problem on to others who are probably less equipped to deal with it, but it means we lose control of the process and how much of these materials are actually recycled. Not to mention the greenhouse gas emissions generated by transporting literal mountains of trash across the globe.

We also lose control of how this waste is handled, as the Chinese example shows: around 1.5 million metric tons of plastic is dumped off the coast of the country every year. It’s disturbing to think how much of this may be our own waste that we dutifully sent to recycling.

Furthermore, as more countries institute bans against accepting foreign recyclables – Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia quickly followed China and introduced laws against importing plastic waste – we need to look for other options. As a result, we’re increasingly relying on countries with poor environmental protections, opening this situation up to even worse impacts on the planet.

Recycling inadvertently encourages us to use disposable items

Critics say that recycling gives us a false sense of security, as it makes us feel like we’re solving our waste problem when really it’s only slowing down or delaying the damage we’re causing the environment. 

Recycling isn’t really the ultimate solution to pollution and waste management as it uses large amounts of energy, is expensive, and can be hazardous to people and the environment if not done properly.

Furthermore, plastics can only be recycled a limited number of times: usually once or twice, so we still need to keep manufacturing more plastic items.

It can even encourage us to use non-recyclable materials. For example, not all plastics are readily recyclable, but many people don’t understand this, so may use them under the false assumption that they can be recycled.

In this way, recycling can potentially do more harm than good by allowing us to justify using disposable items, not to mention using energy and resources as well as producing pollution and greenhouse gasses during the manufacture of these items and during the recycling process itself.

Recycling programs also fail to address our biggest source of waste. In the US, food waste makes up the biggest proportion of municipal trash.

Food can’t be recycled, so by focusing on recycling as the main solution, we’re overlooking this key issue. Food waste not only clogs up landfills and emits pollution as it breaks down there, but producing much more food than we need has a range of negative impacts on the environment, from the use of toxic fertilizers and pesticides to contributing to climate change.

Recycling requires consumers to carefully prep their recycling

Another major problem is it relies on individuals to prepare their recyclables properly before putting them out curbside or sending them to a recycling facility.

Recyclables can be contaminated by food waste or because they’re mixed with materials the recycling facility won’t accept, such as straws and plastic bags. Such items are a huge red flag for recycling centers as they could get stuck in machinery and damage very expensive equipment.

If items are not thoroughly cleaned and properly sorted it not only makes that item unrecyclable, but it contaminates the whole load. Essentially, one greasy food container could mean that an entire truck of recyclable materials gets sent to landfill.

Recycling uses energy and can generate pollution

Unlike reducing and reusing, recycling is a fairly energy-intensive process. Unless this energy is produced from renewable sources, it means relying on finite fossil fuels, which also generates greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change.

Waste to energy plants could be a solution to this issue, but are not common in the USA.

Although recycling generally consumes less energy than sourcing and producing new materials, it’s better to avoid this energy use at all, for example, by reducing our consumption.

Properly recycling everything from plastic to silicon does not generally cause pollution and eliminates the soil, air, and water pollution caused by other forms of waste disposal. However, if the recycling process is not managed properly, it can contaminate the environment in a range of ways.

Electronics, for example, are sometimes sent to developing countries for recycling, where non-recyclable components may be thrown out, polluting land and waterways if that country doesn’t have strong regulations in place to prevent this.

Likewise, if plastics are not processed properly, they can release VOCs, volatile organic compounds, when they melt, which pose a risk to both human health and the environment. This can be damaging to human health, as well as pollute the local environment, threatening plants and animals.

Along with environmental risks, there can also be safety risks for workers if facilities are not properly managed. For example, If facilities don’t take proper safety precautions, workers may be exposed to toxic components when they hand-sort trash or handle recyclable materials.

Recycling is actually expensive

Recycling is an expensive process, and this is even more true of the initial costs required to set up recycling programs and infrastructure in the first place.

Import bans from China and other countries have also made recycling less economically viable. Just a few years ago, local governments across the US could make money selling recyclable materials.

These sums were generally modest – not a substantial revenue stream, but enough to make it worthwhile for sanitation departments to recycle all kinds of materials. However, now the situation has completely reversed, with towns needing to pay huge sums of money to run their recycling programs.

The US’ dependence on exporting recyclables for so many years meant that, unlike some European countries for example, we never developed extensive recycling infrastructure, exacerbating these issues.

The comparative cost of recycling also depends on other waste disposal options and how expensive they are. For example, in the US, it’s relatively easy and affordable to find space for landfills, making recycling programs a less attractive option.

This cost-benefit ratio relationship means some materials are more difficult to recycle than others and makes the future of recycling uncertain. Around 100 towns have already suspended their curbside recycling programs.

The real question is how long will cash-strapped local authorities sponsor our addiction to disposable materials?

How can we fix the recycling problem?

One solution that would address some of the issues associated with recycling in the US would be to invest in recycling systems and infrastructure. This would make the process more efficient and cost-effective, making it more viable for local authorities to sponsor local recycling programs.

In turn, this would reduce our reliance on exporting our recyclable materials, giving us more control over how much of our waste is actually recycled and under what conditions, and avoid dumping our waste problems on other countries.

This investment would also need to be matched by a commitment by authorities to sponsor recycling programs, as even with better infrastructure, these processes are still costly. 

Encouraging businesses to use recycled materials in their products would also help to expand the domestic market and make recycling more economically viable, though it’s unlikely to cover all costs.

Legislation to restrict or eliminate landfill could also be part of the solution. Making it more expensive to send our trash to landfill would make recycling comparatively more affordable.

Simply put, as things stand, we make it too easy to send waste to landfill, passing the cost on to the environment instead.

A more radical approach could be to pass the cost of recycling disposable materials on to the companies that produce them, such as by requiring brands to pay a deposit or penalty for selling products in certain types of packing or containers. This would ultimately pass the cost on to the consumer, as manufacturers would undoubtedly put their prices up accordingly.

However, it would also encourage both brands and their customers to explore other options, including truly zero-waste solutions.

Although these steps can help to make recycling more efficient and cost-effective, a big part of the solution should also be pursuing alternatives in order to reduce our reliance on recycling.

Viable alternatives to recycling

While recycling undoubtedly has its place in both waste management and living an eco-friendly lifestyle, it’s not the end of the story. In fact, recycling should arguably be seen as a last resort after you’ve tried other approaches to dealing with and eliminating waste.

Go zero-waste

A zero-waste approach can go a long way to minimize our impact on the environment. There are a range of ways to achieve a zero-waste lifestyle, such as:

• Only buy products in reusable containers, and get refills of everything from grains to shampoo
• Compost your organic waste
• Look for zero-waste products such as toothpaste, deodorant, and even toilet paper
• Get creative and reuse, repurpose, and upcycle whenever possible
• Buy second-hand clothing and accessories rather than new items

Going completely zero-waste can be a challenge, especially at first. However, avoiding single-use plastics with reusable bottles, coffee cups, and shopping bags can be a good start.

Opt for quality over quantity

Another powerful way to reduce both our rate of consumption and the amount of waste we produce is by buying quality products.

Society has become geared toward cheap, disposable products. Much of what we buy today, from clothing and electronics to single-use plastics, is only built to be used for a short period of time before it breaks, wears out, or stops working.

On the surface, this doesn’t matter, as we can easily buy a replacement for a nominal cost. However, the cost is passed on to the environment through the additional drain on resources and energy needed to manufacture new items, not to mention the waste that is produced.

In contrast, when we buy good-quality items that last a long time, they don’t need to be replaced so often, so we throw away less. Additionally, less energy and resources need to be used to produce the replacement items we buy.

We can even go a step further and try to cut down on the amount of stuff we buy entirely. It’s important to buy quality-made products, but in some cases, we can avoid buying anything at all by adopting a more minimalist approach.

Repair rather than throw away

All too often, we throw away items that could be as good as new with a little TLC. Your toaster breaks, and instead of taking it to the repair shop, you jump online to buy a new one.

Likewise, the heel comes off your favorite pair of boots (an easy fix), and you buy a new pair, or rather than mending a ripped seam in that near-new sweater, you get a new one.

The low cost and easy availability of all kinds of consumer items are largely to blame for this: it’s often quicker and even cheaper to buy a replacement than to have it repaired (or fix it yourself).

However, the cost to the earth is immense: every new product we buy takes energy and materials to make and probably produces pollution in the process. What’s more, our old item becomes trash that ends up in landfill or pollutes our waterways.

In contrast, repairing things typically involves minimal use of energy and resources, making this a huge net gain for the environment.

Should we skip recycling?

The short answer to this question is no: we shouldn’t ditch recycling entirely. Recycling can be an effective way to deal with trash and can form a vital part of a multifaceted approach to waste management and looking after the environment more generally.

However, over-reliance, particularly using recycling as an excuse not to pursue other tactics, is highly problematic, especially over the long term.

Arguably, we should see recycling as a short-term solution while we restructure how society functions, from production to consumer habits, in order to slash the amount of waste we produce or, better still, eliminate it entirely.

Check out our guides to recycling difficult items like cork and razor blades, and learn more about going zero-waste.

This considered approach to harnessing resources maintains them so they can be harnessed over the long term. Sustainability has the potential to transform society with a new generation of high-longevity enterprises that are self-sustaining.

This article explains sustainability and shares 20 real-world examples of thriving businesses and projects that embrace sustainability.

What is sustainability?

Sustainability is the ability for an activity or process to be supplied and supported continuously over an indefinite period or at least a long time. Sustainable commercial or industrial activities minimize their environmental impact and consumption of natural resources.

In recent times, sustainability has come to the fore as governments, think tanks, and other stakeholders look for solutions to problems like environmental degradation and the depletion of natural resources. Sustainable business practices could lead to meaningful change and improvements regarding biodiversity loss and pollution while providing economic stimulus through innovative new sectors.

We categorize sustainability as economic, environmental, or social. Environmental sustainability is focused on resource conservation, while social sustainability involves diversity, inclusion, and equity to ensure that enterprises or projects can maximize their engagement. Ideally, environmentally and socially sustainable projects will be economically sustainable, providing long-term economic growth on a local or national scale.

20 examples of sustainability from around the world

The best way to understand sustainability is to see it in action in real-world scenarios. These 20 examples come from around the world, with businesses and organizations of all sizes finding ingenious ways to be productive in a sustainable way. Take a look at these remarkable examples of sustainability:

1. Mobius Farms’ Black Soldier Fly larvae farming in Australia

Mobius Farms in Barossa Valley, South Australia, is an excellent example of sustainable and innovative agriculture, turning food waste into a protein-rich animal feed with commercial value.

This farm breeds the black solider fly, a common fly species known for its fat and protein-rich larvae used to supplement feed for chicken and other livestock and pets.

Mobius Farns collects large volumes of food waste from hospitality businesses, breweries, and caterers. Voracious black soldier fly larvae feed on this waste and produce nutrient-rich manure that farms and community gardens can use.

These little critters are so efficient that one kilo of harvest-ready black soldier fly larvae can consume more than 4 kilos of food waste. The process is entirely sustainable and requires minimal water and land. The farm sells live, dead, and dehydrated larvae to farms and the public.

2. Sambhav’s reclamation of degraded land in India

The work of Sabarmatee and her father, Radhamohan, in Odisha State, India, is an amazing example of how degraded land can be reclaimed to become fruitful and productive long-term. 

In 1988 the father-daughter duo purchased an acre of degraded land. This was done as an experiment to see if the land could be transformed into a forest using simple organic techniques. When they began their project, organic farming was not widespread in India, so they has to acquire knowledge and expertise as they went along.

Their efforts in transforming the land into a fertile, naturally irrigated food forest were successful, and the land reclamation has grown to a humbling 90 acres and initiatives to provide local communities with food and occupation.

Sabarmatee continues her father’s work under an NGO called Sambhav, teaching organic cultivation techniques, cataloging heirloom seeds, and furthering Indian ecological conservation.

3. The Zero-Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) movement in India

The ZNBF movement is another Indian initiative creating a new, sustainable, and inclusive way of participating in agriculture. ZBNF involves farming a variety of livestock and crops without using synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or other agricultural materials. The cost of raising crops is kept as close to zero as possible so that the farmer can generate a profit.

