Sustainability for families

David Mucientes
Nov 4 · 2 min read
Photo by Sandy Millar on Unsplash

Sustainable lifestyle is all over the web. There is free information about pretty much everything you can think of — how to eat, recycling tips, reduce consumption, and many other popular topics. As a single individual, I think we can all make informed decisions and make the extra effort to achieve this a good sustainable lifestyle. I think this is a great start.

To put in in perspective, I will attempt to illustrate the real challenge — say you are going to a nice and well deserved week-long holiday with your 3 year old kid. You pack your carry on backpack with more than enough food and drink supplies to get through the journey without issues. Once you get past the airport security, your kid, who has drank and ate everything you carry within the first hour, tells you he’s thirsty. Seconds later, he starts crying. Then the available choices are: 1. get hot water from the bathroom 2. ignore and keep walking (he’s not that thirsty) to find the closest water refilling station 3. buy an overpriced cold water bottle. You try your best to spot a water refilling station but there is none in sight. Screaming continues. By then, the winning option is number 3, you get a bottle of water.

I just described one of the many situations that present in daily life, particularly, with my children. I feel that as a parent, I am willing to make any sacrifices and never think further, meaning, I choose my family’s well being over the consequences of my decisions without thinking in the sustainable terms.

I also noticed this behavior is specially strong with first time parents because of all the unknowns on how to handle a newborn combined with lots of stress to get the best “equipment” for your children. For example, the cool stroller for the mom, the special bag, the best blanket, jacket, bottle, pacifier, you name it. There is no end to all these things that are bought pretty much for a single time use or only usable for a month or so.

With that said, my current challenge is to, as a family, become more sustainable and to inspire other families to do so. This initiative will include aspects such as: reduce animal product consumption, adjust buying habits, and reduce waste.

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