With ZBNF, farms rely on locally available natural resources that can be gathered and used for free. This farming system uses special techniques based on ancient knowledge to minimize the need for irrigation and develop nourishing fertile soils.

ZBNF has been championed by Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, who believes that Indian agriculturalists and farmers need to relearn ancient farming techniques and sharpen and scale them for modern use. He has championed ZBNF as part of India’s ParamparagatKrishiVikas Yojana (PKVY) scheme.

4. Sustainable tourism in Yakutia, Russian Federation

The Sakha Republic (Yakutia) is Russia’slargest territory and home to a wide range of North Asian indigenous peoples who live near the arctic circle. Yakutia has some outstanding natural beauty, with almost 40% of the territory protected in a variety of nature reserves, more than double the UN’s global target of 17%.

Yakutia is harnessing the wealth of its natural beauty and extreme environments to introduce sustainable tourism to the region. Interest in this remote and unusual part of the Earth has been piqued by the success of online content that has documented the lives and culture of the various indigenous peoples of the Sakha Republic, including the popular Kiun B channel on Youtube, which boasts several million followers.

The plans for sustainable tourism in the region involve providing tourists with an immersive experience of the Yakut way of life and traditions at temperatures as low as -90 degrees Fahrenheit (-68 degrees Celsius). Participatory activities and tours are to be offered to nature enthusiasts and explorers, and participants are invited to get involved in the efforts to protect the vast Siberian wilderness for a premium price of $25,000 per person.

5. Sea salt production on the Isle of Wight, U.K

Commercial salt production is a high-energy process that involves salt mining and the forced evaporation of brine under a vacuum (PDV) to produce the typical granular table salt you find in the grocery store.

But sea salt is a far less energy-intensive and more sustainable type of salt, increasing in popularity worldwide. Many countries have a tradition of producing sea salt naturally evaporated by sun and wind in salt pans near coastal waters. Sea salt production has a carbon footprint of a quarter of rock salt and is almost 31 times smaller than PDV salt.

On the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom, Simon Davis of Wight Salt is reviving traditional sea salt making sampling clean coastal waters and evaporating them slowly to create a mineral-rich and delicious sea salt.

Davis produces his sea salt naturally and sustainably by evaporating the salt in salt basins to produce coarse and crumbly crystals that foodies love.

6. Banana leaf tableware, Tamil Nadu, India

With US states like California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, and New York combatting out-of-control plastic pollution by banning single-use plastics, food vendors and caterers are searching for a suitable biodegradable alternative.

Banana Leaf Preservation Technology is an Indian company that has developed a chemical-free, proprietary method of preserving Banana leaves, which usually start to rot after approximately three days. This remarkable process is being used to produce eco-friendly disposable tableware, a multi-billion dollar global industry heavily dominated by plastics. This 100% sustainable material is chemical and water-resistant and suitable for use in the microwave or freezer.

Banana leaf preservation was developed by Tamil Nadu resident, inventor, and eco-activist Tenith Adithyaa. He worked on his process from a young age, experimenting in a homemade lab. His business provides his banana leaf preservation technology to Indian businesses.

7. The Farmer’s Market Coalition, California, USA

The National Farmers Market Coalition is a nonprofit organization that supports the development and growth of farmer’s markets as community assets that safeguard income for growers and other producers by selling directly to the public.

Farmer’s markets are known for their sustainability. The food sold is locally produced, often using less intensive, organic methods. Across the U.S., customers are flocking to local farmer’s markets to access fresh, healthy food that has been produced with environmental responsibility.

The National Farmers Market Coalition ensures that farmers can earn a good living without becoming dependent on contracts with grocery stores, where they struggle to compete with the huge corporate farms that can produce large volumes of food.

By selling via farmer’s markets, smaller farmers can profit from using sustainable farming practices to produce food that does not require high-energy transit to the consumer.

The local communities that are served by the market access healthy food at competitive prices as the farmer does not have the expense of storing or packaging it for a prolonged period before the sale.

Farmer’s markets also drastically reduce the amount of waste generated by food retail. The markets also provide a great educational opportunity, where customers can learn more about the food they eat and sustainable farming practices.

8. Fairphone, The Netherlands

Mobile phones are a massive contributor to electronic waste, with over 150 million smartphones hitting landfills each year. This is one of the worse ways to dispose of electronics, especially as they can leach toxic compounds that cause land and water pollution.

Throwing old or broken smartphones away also leads to the loss of precious metals and rare earth minerals that have to be continually mined, creating environmental damage.

Dutch mobile phone company Fairphone has sought to address these issues by designing a smartphone that is more sustainable and has a much lower environmental footprint than the mainstream models.   The company, founded in 2013, has been producing a unique modular smartphone that has components that can be easily removed and replaced by the consumer.

By making smartphones that can be repaired and customized by the consumer, the Fairphone prolongs its service life. Damage to a single part of the phone can be easily repaired without discarding the whole phone. Fairphone can reduce the CO₂ emissions associated with its phones by 30% just by increasing the lifespan of its phones by two years.

In addition, Fairphone has established fair trade relationships with miners who mine the minerals and metals used in their electronics, ensuring they are paid a living wage. Customers find it easy to recycle their phones with Fairphone, where all components will be put to good use.

9. The Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA), San Diego, California

The Zero Waste movement, led by the Zero Waste International Alliance, based in San Diego, California, has been successful in engaging the public in actionable and impactful consumer choices that can tangibly drive down the massive amounts of waste generated by product packaging.

The movement started in the early 2000s and developed from the Grassroots Recycling Network (GRRN) in California and a passionate desire to reduce the amount of waste that was simply being incinerated worldwide. Zero Waste focuses on five areas of action to drive down waste: 

1. Refusal of packaging
2. Reduction in consumerism
3. Reuse of items to maximize their lifespan
4. Recycling of discarded products
5. Rotting of organic matter into compost

Founders and trustees in the ZWIA include academics and industry experts on waste management and recycling. ZWIA is currently active in many countries around the world. Other champions and advocates include Bea Johnson of Zero Waste Home, who famously reduced her family’s annual trash volume to a single jar.

In many places,  the public face of this sustainability movement is Zero Waste stores. These stores shun the use of product packaging and instead encourage customers to bring and fill their containers from a bulk supply of the product they want. Many Zero Waste stores offer a comprehensive range of items that are sold by weight or volume.

10. Recycled race car tires, Tokyo, Japan

Yokohama Tires is one of the world’s leading tire manufacturers. This Tokyo-based conglomerate is renowned for the quality of its racing tires which are used in championship races in Japan. Yokohama has begun to develop performance tires using recycled tires to improve its sustainability profile.

Yokohama has been working on recycled rubber tires for many years. The company has developed a novel tire using a combination of scrap tires, rice husk silica, and natural oils. They have found that the performance of their racing tires has not been negatively impacted by these materials.

The new tires are due to make their debut in the 2023  Super Formula racing season. If successful, Yokohama has the goal of supplying tires with a minimum of 35% recycled material content.

Yokohama Tire’s sustainability drive is continuing with ongoing projects to develop a synthetic rubber material from biomass. They are also researching a recyclable thermo-reversible rubber.

11. CARIB Brewery bottle recycling, The Caribbean

Bottle recycling used to be routine across the Caribbean, with youngsters earning a few cents for every soda bottle they returned to the store. For many Caribbean people, hunting glass bottles for cash was a fun part of growing up; however, the practice has fallen off in recent years, and glass waste on the islands has increased.

This is a massive problem for CARIB Brewery, the Caribbean’s leading beverage producer, which relies on glass bottles being returned to keep its business financially viable. CARIB produces almost one million bottles of beer daily with exports across the disparate Caribbean islands, complete with logistical challenges.

As the only glass bottle producer in the English-speaking Caribbean, CARIB relies on bottles that are returned in a reusable state (up to 90%) with a proportion that will be crushed and recycled. CARIB is so desperate for returned bottles that it currently offers 30 cents per glass bottle returned and over $2 for its valuable plastic crates.

CARIB commercial director Miguel Marquez insists that the return of bottles is also essential to prevent the island of the Caribbean from being marred by waste, which also impacts tourism in the region. The company has launched a campaign in grocery stores to encourage the return of the bottles.

12. Biodiesel production from waste cooking oil, Vernon, California

Baker Commodities, a California company, has made a commodity of waste cooking oils and fasts, which it converts into high-quality biodiesel. This sustainable business has a dedicated biodiesel processing plant that produces diesel and processes rendered fats for international export.

The company has a fleet of waste fat collection vehicles which collect fats from food processors, hospitality, restaurant, food service businesses, and even the military. By collecting waste oil for biodiesel production, it does not have to be disposed of by businesses and organizations, potentially clogging drains.

Baker Commodities takes the collected yellow grease from vegetable oils, tallow, and lard and cleans and filters them. The resultant fats are refined using a transesterification process that converts the fats to high-grade biodiesel.

The company sells its New Leaf Biofuel to Southern California residents. It can be safely used in diesel vehicles. They also offer a version that is blended with petrodiesel for use in haulage fleets and other commercial vehicles.

13. Coppiced woodlands at Fooder Farm, New Zealand

Coppicing is a once-common way of managing woodlands for a sustainable wood supply. Rather than cutting down an entire tree for lumber. Young trees would be cut back to a stump or the trunk and then allowed to regrow, with periodic wood harvesting from the new growth only.

Communities relied on coppiced wood for manufacturing everyday materials like tools, utensils, charcoal, and firewood. Following the acceleration of industrialization after the world wars, the practice became less widespread, with a greater reliance on fast-growing coniferous trees for wood supply.

In New Zealand, homesteaders David and Rebecca Stuart at Fodder Farm are reviving this sustainable form of forestry. The harvested wood is in demand for various woodland crafts, including activities like green woodworking and roundwood building. The staggered harvesting of timber from the dedicated woodlot ensures the trees stay alive and minimizes disease risk.

14. Recycled textiles by Vivify Textiles, Adelaide, Australia

Textile waste is a significant waste management issue. Ninety-two million tons of clothing hits the landfill each year, the equivalent of a full dumpster truck every second. To tackle this problem, Australian company Vivify Fabrics has taken discarded textiles and transformed them into luxury fabrics used in the world’s leading fashion centers.

This unique, sustainable textile company manufactures high-quality fabrics from recycled fibers harvested from discarded clothing and textiles. This makes the business extremely sustainable as these premium fabrics are reintroduced to the luxury market.

The textile waste is shredded and unraveled into its fibers. Natural textile fibers in the textile waste are sorted by material and color to reduce the need for dying. The fibers can then be cleaned and re-spun for weaving into new fabrics or compressed into filler material for mattresses and upholstery.

Vivify Textiles has won several international awards, including the Second Hightex award from Munich Fabric Start in 2018. The Australian Government has also approved and promoted the company as a promoted export partner.

15. Co Cars Car Hire Exeter, United Kingdom

Exeter is a historic U.K. city known for its ancient cathedral, leading university, and fantastic green spaces. The long-term plan for the city involves developing a sustainable transport system that provides residents with easy access to a variety of shared transport options that reduces the need for individual car ownership and the consequent pollution.

Car hire and car clubs provide a sustainable solution for personal transport in a compact city. Exeter’s Co Cars offers residents access to a fleet of electric and hybrid vehicles and electric bikes at convenient locations across the city. Residents can register with the company and hire a vehicle whenever they want for as little as $7 per day. Members are billed per hour and benefit from access to well-maintained personal transport for as long or as little as they require.

16. Repair Cafes in the Hudson Valley and Catskills, New York

Repair Cafes are community events where people gather to learn how to repair and restore a wide range of broken and neglected items. The Repair Cafe initiative started in the Netherlands and has spread worldwide.

By repairing items rather than discarding them, Repair Cafes not only prevent landfill waste but also reduce the expenditure of resources and energy to produce new items. People become empowered to complete simple repairs themselves, saving time and money.

Repair Cafes at Hudson Valley and Catskills offer repair coaches who can help people fix:

• Clothing
• Mechanical items
• Ornaments
• Wooden items
• Small appliances
• Tools

The team can fix most items they encounter, and even when they fail, people learn that repairing items is a valid option when their fail. The cafes have been running since 2013 when volunteer organizer John Wackman brought them into the area.

17. Sustainable seafood, Alaska

Alaska is world famous for its rich stocks of quality seafood and rich fishing heritage. It is also leading the way in the adoption of sustainable fishing practices. Their holistic approach harnesses science to carefully monitor fish stocks so that the marine ecosystems of Alaska can thrive and stay productive for the fishermen.

Where fishing is undertaken sustainably, it provides an extremely environmentally efficient. Alaskan fishing is carefully regulated to ensure that fishermen maintain environmentally responsible practices. Unlike other U.S. states, sustainable fishing is written into the Alaskan state constitution.

The success of sustainable fishing relies on protecting the marine environment and the people who live and work in these fisheries. Local knowledge and expertise are highly valued as it has been handed down through generations. This, coupled with a science-based precautionary approach, means Alaskan fleets respond sensitively to ecosystem changes.

Plus, when catches are landed, the Alaskan authorities ensure that 100% of the fish is utilized to minimize any waste of this valuable natural resource.

18. Sustainable pencil production in Tokyo, Japan

Kitaboshi is one of Japan’s leading pencil companies and has produced traditional wooden pencils for over a century. In Japan, the company leads its industry in using innovative sustainable practices to minimize waste from its manufacturing processes and derive the maximum utility from the wood used.

The Sugatani family, who own the company, sources the wood for the pencils from abundant basswood species that they manage sustainably. The company is widely known for almost entirely recycling the waste wood and sawdust from pencil manufacturing.

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Kitaboshi’s main circular economy product is a special sawdust modeling clay called Mokunen-san which dries to a hardwood finish and can be cut, drilled, varnished, and even composted. The company also produces unusual paint from wood waste, producing a uniquely textured paint finish that can be sanded or carved.

The Kitaboshi factory is open to tourists and educational visits where they demonstrate their manufacturing and wood waste recycling techniques.

19. Mellowcabs, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa

Mellowcabs, founded by Neil du Preez, is a South African company that makes and operates a network of lightweight electrical vehicles in urban centers nationwide. These simple, affordable vehicles provide a cost-effective taxi service that offers safe, emission-free transport for its users.

Commuters book their cabs online, via an app, or by phone and can travel within a three-mile radius of the company’s operating area. This micro transport project has been so successful that Mellowcabs is expanding its operation to include a novel van design for courier and last-mile delivery services.

20. E-Waste Jewelry from Paris, France

The jewelry sector is in the midst of a revolution, realizing that up to 7% of the world’s gold is languishing in disused and discarded electronic devices. Smart and savvy independent jewelers have realized that mining more gold is pointless when there is so much to be reclaimed from electronic waste.

French high-end jeweler Courbet uses precious metals extracted from e-waste alongside its signature lab-grown diamonds. This ecological and creative jewelry features the same fine craftsmanship and quality that the French are renowned for.

In conclusion

As you can see, sustainability is a viable and actionable way of living and working. When done well, new industries and markets are created using our existing resources rather than looking for more.

Companies and organizations that have successfully implemented sustainable practices are engaging the public, demonstrating what can be done to manage resources better and protect our environment.

6 key environmental issues and movements in Japan

With over 125 million people living on a series of islands, Japan is a densely-populated country. It’s also biologically diverse with a range of climates and types of habitats, giving it a unique set of environmental issues and challenges.

The Japanese government and population are rising to this challenge, with a range of innovative solutions and policies, some of which set an example for the rest of the world to follow. Let’s take a closer look at the key environmental issues in Japan, and how the nation is tackling them head-on.

1. Waste management

Waste is a critical global issue, but managing waste is especially problematic in Japan, thanks to its dense population and high level of development. The country is the world’s second-highest generator of plastic packaging waste, with total volumes of municipal waste increasing exponentially since the mid-20th century, as the island nation rapidly industrialized.

Japan has long relied on incineration to deal with the large amounts of waste its population produces, destroying almost two-thirds of its trash this way. While countries like the US send the majority of their waste to landfill, this simply isn’t an option for Japan, which lacks the space to accommodate large landfill sites.

While sending trash to landfill has its own environmental implications, incinerating trash is perhaps even more problematic. It releases particulate matter, toxic chemicals, and heavy metals into the air which can be damaging to the environment as well as to human health.

This is one of the reasons that Japan has high levels of dioxins in its atmosphere, a group of compounds that are classified as persistent environmental pollutants (POPs). Dioxins can accumulate in the food chain, and threaten human health when ingested via food.

In 2001, the US Department of Justice raised issues with Japan over health risks to American service members stationed in the country. The DoJ claimed these deaths were caused by pollution from the Jinkanpo Atsugi Incinerator, and worked with the Japanese government to close the facility.

In recognition of this issue, local communities and municipalities have started introducing initiatives to slash the amount of waste they produce, mostly through recycling. Governments at various levels are supporting this movement through sponsoring technological advancements in incineration and recycling, as well as better packaging labeling and other policies to encourage recycling.

The town of Kamikatsu, for example, set a goal to become zero-waste by 2020. In 2018, the town reported an 81% recycling rate, which is very impressive compared to just under 24% of US municipal waste.

2. Nuclear power and radioactive waste

Japan was one of the countries that is the most reliant on nuclear power, generating around one-third of its electricity prior to 2011, but this has fallen significantly since then. This creates another critical waste management issue: how to deal with radioactive materials.

The nation is making moves to establish an underground storage site for radioactive waste, but the high level of seismic activity in Japan has led to a range of concerns over the underground storage of nuclear waste.

Public support for nuclear energy, which was previously very high, has waned since the 2011 incident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. A tsunami triggered a meltdown at three of the facility’s nuclear reactors when the loss of power caused their cooling systems to fail.

Now only 18% of the Japanese population is in favor of nuclear reactors.

In 2021, Japan attracted international criticism for dumping contaminated wastewater from the decade-old disaster into the Pacific – further highlighting its struggles with dealing with radioactive waste.

Therefore, the long-term solution may be to move towards less problematic sources of energy such as renewables. Japan is already making significant strides in this direction – more on this later.

3. Fishing and whaling

Overfishing is an issue in many parts of the world, but it’s particularly pertinent in the island nation of Japan, whose diet relies heavily on fish and fish products.

The average Japanese person eats around three pounds of fish a day. Therefore, it’s not surprising that the country is one of the world’s biggest catchers of fish, resulting in overfishing in Japan’s waters with consistently declining fish stocks. As a result, Japan has tightened its rules on fishing in recent years.

Whaling is another key environmental issue. Whale meat was an important part of the traditional Japanese diet, served raw and cooked in a number of dishes.

In 1986, Japan banned commercial whaling in 1986, “research whaling” never stopped, and limited commercial whaling in Japan’s own waters resumed in 2018.

On the other hand, the Japanese government emphasizes that it is an important part of their culture and argues that whaling can be conducted responsibly and sustainably. Though they set caps on the number of whales that boats can kill as part of sustainability quotas, this move continues to be met with international outcry.

4. Disappearing coral reefs

In 2016, Japan’s largest coral reef, the Sekiseishoko reef in the Sekisei lagoon experienced a mass bleaching event, destroying around 70% of the coral, with over 90% at least partially bleached.

The reef had been notable not only for its beauty and size, but also its diversity; over 400 different types of coral had been observed there.

The causes of this catastrophic event have been identified as rising sea temperatures due to climate change, as well as the introduction of starfish that eat the coral.

This issue is not unique to Japan, with rising sea temperatures impacting coral reefs all around the world. The world’s largest coral reef, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, has reportedly lost half of its corals over the past 20 years.

The solution also needs to be a global one: scientists argue that we need dedicated, worldwide action to reduce carbon emissions and prevent further rising temperatures, both on land and in the ocean.

5. Protecting biodiversity and endangered species

According to National Geographic, Japan is one of 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world, that is, places where an exceptional number of unique species are surviving under the threat of extinction. Therefore, protecting this biodiversity and preventing important species from becoming extinct is another key environmental challenge the country faces.

Since the 1980’s, scientists have understood the importance of biodiversity and the need to protect every species in order to avoid upsetting the fragile balance of nature’s ecosystems. Japan is made up of nearly 7000 different islands, formed by tectonic activity and spanning a range of climates.

The country’s plants and animals evolved over time, adapting to these conditions, and being left largely untouched in isolation for millions of years. Nearly half of its animals and reptiles and around one-third of its plants are unique to Japan, giving the nation a responsibility to protect them.

It is rising to this challenge, with the Japanese government leading the way with a range of initiatives to protect its unique species and biodiversity. These include working with farmers to reduce their use of pesticides and fertilizers to protect the broader ecosystem, and breeding programs for endangered species.

Many see Japan as setting an example for other countries to follow in protecting their own native species and promoting biodiversity.

6. Japan’s green future: carbon neutral by 2050

In recent years, Japan has become a global leader in carbon neutrality. The world’s fifth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, in 2020 the country announced that it planned to be carbon neutral by 2050.

This will be no mean feat: in 2018, Japan produced more than one billion tons of greenhouse gases, so reducing this to net zero will be an enormous challenge. It will involve completely reimagining the country’s industrial structures and implementing sustainable practices at all levels, from individuals to large companies.

A big part of the government’s approach is heavy investment in new green technologies, from the research and development phase to full-scale commercialization and implementation. To do this, the Japanese government launched a 2 trillion yen ($15 billion) innovation fund in December 2020 which promises to fund everything from next-generation solar panels to hydrogen planes and cargo ships and fuel cell vehicles.

Another initiative is to make sure 100% of all new passenger car sales are of electrified vehicles by 2035, an area where Japan is already a global leader. Other approaches include building post-combustion CO₂ capture plants and massive offshore wind turbines.

Although the plan is being driven by the Japanese government, the business sector is also stepping up, with many companies and business associations adopting low-carbon action plans as part of a shifting culture towards sustainability.

However, it’s important to consider how much this relies on nuclear power: Japan’s plan involves revitalizing its nuclear industry and even building new plants. Given the concerns of nuclear power, and Japan’s particular issues with disposing of reactive waste, this could lead to further environmental and safety issues in the future.

Final thoughts

Though the country is unique in many ways, many of the environmental issues Japan faces are shared by the rest of the world. From coral bleaching and species extinction to dealing with radioactive waste and striving for carbon neutrality, there are a range of lessons we can learn from the island nation, both good and bad.

In particular, the country is taking amazing strides towards becoming carbon neutral in just a few decades, all the more impressive given its status as one of the world’s biggest emitters. However, this approach relies partly on increased reliance on nuclear energy, which comes with its own environmental concerns.

For more on the nuclear power debate, take a look at this guide to the pros and cons of nuclear energy or learn more about the types of renewable energy.

There are many rainwater harvesting benefits; collecting rainwater for household use can make houses and communities more sustainable and reduce pressure on the municipal water supply. This article explains rainwater harvesting and shares 15 key benefits of this water collection technique.

What is rainwater harvesting?

Rainwater harvesting is simply collecting rainwater for use at home or in industry. People harvest rainwater using anything from a simple container, to a sophisticated installation that channels water into dedicated cisterns.

Rather than being absorbed into the ground or becoming surface run-off, the rainwater is directed using sloped surfaces, channels, and gravity into the storage location. For most properties, the roof of the building provides a large surface area for intercepting and channeling rain.

Collecting rainwater can occur at scale, with massive installations providing a large surface area for collections. Regions with flooded forests, sunken basins, or reservoirs can capture large volumes of water from heavy seasonal rains for community use.

Rainwater harvesting also includes systems to collect dew, fog, and mists using nets and condensing devices. Collected water can be stored for use in tanks, cisterns, pits, boreholes, wells, and reservoirs.

Rainwater harvesting has been a feature of almost every major civilization

Rainwater collection is an ancient practice that goes back millennia. There is archaeological evidence of this practice taking place in the Neolithic Age, and rainwater cisterns have been used by the Ancient Egyptians, Minoans, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, and Ancient Timbuktu.

How is harvested rainwater used?

Collected rainwater can be used as a water source for any daily activities that require water. Depending on location and the available infrastructure or plumbing, we can use rainwater for:

• Drinking water
• Laundry
• Personal care
• Household cleaning
• Toilet flushing
• Irrigation
• Gardening
• Replenishment of reservoirs and groundwater supplies

15 rainwater harvesting benefits

Rainwater harvesting is a great way of taking advantage of a freely available natural resource. Even the simplest rainwater collection systems can have many benefits for households. Here are 15 need-to-know advantages of collecting rainwater:

1. Rainwater collection is free (wherever it is allowed)

You may have to pay for water that comes in a bottle or out of a tap, but when it comes to rainwater, this essential natural resource is 100% free anywhere on the earth. Some regions do have water rights regulations (explained in the FAQs), but generally, if it drops out of the sky, it’s yours!

2. Rainwater collection is extremely simple 

The principles of collecting rainwater are simple and can be replicated anywhere in the world. A basic rainwater system exploits gravity and the flow of water to channel water that flows off a sloped surface into a storage vessel.

Simple rainwater collection systems worldwide use roofs and other slanted surfaces and even an ‘upturned umbrella’ design to collect rainfall efficiently for later use. A collection system does not have to be sophisticated or expensive to do a great job of harvesting rain:

3. Rainwater harvesting systems can collect an impressive amount of water

The amount of rainwater you can harvest shouldn’t be underestimated. For every inch of rain you receive, you can collect as much as 550 gallons of rainwater for every 1000 square feet of rainwater collection surface area you have available.

If you live in a temperate region with moderate rainfall or have a monsoon or harmattan season the amount of collected rainwater you can be substantial and boosts your household’s water resilience.

4. Save on mains water for domestic use

Collecting rainwater reduces reliance on a mains water supply for meeting all of your household’s water needs. The average American family can use as much as 300 gallons of water daily, with 70% of this water used indoors.

Collected rainwater provides a water source that offsets this volume. Stored rainwater can be immediately used for outdoor uses like watering plants, and car washing and may be plumbed in to supplement the domestic water supply for laundry and flushing the toilet.

5. Rainwater collection can be used anywhere in the world

Precipitation can be harvested for use in the most extreme environments on earth, and for many populations is an important method for accessing water. 

In desert environments, sub-surface desert water harvesters can be used to collect precipitation and surface run-off water while preventing stored water from evaporating. Micro catchment systems like these have been used in semi-arid and arid regions to provide water for wildlife and can even be used to feed long-term underground water storage.

In extremely cold environments, where households do not have a mains water supply, snow is routinely collected in containers and heated for household use.

6. You can save money by harvesting rainwater

Accessing water from a municipal water supply costs money, with many countries instituting water meters for the measurement and billing of water consumption. In the United States, the EPA reports that a family can expect to pay at least $1000 annually to water companies for the water they use.

The monitoring of water consumption has proved to be a great incentive for reducing water use. Rainwater collection can help by instantly providing families with an unmetered water supply that can be used to reduce billed water consumption.  An efficient rainwater harvesting system can save homeowners as much as 40 to 50% of their water bill!

7. Harvesting rainwater saves energy

If rainwater harvesting was routine, there would be a massive decrease in demand for municipal water supplies. This would also lead to a reduction in the energy consumption required to draw, treat and deliver mains water to homes. This more renewable water source also requires zero energy for collection and storage furthering its environmental benefits.

8. Rainwater harvesting can reduce groundwater demand

Many countries around the world are finding that they can ease the demand for precious groundwater supplies by using rainwater collection systems. Iraq is a relatively arid country that has implemented rainwater conservation projects to safeguard its groundwater which forms about 14% of the country’s water supply.

With the support of UN Aid, local environmental scientists are installing rainwater collection systems using ponds and dams to protect the deep aquifers that take a long time to be replenished.

9. Rainwater is a valuable supplemental water supply during drought

If you’ve experienced your water company instituting a hosepipe ban during long hot summers, you will understand the benefit of having an independent supply of water on your property. Water collected during periods of wet weather can prove invaluable in times of drought, where it can be freely used to water a garden.

Many gardeners maintain a rainwater collection system for this reason. The stored water can be used to maintain irrigation systems, and in agricultural settings, ensure that livestock and plants can be sustained in hot, dry periods.

10. Reduces the erosion caused by stormwater run-off

Stormwater is a massive environmental problem causing up to $2.2 billion of damage in urban areas alone. Uncontrolled and undirected surface run-off from storms is a major cause of flooding, property damage, soil and land erosion, and harm to aquatic life.

Proactive integration of rainwater harvesting in the design of buildings could massively impact this global problem. By routinely including robust rainwater collection systems in urban architecture, towns, and cities could prevent the damage associated with stormwater and recover valuable water resources for residents.

11. Rainwater can be used as a source of drinking water

Though rainwater is not potable in its natural state, it can be collected and treated to provide households with drinking water. This is an ideal solution for remote properties that may not have access to a mains water supply and want to maximize their natural water sources. On-site water filtration and treatment systems for rain, well, or spring water add significantly to the cost of a rainwater harvesting system.

12. Supports water self-sufficiency

A reliable clean water supply is essential for consistent off-grid living. Many properties that are not mains connected may have a spring or well available, but they may not be able to fully meet household demand. By adding rainwater harvesting, households can establish a truly independent water supply.

People can do this by maintaining a store of rainwater that can sustain a household until it rains again. A rainwater collection system that can collect enough water to do this requires professional design and installation to ensure that adequate surface area is available to catch rainfall.

13. Rainwater is soft!

A popular benefit of rainwater is that it does not contain the hardness that can affect mains water. Water hardness is because of the presence of magnesium and calcium salts that are present in the groundwater drawn for municipal water supplies. Hard water buildups cause limescale, with damage to appliances like washing machines and dishwashers.

Rainwater has no hardness and is ideal for laundry and other uses where water softness is valuable. In fact, many people in hardwater areas actively collect rainwater because of its softness and use it for car washing, laundry rinses, and watering plants.

14. Rainwater systems can be sized to meet your household needs

Rainwater collection systems are infinitely scalable and can be sufficiently large to meet some or all of a household’s water requirements. In fact, the world’s largest rainwater harvesting system in Karnataka, India collects as much as 4 billion liters of rainwater from a network of collection systems on school rooftops in the region.

15. Installation of a rainwater harvesting system can increase the value of your home!

A high-specification rainwater collection system is a positive modification to your property that could increase its value, especially as the awareness of eco-friendly homes has increased. A prospective buyer would have the benefits of an independent water supply and reduced water bills which are tangible benefits in a similar way to a solar panel or wood-burning stove.

Frequently asked questions about rainwater harvesting

What are some of the disadvantages of rainwater harvesting?

When it comes to harvesting rainwater for use, it’s not all benefits. Here are some of the key disadvantages of collecting rainwater:

• Rainfall can be unreliable, meaning that a home rainwater harvesting system may not be able to provide your household with water consistently.
• The capital costs of installing a modern rainwater collection system can be high.
• Rainwater storage may take up productive space on your property.
• Rainwater harvesting systems require regular maintenance to ensure that they do not become blocked, unsanitary, or infested.
• Roof materials and conditions may be a source of contamination of rainwater run-off.

Is rainwater collection legal in the United States?

In the United States, the collection of rainwater is regulated as a natural resource and in some states, the collection of rainwater on your property is frankly illegal. This is because certain states consider that the collection of rainwater deprives neighbors of having access to the volume of water you collected via groundwater supplies. States that restrict rainwater collection include:

• Utah
• Colorado
• Idaho

All states are beginning to recognize the importance and benefits of rainwater collection, so these prohibitions may be relaxed in the near future.

How much does a home rainwater collection system cost in the US?

The costs of a home rainwater collection system will vary according to the level of sophistication and any post-collection water treatment. Prices can range between $120 for appropriate gutting and a pair of large barrels to over $21,000 for a system with cisterns, filtration and plumbing so that it functions like a well or spring home water supply.

Can you drink rainwater?

According to the Centers for Disease Control, untreated rainwater shouldn’t be consumed. This is because rainwater often contains atmospheric pollutants and contamination that have been washed into the collected water. Microorganisms that are present in untreated rainwater include amoebas, bacteria, and parasites.

Untreated rainwater can be used straight from the barrel for laundry, flushing toilets, and watering plants. Water for drinking, cooking and personal care should be treated before use.

How do you treat collected rainwater for drinking?

Stored rainwater will need to go through several treatment steps to become potable. Water treatment is one of the main costs that can make rainwater harvesting expensive. This is because it is multistage, to ensure that all contaminants are removed from the water. The main stages of rainwater treatment are: 

1. Filtration: Removal of large and solid contaminants by passing the water through mesh and steel filtering layers. Vortex filtration also helps to remove sediments in the rainwater and oxygenate it. 

2. UV treatment: Ultra-violet light is used to kill pathogens and microorganisms that may be present in the water. This stage can only take place once the water has been thoroughly filtered from particulates that could shade microbes from the UV rays.

3. Carbon filtration: Carbon filtration is an additional treatment step that can make the water more palatable and ensure that any remaining substances are adsorbed.

4. Storage of water in a cool dark environment that prevents microbial growth or infestation.

In conclusion

Rainwater harvesting can prove to be an effective method of conserving water. Collecting rainwater can help your household become more self-sufficient and save on mains water costs. In the US, there is increasing recognition of the benefits of rainwater harvesting, meaning that it is legal in most states.

Our environment is all we have. If we don’t take care of it who will? The following quotes on sustainable development are some of the many ways that we can learn and understand the importance of sustainable development.

I have compiled a list of the best quotes on sustainability to help us understand better the whole concept.

64+ quotes about sustainability

Let’s get into our list of quotes about sustainability and sustainable development. We will break out the quotes into the following categories: famous quotes, food sustainability quotes, hard-facts quotes, inspiring quotes and short quotes.

This will help you find your favorite quotes to live by and use to continually improve your sustainability efforts.

Famous quotes about sustainability

1. “The best way to predict future is to create it.”

– Peter Drucker

2. “Sustainable development is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

– Gro Harlem Brundtland

3. “Sustainability is a political choice, not a technical one. It’s not a question of whether we can be sustainable, but whether we choose to be.”

– Gary Lawrence

4. “There must be a better way to make the things we want, a way that doesn’t spoil the sky, or the rain or the land.”

– Paul McCartney

5. “Our biggest challenge in this new century is to take an idea that seems abstract – sustainable development – and turn it into a reality for all the world’s people.”
– Kofi Annan

6. “No matter how complex global problems may seem, it is we ourselves who have given rise to them. They cannot be beyond our power to resolve.”

– Daisaku Ikeda

7. “The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities is the bedrock of our enterprise for a sustainable world.”

– Indian Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi

8. “How long can men thrive between walls of brick, walking on asphalt pavements, breathing the fumes of coal and of oil, growing, working, dying, with hardly a thought of wind, and sky, and fields of grain, seeing only machine-made beauty, the mineral-like quality of life?”

– Charles A. Lindbergh

9. “The first rule of sustainability is to align with natural forces, or at least not try to defy them.”

– Paul Hawken

10. “Without environmental sustainability, economic stability and social cohesion cannot be achieved.”

– Phil Harding

Inspiring sustainability quotes

Here is a list of some inspirational quotes on how to adopt sustainable development.

11. “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.”

– Edmund Burke

12. “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”

– R. Buckminster Fuller

13. “Our ancestors did great work for humanity. What will we do for the next generations?”

– Lailah Gifty Akita

14. “Real human beings take precedence over partisan interests; however, legitimate the latter may be.”

– Pope Francis

15. “We don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.”

– Howard Zinn

16. “Do not wait for extraordinary circumstances to do good action; try to use ordinary situations.”

– Jean-Paul Richter

17. “Building a world where we meet our own needs without denying future generations a healthy society is not impossible, as some would assert. The question is where societies choose to put their creative efforts.”
– Christopher Flavin

18. “We can chart our future clearly and wisely only when we know the path which has led to the present.”

– Adlai E. Stevenson

19. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

– Margaret Mead

20. “The activist is not the man who says the river is dirty. The activist is the man who cleans up the river.”

– Ross Perot

21. “The sustainability revolution will, hopefully, be the third major social and economic turning point in human history, following the Neolithic Revolution – moving from hunter-gathering to farming – and the Industrial Revolution.”

– Prince Charles

Quotes about sustainable food

If we negatively impact nature, water and food are some of nature’s gifts that will become a luxury. If we can’t take care of nature, nature can’t take care of us.

22. “Plans to protect air and water, wilderness and wildlife are in fact plans to protect man.”

– Stewart Udall

23. “A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.”

– Franklin D. Roosevelt

24. “We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.”

– Thomas Fuller

25. “Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.”

– Cree Indian Proverb

26. “Forests and meat animals compete for the same land. The prodigious appetite of the affluent nations for meat means that agribusiness can pay more than those who want to preserve or restore the forest. We are, quite literally, gambling with the future of our planet – for the sake of hamburgers.”
– Peter Singer

27. “If civilization has risen from the Stone Age, it can rise again from the Wastepaper Age.”

– Jacques Barzun

28. “Anything else you’re interested in is not going to happen if you can’t breathe the air and drink the water. Don’t sit this one out. Do something. You are by accident of fate alive at an absolutely critical moment in the history of our planet.”

– Carl Sagan

29. “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”

– J.R.R. Tolkien

See Related: Caring for the Environment – Why It Matters

Hard-facts quotes on sustainable development

Sometimes it is not enough to just inspire people; giving them the hard facts, is some instances the best way. These are quotes on sustainable development that will help us be prudent when making some decisions.

30. “The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function.”

– Albert A. Bartlett

31. “Global warming will not end by Earth finding shade under the trees but under our hands joined together.”

– Agona Apell

32. “What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.”

– Mahatma Gandhi

33. “21st Century choice: Look after our planet, and it will look after us, or don’t and face the consequences.”

– Phil Harding

34. “An act of violence against nature should be judged as severely as that against society or another person.”

– Dr. Michael W.Fox

35. “It angers me when sustainability gets used as a buzz word. For 90 percent of the world, sustainability is a matter of survival.”
– Cameron Sinclair

36. “In America today, you can murder land for private profit. You can leave the corpse for all to see, and nobody calls the cops.”

– Paul Brooks

37. “People ‘over-produce’ pollution because they are not paying for the costs of dealing with it.”

– Ha-Joon Chang

38. “Because we don’t think about future generations, they will never forget us.”

– Henrik Tikkanen

39. “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed.”

– Mahatma Gandhi

40. “Sustainable development is a fundamental break that’s going to reshuffle the entire deck. There are companies today that are going to dominate in the future simply because they understand that.”

– Francois-Henri Pinault

Funny sustainability quotes

Although these sustainability quotes may sound humorous, they are as serious as the lack of water can be to our environment. They intend to help us see the sarcasm in what we do in the name of development.

41. “Until man duplicates a blade of grass, nature can laugh at his so-called scientific knowledge.”

– Thomas Edison

42. “It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment.”

– Ansel Adams

43. “Our life is frittered away by detail…Simplify, simplify, simplify! Simplicity of life and elevation of purpose.”

– Henry Thoreau

44. “The difference between animals and humans is that animals change themselves for the environment, but humans change the environment for themselves.”

– Ayn Rand

45. “Nature provides a free lunch, but only if we control our appetites.”
– William Ruckelshaus

46. “Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.”

– W. H. Auden

47. “Sustainable Development is more than meeting the needs of today and future generations; to my understanding, this definition better fits the sex industry.”

– M.F. Moonzajer

48. “It is not reasonable that art should win the place of honor over our great and powerful mother nature. We have so overloaded the beauty and richness of her works by our inventions that we have quite smothered her.”

– Michel de Montaigne, Cannibales

49. “A politician thinks of the next election. A statesman of the next generation.”

– James Freeman Clarke

Short sustainability quotes

50. “There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew.”

– Marshall McLuhan

51. “Sustainability is here to stay, or we may not be.”

– Niall FitzGerald

52. “We have a duty to care for the environment.”

– Lailah Gifty Akita

53. “Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land.”

– Aldo Leopold

54. “We can never have enough of Nature.”

– Henry David Thoreau

55. “We can’t just consume our way to a more sustainable world.”

– Jennifer Nini

56. “He that plants trees love others besides himself.”
– Thomas Fuller

57. “When the soil disappears, the soul disappears.”

– Ymber Delecto

58. “Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them.”

– Albert Einstein

59. “Consume less; share better.”

– Hervé Kempf

60. “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”

– Robert Swan

61. “Treat the Earth as though we intend to stay here.”

– Crispin Tickell

62. “One planet, one experiment.”

– E. O. Wilson

63. “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”

– Robert Swan

64. “Ownership is a sine qua non of sustainable development.”

– James Wolfensohn

Want more quotes like these? Check out our list of quotes on climate change.

Replaceable BRITA filter cartridges do the hard work of filtering purer, better-tasting water.

But what happens to BRITA cartridges after they are expired? Do you know how to recycle BRITA filters? With BRITA recommending changing the filters every four weeks, the number of filters discarded by a household will soon add up. Are they only fit for the landfill, or is there a way to recycle them? This guide will explain how to recycle BRITA filters and save these useful cartridges from your household waste.

The challenges of recycling BRITA filters

Filtering your tap water at home with a BRITA filter is one of the most effective ways of reducing the number of single-use plastic bottles you use. BRITA should have great ‘green’ credentials because of this, but unfortunately, many of the BRITA cartridges that must be replaced every four to eight months are simply thrown in the trash.

According to Phox, over 100 million disposable water filter cartridges end up as landfill waste each year. For many households, the recycling options are limited as the filters cannot be included in your regular recycling and recycling centers often cannot take them.

The materials inside a BRITA filter are not routinely recycled

BRITA filters aren’t straightforward to recycle because they don’t contain everyday materials. The filters are composed of several proprietary materials that are layered for efficient tap water filtration.

Here’s what’s inside your BRITA filter cartridge or disc:

1. Activated charcoal

Activated charcoal from coconut coir does the main filtration work. It is treated with an inhibitor to prevent microbial growth. The porous charcoal adsorbs contaminants as the tap water passes through it. The use of charcoal removes odors that taint the water and improves its taste.

2. An ion exchange resin

Ion exchange resin removes the calcium and magnum ions that make water hard. This is done by exchanging calcium and magnesium with sodium ions, softening the water. The filter expires when the ion exchange resin becomes saturated with calcium and magnesium.

3. A mesh filter

A fine plastic mesh filter at the top of the filter cartridge removes larger particulates. This prevents coarse material from entering and disrupting the filter.

4. BPA-free Plastic housing

A polypropylene (PP) plastic housing holds together and seals the entire filter. The plastic used is known as Type 5 plastic and is not always routinely recyclable by curbside collection.

In addition, the used filters contain contaminants that may affect the recycling process

Spent BRITA filters are also carrying all the contaminants that they have filtered. These unwanted substances are bound to the different filter layers. Processing waste filters may affect other materials that come into contact with these substances during the recycling process.

So, is it possible to recycle all BRITA filters?

So, how to recycle BRITA filters? Is it even possible?

Thankfully BRITA has recognized the waste that comes with disposable water filter cartridges and, since 1992, has taken decisive steps to ensure they save as many cartridges as possible from landfill.

BRITA was the first company in its sector to establish a centralized recycling program for spent cartridges. They have maintained this program for over two decades and ensure that used BRITA cartridges are either reused or recycled. BRITA has even developed its own regeneration system for renewing filter materials.

At the BRITA headquarters in Tanusstein, Germany a specialist facility that includes wastewater treatment recycles used filters of all types. No components are wasted, and they reuse everything. This short video summarizes the recycling process at BRITA:

What does the BRITA recycling process involve?

BRITA’s recycling process deals with each of the materials that make up its filters. The plastic housing of the filter cartridge is carefully cleaned and ground down into a granulate that can supply the plastics industry.

BRITA then removes and separates the used activated charcoal and ion exchange resin layers. BRITA can reactivate the charcoal layer using specialist techniques so that it can be used for wastewater treatment.

They completely recycled the ion exchange material using extensive chemical and thermal purification. The recycled resin must meet stringent hygiene and quality standards to be used as a fresh ion exchanger in new BRITA filter cartridges.

Is shipping used filters carbon neutral?

Shipping tonnes of used filters all the way to Germany sounds expensive and resource-intensive too. However, BRITA efficiently uses its logistics chain to both supply new stock and retrieve the spent cartridges. BRITA say that their process is so efficient that no additional fuel is required for retrieving spent cartridges.

The recycling process uses much less energy than would be needed to create new plastic and charcoal products.

How to recycle BRITA filters easily

BRITA has run a collection program for recycling used filters for almost 20 years. They have partnered with an expanding number of retailers to set up collection points where you can drop off used filter cartridges while shopping for some new ones. This is the easiest way to recycle your old BRITA filters. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Prepare your used BRITA filter for recycling

BRITA filter cartridges need to be properly prepared for recycling, just like your other household items. The main issue with BRITA filters is moisture which can breed mold. Ensure that your cartridges are superficially clean, thoroughly dried out, and bagged before recycling them.

2. Carry your used filters to your local BRITA retailer

BRITA has established relationships with major retailers like supermarkets, grocery stores, department stores, and hardware stores. Retailers may provide a dedicated BRITA box or a community recycling hub where you can recycle items like batteries, beverage pods, coffee capsules, and water filters from a range of brands.

3. Drop the spent BRITA cartridge in the collection box

Drop your old cartridges in the collection box and continue your day. The used filters are then collected by specialist recycling companies or forwarded to BRITA directly.

How to recycle BRITA filters using TerraCycle

BRITA continues to innovate its recycling program and processes. They have acquired the specialist recycling company TerraCycle as a sustainability partner and rolled out a BRITA products recycling program called the ‘BRITA brigade’ that spans the United States.

What is TerraCycle?

TerraCycle is a US-based recycling company that specializes in collecting and recycling products and materials that conventional recycling plants cannot process. They then use the recovered raw materials in a range of innovative manufacturing processes. Like BRITA, Terracycle can renew and reprocess every element of a BRITA filter cartridge for new purposes.

Use TerraCycle to recycle your BRITA filters

This BRITA filter recycling program may be even more convenient than visiting a store as all you need to do is post your used filters to TerraCycle and they will handle all the recycling in partnership with BRITA.

Here’s how to recycle your BRITA filters using TerraCycle:

Step 1: Set up a TerraCycle account

You will need to set up a TerraCycle account to use TerraCycle to recycle your BRITA filters. You can sign up for TerraCycle at their website. By registering with TerraCycle, you become eligible to earn reward points for your recycling that are turned into donations to schools and charities.

Step 2: Prepare your used filters for recycling

TerraCycle doesn’t require the filters to be clean, but they must be dry for postal services to accept them. Dry out your filters for at least three days to ensure that they will ship without dripping.

Also, TerraCycle advises you should ship at least nine filters or a kilo in weight at a time. If you ship less than this, you won’t earn reward points on your TerraCycle account.

Step 3: Log into your TerraCycle account to download a prepaid shipping label

Once you have enough used filters, simply box them up and send them to TerraCycle for free. To do this, you’ll need to print off a shipping label via the TerraCycle account. Attach the label to the parcel of used filters so they can be shipped to TerraCycle for processing.

Step 4: Ship your used filters for free

Drop the filters off at your nearest post depot for free shipping to TerraCycle. When your filters are received, you will earn reward points on your account.

TerraCycle doesn’t just recycle BRITA filters…

In the US, TerraCycle will recycle anything produced by BRITA. This means that you can use your TerraCycle account to recycle BRITA products that include:

• BRITA packaging
• BRITA bottles and caps
• BRITA flexible plastic pouches
• BRITA jugs and other containers

This particular recycling program is only for BRITA-branded products. Other water filters and products are not eligible as BRITA is sponsoring this program.

How to recycle BRITA filters in Europe and the UK

The TerraCycle program is unavailable in the UK, Ireland, or the EU. BRITA maintains its longstanding program of offering collection boxes for used filters in these regions instead. According to Robert Dyas, a retailer taking part in the collection program, over 3.2 million BRITA cartridges have been recycled in their stores in the last 10 years.

How to recycle BRITA filters in the UK

In the UK, simply drop off cleaned, dried, and bagged filters in the collection boxes at retailers that sell BRITA products, including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Robert Dyas.

How to recycle BRITA filters in Ireland

Again, just drop your used filters in the collection boxes of BRITA retailers, such as PowerCity and many independent retailers.

Rounding up

So, now you know how to recycle BRITA filters easily and safely – it makes using BRITA products for tap water filtration (rather than buying bottled water) an even more environmentally friendly way to keep plastic out of landfills. Being able to fully recycle the filters makes BRITA products a more environmentally friendly choice.

BRITA has worked hard to find new ways to keep as many filters as possible out of the landfill and their partnership with TerraCycle makes this specialist recycling ultra-convenient.

A variety of public-private partnership initiatives incentivize the use of wood pellets as a fuel source, but are wood pellets really as eco-friendly as stakeholders claim? 

In this article, we take a closer look at wood pellets, their production, energy efficiency, and sustainability to answer the question, are wood pellets green?

What are wood pellets?

Wood pellets are a type of biomass fuel made from compressed untreated lumber byproducts like shavings, chips, and sawdust. The wood used in wood chips is usually industrial waste from the lumber milling industry, furniture manufacture, or construction, though virgin wood is increasingly used to create pellets for burning.

Wood pellets are created in large volumes by compacting wood waste in a hammer mill, then forcing the massed wood through a die hole to create a sausage-like pellet of the required dimensions. As the pellets are extruded, the lignin in the wood heats up and bonds the pellet constituents together for easy transport, handling, and storage.

Wood pellets are a renewable energy resource

Wood pellets are considered to be renewable because the wood used to create them can be replaced by planting young, fast-growing trees. Pellets use large amounts of the woody waste that the lumber and manufacturing sectors generate, along with leftover virgin wood from coppicing and land management. 

The energy efficiency of wood pellets

Wood pellets are energy efficient compared to other biomass sources like animal manure, biomass crops, and chemical recovery fuels (biodiesel). This is because many biomass fuels contain a lot of moisture that increases the weight and bulk of the fuel but deteriorates its combustion performance.

Wood pellets enhance their energy efficiency by being exceptionally dry. Most commercially used pellets have a moisture content of 10% or less. The pellets are made by condensing wood chips and flakes under high heat and pressure to make an energy-dense pellet that burns drier and hotter. The addition of natural binders like starch that hold the wood chips together. 

Each tonne of wood pellets has an energy content of 4.6–5.1 MWh/ton with a combustion efficiency of up to 85%. This is equivalent to:

• 500 liters of heating oil (enough to heat the average family home for up to six months) 
• 170 gallons of propane (enough to meet the needs of a 500 sq foot home for over 200 days)
• 16,000 feet of natural gas
• 4,775 kWH of electricity

The pellets are uniform and their energy density is high with predictable energy release, unlike the much lower and variable energy density of biomass or solid wood.

How are wood pellets used?

Wood pellets are a versatile fuel source for both consumer and industry use. Here are the main uses of wood pellets: 

1. Domestic heating and cooking

People use wood pellets in domestic wood pellet-burning stoves and furnaces for home heating and cooking. Manufacturers design these stoves to cope with the high temperatures of wood pellets. The energy density of wood pellets makes them great value for money. When used correctly, these stoves produce very little smoke because of the efficient combustion of the pellets.

2. Power plants

Renewable power stations use wood pellets as a sustainable fuel for generating electricity for the grid. A notable example is the UK’s Drax power station, one of the largest in Europe, which was converted from burning coal to using wood pellets imported from the US.

Drax power station burns 7 million tonnes of wood pellets annually to generate up to 5% of the UK’s electricity.

3. Industry

Wood pellets are being adopted as an alternative energy source for industry. Wood pellets can run industrial boilers for generating heat or electricity for industrial processes. Businesses are keen to use wood pellets because of their high burning efficiency, lower carbon emissions, and easy handling and storage of the resource. 

Why are wood pellets considered ‘green’?

The European Union is one of the primary advocates for wood pellets being a green energy solution. This is baked into the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement which states that the burning of trees to generate heat and electricity is carbon-neutral if new trees are planted to replace the trees that are used. 

Trees are considered a valuable carbon sink, and the planted forests will help remove the CO₂ generated by burning from the atmosphere.

But are wood biomass pellets really ‘green’?

The push for the widespread adoption of wood pellets as a leading fuel source is controversial. Governments who are keen to present wood pellets as a viable renewable alternative to coal and gas have highly incentivized wood pellets.

The apparent energy efficiency, low emissions, and sustainability of wood pellets make them attractive to industry stakeholders and consumers. Wood pellets also have the potential to open up new commercial opportunities based on the production and processing of the pellets. But scientists are divided on whether or not wood pellets provide a net environmental benefit. 

Burning wood pellets still produces air pollution

Though burning wood pellets does not generate the same amount of carbon dioxide, sulfur, mercury, and other unwanted emissions as coal, the pellet-burning power stations are still polluting in real-time. Even with the offset of planting new trees, burning wood pellets can still breach emissions limits and harm the health of surrounding communities.

The production of wood pellets is energy intensive

Closer examination of the production of wood pellets reveals it is an industrial process that consumes a lot of energy. Here are some of the most energy-intensive aspects of processing wood into wood pellets:

• Debarking and washing the wood (factories can also use stripped bark as an energy source)
• Drying the wood with gas dryers
• Processing hardwoods rather than pine for the pellets
• Running pellet presses 
• Pressing the pellets down to a 6 to 8 mm diameter using a 500 horsepower press

Export and transportation of wood pellets add to the CO₂ footprint

Wood pellets clock up extensive mileage after manufacturing, using road rail and sea to reach the end user. Transportation, loading, and unloading of the wood chips consume fuel and add to the CO₂ emissions across the lifetime of the pellets. 

Sea transportation has variable but noteworthy energy and CO₂ costs, especially if the pellets are being transported between continents.

The use of virgin wood is controversial

The sources of wood for pellets have included trees specifically cut down for pelleting. This is in contrast to pellets made from wood scraps or treetops, underbrush and smaller branches left over from logging. Drax has been accused of procuring logging licenses to harvest wood from environmentally important forests in British Columbia.

Wood pellets are only renewable if fast-growing trees are replanted

A critical aspect of the sustainability model for burning wood pellets is the replenishment of forestry resources by fast-growing trees. The trees are essential to offset the carbon footprint from burning the wood pellets. 

But the replacement trees used on plantations are not always fast-growing species that can quickly mature into a carbon sink. There is also the issue of privately owned forests and plantations potentially being sold off for development in future with the loss of planted trees.

Wood pellets are heavily subsidized

One of the most important considerations is that the wood pellet industry is heavily subsidized by governments in the US, UK, and EU. The favorable legislation and funding have made wood pellets able to compete with non-renewables, despite their high processing and import/export costs. 

In the EU, wood pellets are seen as a solution for meeting the Renewable Energy Directive target of 20% of energy sources used across the continent being renewable. The pellets are also seen as a cost-effective way to bring down greenhouse gas emissions, even though the pellets are not emissions-free. 

In response to the funding, a range of business interests have invested in building pellet plants and forestry resources for the wood to be used. However, the political interests in making wood pellets ‘work’ may do so at the expense of its long-term viability. 

Rounding up

As you can see, the use of wood pellets as a sustainable fuel source is controversial. Scientists have carefully modeled the sustainability case for wood pellets but many variables are involved, not least the replanting and ongoing maintenance of forestry resources. 

But, without this carefully balanced model, burning wood pellets is just as green as burning anything else. 

Most people noted that they already recycle, use reusable bags, and avoid single-use plastics. However, green living and sustainable habits go beyond just these three actions. 

So why don’t more people swap their lifestyle choices for greener options? Often, it’s difficult to know where to start. Luckily, there are many books on green living that can help anyone start living a better lifestyle.

Whether you’re looking for recommendations for your home, garden, personal life, or spending habits, these books will equip you with the tools to help fight against global warming and preserve our environment in its true natural spirit.

Let’s dive into some of the best books on green living that will surely inspire you to prioritize sustainable lifestyle choices.

20 of the best books on green living

1. Live Green: 52 Steps for a More Sustainable Life

Live Green is a practical guide of 52 sustainable living changes, one for each week of the year. These are changes you can make to be more self-sufficient and reduce your impact on the environment.

Presented in a colorful, easy-to-understand format, this is one of the best books on green living because it examines all areas of your life: your cleaning routine, home furnishings, food shopping, fashion choices, beauty routine, and even Christmas habits.

Some of the recommendations presented by author Jen Chillingsworth include making your own eco-friendly cleaning products, buying vintage furniture, and making your own moth repellent.

Her green ideas and small steps to help reduce our impact on the planet can also help save you money as well.

2. The Everything Green Living Book: Easy Ways to Conserve Energy, Protect Your Family’s Health, and Help Save the Environment

Are you interested in making more sustainable lifestyle choices, but don’t know where to start? The Everything Green Living Book written by Diane Gow McDilda is an informative guide on green living.

McDilda covers several topics in this book, including ways to get involved on Earth Day, what goes into a green, sustainable house, non toxic cleaning supplies, organic foods, and many more.

Overall, the book presents green topics in an easy-to-understand manner, and because of this it is one of the best books on green living to share with children, teens, or keep on hand to reference later on.

If you’re just starting out on your green living journey, this is a great pick for you. McDilda makes it easy for the average homeowner, family, and individual to apply these sustainable changes to their own lives.

3. Prefabulous and Sustainable: Building and Customizing an Affordable, Energy-Efficient Home

Prefabulous and Sustainable is a highly recommended book on sustainable homes and green living. This book primarily dispels the wrong myths associated with prefab homes. In fact, this book helps the readers to understand the true idea behind green prefab homes.

Author Sheri Koones clearly explains how the prefabricated house is greener, more energy efficient, cost-effective, and sturdier than a site-built home. This book is divided into three basic categories: green, greener, and greenest.

Koones provides examples of sustainable prefab homes that have been customized to offer a level of sustainability beyond the inherent qualities of prefab.

The featured homes differ in terms of design, style, and mode of construction. Most of these homes are capable of offering the highest level of sustainability, making a great case for those with green and sustainable lifestyles.

4. The Green Body Cleanse: How to Live Green & Live Well

The Green Body Cleanse by Dr. Edward Group III is one of the best books on green living focused on organic cleanses. Winner of the Green Book Festival, this work has helped many people change their lives by offering clear, sustainable solutions to cleanse the body, workplace, and home from toxic materials.

Dr. Group explains that when the environment around you is toxic, you can suffer from different diseases. In fact, these toxic elements suppress our body’s self-healing mechanism.

To cleanse the body, Dr. Group asserts, it’s important to shift from eating processed foods to organic foods. This is because, as genetically modified crops, frozen meat, processed milk, white flour, MSG (Monosodium Glutamate), heavy metals, and industrial chemicals are harmful to humans.

With over twenty years of research, tips, recipes, and facts included in this book, The Green Body Cleanse is an informative guide that will allow you to make healthier, greener choices for yourself and the planet.

5. Easy to Be Green: Simple Activities You Can Do to Save the Earth

Easy to Be Green is one of the best books on green living for children who would like to play their part in the fight against global warming. Beside their elders’ efforts, kids can do a lot when it comes to protecting our environment.

This book not only includes tips on how to protect our environment but also coloring pages and simple activities for kids to help save the environment.

From activities like recycling to composting to finding their voice by writing to politicians and talking to people about climate problems and solutions, this book will encourage children (and their caregivers) to take action in their communities.

This work not only talks about sustainable living but also gives practical implications.

For instance, the paper in this book comes from 100% post-consumer waste recycled material and is printed in soy ink.

6. Green, Greener, Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-Smart Choices a Part of Your Life

Green, Greener, Greenest by Lori Bongiorno is one of the most practical, easy-to-implement works on green living available today. Bongiorno includes hundreds of flexible tips on making greener choices that you can use in almost every aspect of your daily routine.

Interestingly, this book offers tips in accordance with the specific budget and schedule of its readers. It helps readers choose the green advice that fits their schedule, their budget, and interests, with the understanding that there’s more than one way to make a difference.

Ultimately, the expansive research and applicability of this work will improve your ability to live a more sustainable lifestyle, no matter your schedule. Making an individual difference is all about your choices to live a more eco-friendly life.

If you’ve been looking to make practical, greener substitutions to your routines, this guide is a great place to start living sustainably and doing your part to make the world a better place.

7. Self-Sufficiency for the 21st Century: The Complete Guide to Sustainable Living Today

Any reader can find their way to a more sustainable lifestyle with Dick Strawbridge and his son, James in Self-Sufficiency for the 21st Century. This book empowers readers to take steps to reduce their carbon footprint and be more self-sufficient.

The book references green living choices such as cutting back on plastic or food waste, growing vegetables, preserving meat and fish, preparing jams and chutneys, or keeping a chicken or two.

This book is particularly unique because its authors know what it’s like to make more sustainable lifestyle changes: they’ve lived on a smallholding, in a terraced house, and even in a chateau.

Now, they’re sharing everything they’ve learned and providing the tools you need for a more rewarding and environmentally conscious life. Check out one of the best books on green living for a realistic, experience-backed take on sustainable lifestyles.

8. Year-Round Solar Greenhouse: How to Design and Build a Net-Zero Energy Greenhouse

The Year-Round Solar Greenhouse is one of the best books on green living to help readers design and build a solar-powered greenhouse that promotes carbon-free sustainable living.

Authors Lindsey Schiller and Marc Plinke have laid out exactly how to build your own greenhouse that is capable of harnessing the sun’s energy and storing it. You can grow lush green plants, vegetables, and fruits even in the winter season.

The main premise of this book is to teach anyone how to build a unique greenhouse that utilizes the sun’s natural energy and manages all its operations without using the grid. There are numerous sustainable advantages of greenhouses and vertical indoor farming.

An in-depth section of the book covers sustainable ways of heating the greenhouse without fossil fuels. If you’re looking to grow your own crops sustainably, look to this complete guide on one green way to do so.

9. Easy Green Living: The Ultimate Guide to Simple, Eco-Friendly Choices for You and Your Home

In her book Easy Green Living, Renée Loux demonstrates that being green at home is easy, affordable, and better for our health, families, and the planet! This is one the best books on green living by creating an eco-friendly home.

Loux illuminates expansive topics like global warming, climate change, and renewable energy while also talking about smaller, everyday choices and how to deal with them.

This book is filled with examples of people’s daily choices that can keep their homes, personal care, and beauty routines free of toxins.

Loux includes compelling and inspiring facts, “5 Step” lists, products and recipes for green cleaning, helpful charts, safer choices for every room, and inspirational advice so that anyone can make more sustainable actions in their own life and home.

10. Going Off the Grid: The How-To-Book of Simple Living and Happiness

Are you interested in living off the grid, but don’t know where to start? Going Off the Grid by Gary Collins is a great book to learn more.

Collins provides step-by-step instructions that you can follow to live your sustainable living dream in the wild, off the grid. The book helps you identify the primary factors associated with off-the-grid living, including identifying and removing unnecessary stressors from your everyday life.

You’ll also learn the basics of off-the-grid living from home construction to energy alternatives, from sewage disposal to internet access. By following these rules and suggestions, you can easily come up with a lifestyle that promotes sustainable living.

This book will empower you to start living off the grid by building a self-sustainable home. Collins provides all the information and regulations imposed by relevant state authorities that can impact your off grid journey.

All in all, this is one of the best books on green living if you are switching to an off-grid green lifestyle.

11. Make Your Place: Affordable & Sustainable Nesting Skills

In Make Your Place author Raleigh Briggs collects zines, illustrations, and thoughts around what it is that makes a great DIY household.

He dives into creating homemade cleaning solvents that aren’t made from poison, herbs that can heal you, and even how to set up your own excellent home garden.

This book is highly recommended as a go-to reference for any homeowner or anyone simply looking to learn practical skills that apply to their everyday life.

Written in a conversational and witty tone, Briggs inspires readers to better their lives with his simple tutorials.

12. The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time

Did you know that turning off the faucet when you brush your teeth could conserve up to five gallons of water per day?

In one of the best books on green living, The Green Book, you’ll learn more about surprising actions that can actually make a huge difference in conserving the Earth’s water, energy, and valuable resources.

This New York Times Bestselling book provides a wide range of solutions related to almost every aspect of our lives. The authors Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas Kostigen highlight the small changes that create a big impact on our struggle to save the planet, and why with research-backed explanations.

The book is a quick read at around 200 pages, but is jam-packed with hundreds of practical tips and ideas to conserve energy and resources at home, work, and school every day.

13. Building Green, New Edition: A Complete How-To Guide to Alternative Building Methods Earth Plaster

This best-selling book and its latest updated version is a great option for those who love the idea of sustainable living. This is a completely revised version with more interesting stuff to read.

Building Green: Alternative Building Methods doesn’t just dive into green house-building techniques: it actually shows readers with more than 1,200 step-by-step photographs that follow the actual erection of an alternative building from site selection to final-touch interior details.

In addition to the clear step-by-step guides, this book also throws light on the fundamentals of green building and construction. It helps anyone follow alternative approaches when it comes to style and design, allowing you to build a greener home.

One such example is using cob to build a pizza or bread oven and create inexpensive walls around your garden. This useful reference guide will help anyone learn more about green building styles.

14. The Forest Garden Greenhouse: How to Design and Manage an Indoor Permaculture Oasis

The Forest Garden Greenhouse is a groundbreaking book by Jerome Osentowski, one of North America’s most accomplished permaculture designers.

This book shows plant and flower enthusiasts alike how to bring the forest garden indoors is not only possible, but doable on unlikely terrain and in cold climates, using near-net-zero technology.

Unlike other greenhouse design and management books, Osentowski advocates for indoor agriculture using permaculture design concepts. These are focused on integration, multi-functions, perennials, and polycultures.

This belongs to the list of the best books on green living. Osentowski demonstrates how it is possible to create a natural forest in your backyard without using energy from the grid.

15. The Rough Guide to Green Living

The Rough Guide to Green Living is a fact-filled book that offers insight into living an eco-friendly, low-carbon life. Author Duncan Clark includes hundreds of green tips that specifically address consumer topics like recycling, green shopping, and renewable energy sources.

Duncan thoroughly explains how we can lower the level of carbon footprint by making small lifestyle changes. This guide explains a wide range of simple and easy-to-adopt green choices. The most notable changes include green travel habits, kitchen gardening, and ethical shopping.

The book itself is interesting, surprising, and highly readable. It helps the readers to set their environmental priorities and identify the facts.

In short, this book is the ultimate guide to understanding everything about green living. If you want to make a difference in your daily life, this book is an excellent pick.

16. 40 Projects for Building Your Backyard Homestead: A Hands-on, Step-by-Step Sustainable-Living Guide

40 Projects for Building Your Backyard Homestead is one of the best books on green living for those that want to be completely self-sufficient. Author David Toht is a former contractor with decades of hands-on experience, infusing his knowledge into this informative guide.

The book includes 40 sustainable projects that readers can learn how to build, from garden structures to fences, chicken coops, and many more.

Inside the book, you’ll find every project broken down into step-by-step directions with sequenced photographs for easy reference. Each project has a handy list of tools and materials at the beginning, as well as an overview of the design you’re about to build.

The projects in this book are designed with simplicity, convenience, and budget in mind, while also meeting the needs of those who wish to live more sustainably.

17. Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less Are the Keys to Sustainability

David Owen’s Green Metropolis is a fascinating book that will challenge the way that you view cities. This book demonstrates how residents of urban centers individually consume less oil, electricity, and water than other Americans.

How? They live in smaller spaces, discard less trash, and, most important of all, spend far less time in automobiles.

Written in an easy-to-understand format and backed by research, this book makes a strong case for green urban living in surprising ways.

This book explains how other settled locations can become more like urban centers and come closer to meeting the environmental goals that our planet desperately needs. If you’re looking to learn more about how sustainability factors into different living situations, this book is an informative choice.

18. Sustainable Home: Practical Projects, Tips and Advice for Maintaining a More Eco-Friendly Household

Sustainable Home is an inspirational and practical guidebook to maintaining a more environmentally-friendly household. Written by sustainable lifestyle blogger and professional Christine Liu, readers are taken on a tour of the rooms of their home.

On this tour, Liu offers tips, tricks and 18 step-by-step projects designed to help you lead a greener lifestyle.

From guidance on living minimally to advice about plant-based foods to tips on repairing old clothes, this book touches every aspect of home life. Liu even includes a recipe for making your own toothpaste.

If you’re looking to make small changes in your home and daily life, this book can give you a great place to start, and continue on your green living journey throughout the years.

19. Living Off the Grid: What to Expect While Living the Life of Ultimate Freedom and Tranquility

Living Off The Grid is your first step towards a simplified off-grid existence. One of the most comprehensive, informative, and best books on green living, it clearly shows how this unique off grid lifestyle would look in practice.

Off-grid lifestyle expert Gary Collins uses a conversational tone in this book, making it easy-to-understand complex topics and activities that you may not be familiar with. He dives into theoretical situations as well as practical instructions that will help you save time and resources.

The book is filled with wisdom about the off grid lifestyle: strategies for running a business while remaining mostly unplugged, and ways to remain socially and professionally connected in your new lifestyle.

When you are living off the grid, your energy source is completely behind the meter, and you are participating in one of the most sustainable forms of living. You won’t need to rely on power prices and utilities to consume your natural resources.

20. It’s Easy Being Green: A Handbook for Earth-Friendly Living

The climate crisis has illuminated the fact that although everyone is aware of the damage being done to our beloved planet, most are not doing much to save it. In It’s Easy Being Green, Crissy Trask dives into just why so many people find it so difficult to make sustainable changes.

This book can also serve as a practical day-to-day guide that offers easy suggestions to start living more sustainably in many aspects of your life.

For instance, Trask suggests initiatives such as installing rain barrels and gutters to collect rainwater, and then reuse it to water your plants. The book even delves into how to make effective household cleaners instead of relying on commercial products.

Trask includes comprehensive advice for adopting greener buying habits and identifying earth-friendly products, shopping for green products online, and even participating in online activism. For those with busy schedules, this book offers several ways to make greener habits.

In conclusion: these are the best books on green living

All of these books on green living are written by knowledgeable authors who are committed to spreading awareness about global warming, sustainable lifestyle choices, and guiding people on how to do their part no matter the daily routine.

These authors are highly influential experts in their fields who have the authority and knowledge to discuss the key issues related to climate change and living green.

By going through any of these books, you can extend your knowledge and inspiration about green living. The suggestions and tips will help make certain changes in our lifestyle which, over time, may prove to make a big difference against global warming and climate change.

If you are an advocate of environmentally-friendly living or want to learn more about how you can do your part in saving the earth, any number of these green living books can help you on your journey.

Our 15 favorite palm oil free products

Thankfully, thanks to the growing awareness of the issues associated with palm oil production, there are now plenty of palm oil free products of virtually every kind. Here are our favorite palm oil free soaps, moisturizers, spreads, laundry detergent, and more!

1. Simplici Lemongrass & Calendula Soap

This palm oil free soap from Simplici is made from all-natural ingredients, including lemongrass essential oil for an invigorating scent, and calendula flower petals for its moisturizing properties. This refreshing citrus smell will wake you up in the morning or give you an extra boost after a long day.

Another key ingredient is coconut oil which helps the soap to lather without needing harmful chemical lathering agents found in many mainstream soaps. The coconut oil also helps to harden the bar, helping it to last longer, so it won’t disintegrate in your shower.

The soaps are handmade in the USA and come in zero-waste packaging.

2. Deep Sea Cosmetics Dead Sea Hand and Body Lotion

This hand and body lotion’s key ingredient is Dead Sea salt from The Land of Israel, which is believed to have anti-aging properties, restoring the skin’s moisture and flexibility. It also boasts other beneficial natural ingredients, including shea butter, avocado oil, calendula, patchouli, and vitamins A and E for intense moisturizing without being greasy.

A unisex product designed for both men and women, it contains no artificial fragrances, only the gentle, calming aroma from its natural ingredients. You can use it to keep your hands soft and supple, apply anywhere on your body after a shower, or as an after-sun treatment.

3. Hello Activated Charcoal Teeth Whitening Toothpaste

Hello Oral Care toothpaste uses only natural ingredients, such as farm-grown mint, coconut oil, tea tree oil, Aloe Vera, and Stevia Rebaudiana Leaf Extract, to keep your teeth white and your breath fresh. Unlike most kinds of toothpaste, it contains absolutely no palm oil, no artificial flavors, dyes, or gluten.

This vegan and cruelty-free product will help to strengthen your tooth enamel, detoxify your gums, and prevent cavities thanks to its key ingredient, activated charcoal. The kit also contains a plastic-free activated charcoal and sustainable bamboo brush to further boost your oral health and whiten your teeth.

For more eco-friendly toothpaste options, check out our guide to the best zero waste toothpaste products.

4. Upcircle Skincare Bundle

If you want to take care of your entire beauty routine with all-natural ingredients, this popular bundle from Upcircle could be for you! It includes a face serum, face moisturizer, eye cream, cleansing balm, coffee face scrub, and eye cream.

All of the products are entirely vegan and free from palm oil, parabens, phthalates, silicones, mineral oil, or artificial fragrances. The brand also aims to reduce waste by using 100% recyclable packaging and including at least one repurposed ingredient in every product.

5. Grab Green Stoneworks Laundry Detergent Pods

These laundry powder pods from Stoneworks are made from naturally-derived, non-toxic ingredients, including patchouli, geranium, clove, and peppermint essential oils. The pods are formulated to deeply clean your laundry, eliminate odors, remove stains, and soften your garments.

The product is certified US EPA Safer Choice, meaning it contains ingredients that are safer for human health and better for the environment. It’s completely free of phthalates, solvents, ammonia, phosphates, fillers, optical brighteners, masking agents, or dyes.

6. Revision Skincare Hydrating Serum

This oil-free skin serum will keep your skin soft and supple without making it greasy or causing breakouts. The water-based, lightweight, and non-greasy moisturizer is suitable for all skin types, from dry to oily.

The product contains no palm oil, but instead boasts a range of natural ingredients, including honey and sea kelp extract, which help to condition the skin and keep it hydrated. Additionally, watermelon, apple, and lentil fruit extracts promote uniform hydration, while sodium hyaluronate binds water molecules to the skin.

The product also contains potent antioxidants, vitamin E and pomegranate extract, as well as palmitoyl tripeptide-5 to reduce the visible signs of wrinkles.

7. Whole Earth Organic Crunchy Peanut Butter

While most peanut butters you’ll find on supermarket shelves contain palm oil, this one from Whole Earth has no palm oil, sugar or salt additives and only contains natural, vegan ingredients. It’s made of a blend of roasted organic peanuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, and naturally-occurring sugars, so is a good source of proteins and fiber.

It’s perfect for making a healthy PBJ, or adding to your smoothies and milkshakes. It will give your snacks and drinks a natural, sweet flavor thanks to no added sugars, sweeteners, or artificial flavors.

8. Crazy Richard’s All-Natural Crunchy Peanut Butter

Another excellent choice for an all-natural peanut butter is Crazy Richard’s crunchy peanut butter. This product doesn’t contain any palm oil, as it’s only made from one ingredient: peanuts!

This also means it has no added sugar or salt, fillers or stabilizers. Keep in mind that due to the pure nature of this product, the oil can separate out, but all you need to do is stir the peanut butter and it’s ready to enjoy!

9. Scottish Fine Soaps Sea Kelp Hand Care Set

Scottish Fine Soaps makes a wide range of sustainable soaps and bath products. This set contains a hand wash and moisturizing hand lotion, both packed with the natural power of sea kelp to clean and hydrate your hands.

Both products have a refreshing, natural scent reminiscent of the sea. The bottles are made from 100% recycled and recyclable plastic, and the set also comes with a zero-waste ceramic caddy to keep your bathroom tidy.

10. Tiptree Chocolate Spread

This chocolate spread from TipTree is made from real Belgian Chocolate and is nut-free, palm oil free, and certified kosher. It’s perfect for nut allergies (though it contains milk and soya) and is entirely vegetarian.

Made by Wilkins & Sons in Essex, England, this intensely-dark spread will take your waffles, pancakes, smoothies, and ice cream sundaes to the next level!

11. Pure Organic Ingredients Vegetable Glycerin

This vegetable glycerin is ideal if you want to make your own palm oil free soaps, bubble baths, or foods. USA-based brand Pure Organic Ingredients make it to food and pharmaceutical grade standards.

The glycerin is made from various vegetables depending on seasonal availability and is colorless, odorless, chemical-free, and kosher-certified. Vegetable glycerin is ideal as a carrier oil, a filler, and helps oil and water-based ingredients to mix. It also has natural moisturizing properties.

This means you can use it to make a wide range of all-natural products in your own home, including cooking oil, snacks, moisturizer, shampoo, toothpaste, and candy.

12. Larabar Coconut Cream Pie Bars

These Larabar bars don’t contain any palm oil or GMO ingredients and are entirely vegan. In fact, they’re made from just five natural ingredients: dates, unsweetened coconut, almonds, cashews, and extra virgin coconut oil, which gives them their coconut cream flavor.

High in protein and nutrients, they’re an ideal, energy-boosting snack for when you’re hiking or on the go. The bars are also gluten, soy, and dairy-free, so they are perfect for people with allergies!

13. Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm

Keep your lips moist and protected from the elements the natural way with the beeswax lip balm from Burt’s Bees. This is the famous brand’s original product, first launched in 1991 and continues to be popular today.

Along with the key ingredient, beeswax to condition the skin, the lip balm has antioxidant-rich vitamin E to moisturize and peppermint oil for a refreshing touch. The balm is available in the classic plastic tube (which the brand will recycle for you if you can’t recycle curbside) or a reusable tin.

14. Simple Mills Almond Flour Crackers

These crackers have a simple, natural ingredient list: flour made from almonds, sunflower seeds and flax seeds, tapioca, cassava, organic sunflower oil, sea salt, organic onion, organic garlic, and rosemary extract.

They’re ideal for healthy snacks, lunchboxes, or taking with you whenever you need a quick energy boost. It’s also available in bulk: you can buy a pack of six boxes for a discounted rate, so if you love these crackers, why not stock up?

15. Palmer’s Coconut Water Face Moisturizer

If you’re looking for an intense, deep moisturizing product, this facial moisturizer from Palmer’s is for you! Infused with coconut water, hyaluronic acid, and papaya enzymes, it provides up to 24 hours of dewy, radiant skin.

The brand only uses sustainably-sourced shea butter, cocoa butter, and coconut oil – all of their products are palm oil free. This product has also been dermatologist tested to ensure that it’s hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic.

What is palm oil?

Palm oil is a vegetable oil extracted from the fruits of oil palm trees. Although most commercial palm oil trees are today grown in Southeast Asia, they’re not native to that part of the world: the African species was introduced more than a century ago as an ornamental tree.

Oil can be produced by either crushing the kernel of the palm fruit or from the reddish pulp of the fruit’s flesh.

The commercial value of palm oil became apparent during the 20th century, and the region started to plant large plantations of palm-oil-producing trees, cutting down native rainforests to do so. Malaysia and Indonesia produce around 85% of the world’s palm oil.

Palm oil is both cheap and highly versatile, with a range of different properties that make it ideal for foodstuffs, cosmetics, and personal care products. Therefore, it’s not surprising that it rapidly became the world’s most popular vegetable oil, and the industry is now worth over $90 billion and growing.

Even with growing awareness of the problems associated with palm oil production, you’ll still find the oil is in around half of the packaged products on supermarket shelves. It is a common ingredient found in foodstuffs such as long-life snacks, shampoo, deodorant, detergents, and animal feeds.

It is also used as a biofuel worldwide, although Europe aims to phase palm oil out of biofuels by 2030.

Why should you avoid palm oil?

Palm oil may be cheap, but it comes at a cost. Animals, people, and the environment more generally all suffer in order to produce palm oil, from growing the palm oil tree to extracting its oil.

Here are some of the main reasons why palm oil production is devastating for people and the planet.

It causes deforestation

As the demand for this cheap, versatile oil continues to rise, countries like Malaysia and Indonesia clear more native forests in order to plant more palm oil trees. According to the Say No to Palm Oil campaign, “every hour an area the size of 300 football fields” is cleared by the palm oil industry in these two countries alone.

Most of this land contains ancient rainforests that have existed for thousands of years, featuring giant trees and rich levels of biodiversity, being home to a wide range of plant and animal species.

Although this involves planting new trees, it’s not nearly the same thing. Replacing biologically-diverse old growth forests with monocultures like palm oil plantations destroys the habitats for a large number of plants and animals, contributes to climate change (more on this below), and can cause soil erosion as well as air and water pollution.

It’s putting species at risk of extinction

As great swathes of rainforest are cut down to make room for palm oil tree plantations, this destroys the habitats of countless animals. In Malaysia and Indonesia, this mainly affects the orangutan, an endangered species under threat of extinction, largely because the palm oil industry is destroying their natural habitats.

According to the non-profit the Orangutan Conservancy, over the last 20 years, orangutans have lost more than 80 percent of their natural habitat. Not just orangutans but a large number of birds and animals are under threat because of palm oil, including Sumatran rhinos and tigers.

It contributes to climate change

Old-growth forests like Southeast Asia’s ancient rainforests are highly-efficient carbon sinks capable of absorbing large amounts of CO2. Although they’re made up of trees, palm oil plantations simply don’t compare when it comes to absorbing greenhouse gases and mitigating climate change.

Cutting down rainforests and planting palm oil trees contributes to global warming, driving extreme weather, which could make distant parts of the globe uninhabitable and putting many more species at risk of extinction all over the world.

It can cause child exploitation and other human rights abuses

Unfortunately, the palm oil industry is largely unregulated and human rights organizations report that it rife with unfair labor practices, child labor, and other human rights abuses. The industry drives the demand for human traffickers, who illegally bring people, many underage, to work on the palm oil plantations for low or non-existent wages under terrible working conditions.

It’s bad for you, too

Palm oil not only has a range of terrible impacts on the environment and the people involved in its production, but it’s also bad for your health. Palm oil may be a vegetable oil, but it’s high in saturated fats, and there’s scientific evidence that it’s bad for your health.

In one study, participants ate a diet rich in palm oil for five weeks. The study found an increase in LDL cholesterol levels, the type of cholesterol that’s been linked to cardiovascular diseases, among the participants.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) also recommends consumers avoid palm oil because when processed at high levels it can contain carcinogenic substances.

Fight palm oil with your wallet

The palm oil industry has a range of devastating impacts on the environment, causing deforestation, contributing to climate change, and driving animals to the point of extinction. Furthermore, the palm oil industry has been linked to child exploitation and human trafficking, not to mention that eating palm oil is actually pretty bad for your health.

Thankfully, we as consumers have the power to drive change in this area. By looking more closely at the items we buy and choosing palm-oil free products, we do our part to reduce the demand for palm oil and help stop this devastation from continuing.

This also sends a message to brands that sustainability matters, and encourages them to use more ethical and eco-friendly ingredients in their products.

If you’re interested in learning about how you can make other eco-friendly choices in buying household goods, check out our guides to sustainable makeup, furniture, and deodorant.