How sustainable am I?
An honest account by our Fastuna expert, Michaela Faber.
There are some areas in my life in which I can improve a lot in terms of sustainability. Areas in my life like comfort prevailing me up to now or using lack of time as an excuse. In other areas, I have to make decisions that have wider implications, such as moving closer to my horse. That kind of choice takes preparation and time to implement, but it is something that I have become even more aware of while writing this article, and I must admit, I like the idea of moving already.
But let’s start at the beginning.
Sustainability is a huge thing, and rightly so. Our planet needs our support to be there for future generations. The study I did using Fastuna’s DIY solution showed that, indeed, consumers are pretty much all are on the same page. Check out our findings here: https://cases.fastuna.com/sustainability
To understand sustainability when it comes to packaging, I asked sustainability packaging expert Neil Shackleton from Medoola to join me on the study with his expert knowledge. And I learned a lot!
When we finished with the study, I asked myself: what about my sustainability approach? As a consumer, I demand sustainability from the companies whose products I use. I want the working conditions to be right, the environment to be protected and spared, and sustainable resources used.
Time for a reality check.
I decided to check which areas of life and daily things in my life actually affect sustainability. I came to the shocking conclusion — it’s everything! Even my sleep rhythm! Because it determines how much electricity I use. So there is no area in my life in which my likes and dislikes, behaviour, personal hygiene, sociability, hobbies, or work do not overlap in some way with sustainability. Shocking right?
Digger deeper into my unsustainable routine…
I love to meditate but is that sustainable?
I start my day with a short meditation every morning. After that, I listen to something inspirational for about 20–30 minutes to start the day. I use an iPhone for this. But how sustainable is an Apple iPhone? Apple seems to be taking steps towards sustainability but in which areas? Social? Economic? Environmental? To what extent are the conditions for workers responsible for supplying the raw materials is unclear. You can find more about Apple’s sustainability approach here
Are there alternatives to Apple iPhones that are sustainable?
You bet there are. But, like most Apple users, I am having a hard time making the switch. I played with the idea of a Fairphone for a while, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to switch. As a consumer, I want things to be as simple as possible. Ideally, I want Apple to create an Apple Fairphone or, even better, make all Apple devices like Fairphones. But actually, it’s me that needs to address what keeps me from doing it to make the switch.
Goodbye tea? And is my water sustainable too?
Once I am ready to start the day, I fix myself a nice cup of black tea. I love English Breakfast Tea and especially PG Tips. So I checked their Website and thank god, they are doing a lot for sustainability.
For my cuppa, however, I heat the water with a kettle. How much electricity does that consume? Is that electricity coming from a sustainable source, as my provider promises? Would heating on a gas stove be better? I’ve not delved deep enough to find out, so please free feel to comment and explain if you have researched this already.
It would be healthier, of course, to drink a glass of water instead, but would it also be more sustainable. I don’t want to drink Berlin tap water. I read an article on its purity in a magazine for GP’s — it did not sound like something I want in my body. So the alternative would be bottled water. But is bottled water sustainable? What about the production cycle of the bottles? What about the filling plants? Is that sustainable? Perhaps a water filter directly connected to the house’s water pipe would be a better option? However, they are costly, so is that sustainable in the long run? My mind is filled with questions, and it’s only breakfast!
Goodbye make-up?
Until I started this article, I never really thought about how sustainable my eyelash ink or my eyebrow pencil is. Neither are vegan. Neither are organic. So that means that the resources used to test the products and sustainability claims are unlikely to be considered. I mostly buy my products from Douglas, and as I looked into it, they have a range of certified natural cosmetic products on offer. Now I know that I will try them out instead.
Should I stop working?
From a sustainability point of view, it seems like it! Most of my workday is spent on my laptop and on the internet in one way or another. I use an Apple device with a lifespan of about 5–6 years. I work 6–8 hours a day, charging my laptop every 6–8 hours on average. I have no idea what electricity I have to calculate. I have now bought a solar device with which I can charge my laptop. I haven’t used it yet. So far, convenience has prevailed. Also, the carbon footprint of my internet usage is something I need to take into consideration. All in all, it seems better to be unemployed and walking around in nature when it comes to sustainability. You can find more about this at: https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/what-is-the-carbon-footprint-of-the-internet/
How sustainable are my dogs?
As the day progresses, I walk my two dogs. I need two poop bags for this. I always pay attention to biodegradable bags and avoid plastic bags, as you cannot recycle them.
However, these aren’t made from renewable raw materials. So far, I could not find any that are. As a dog owner, I can only choose between non-recyclable plastic or none sustainable biodegradable (or leave the poop behind, making me socially unsustainable). In Berlin’s famous Prenzlauer Berg, a so-called ‘Kake Mobil — Poo Car’ drives through the streets every day and sucks the excrement off the sidewalks. No joke!
On the other hand, in the Berlin district of Wedding, where the use of poop bags does not seem to make sense to many people, you have to tiptoe around to avoid stepping into it. Not very nice at all, but definitely more sustainable from an environmental point of view. With 500 million poop bags used each year, this is a not-insignificant issue in our environment. After all, I alone contribute at least 730 poop bags a year.
And what causes that dog poop… both my dogs are fed raw meat. I get this directly from the dog butcher, so I can use Tupperware or buy it frozen to avoid regular visits. Since I suffer from a chronic lack of time, I always buy it frozen. In addition to the transport, which remains similar whether or not I get it myself or get it delivered, in terms of the CO2 balance, there’s still a lot of plastic. There is also a limited number of organic meats. Although it is not clear to me how sustainable organic meat is. Is animal welfare on the agenda of sustainability? I don’t know. At least I know from my study with Medoola that plastic is not a problem. It can be highly recyclable with the proper facilities in place. So maybe with the dogs, I am good for now.
Smoothies are healthy but are they sustainable?
When I get back from walking the dogs, I make myself a smoothie. I use mangoes, bananas, dates, almond butter, lemons, lettuce, courgette, cucumber, chia seeds, turmeric, ginger and chicory. Looking at that list of ingredients, I think about their origin, and I feel guilty about the travel needed to whizz this up in my smoothie maker. I also prefer meals without animal proteins but still have an appetite for ‘fast food’ from time to time. Are meat substitute products sustainable? I am sure that Soybeans aren’t, and what about the production cycle. One thing for sure. If I eat potatoes instead of a vegan burger, it is a lot more sustainable. All in all, this is an area in which I have room for improvement.
Are my hobbies sustainable?
Four years ago I bought a horse. His name is Elki. Elki lives 45km outside of Berlin, and I go there at least four times a week. As a result, my fuel consumption is extremely high. I stop by Rewe and Netto on the way so that I always combine my trips to Elki with my shopping trips. But I could also do my shopping by bike, which would be a lot more sustainable. Also, how sustainable is it to keep a horse in the first place? Elki feeds on hey that is grown in fields around the area. To make my hobby more sustainable, I would need to move nearer to where he lives. Since I work from my home office, moving is possible at any time — something I seriously need to think about.
My second favourite is reading. I love to have the paper version of a book. I am spending so much time on the computer that I can not bring myself to read books on kindle or any other device made for reading. For me, it is just not the same. So this is not sustainable unless I can guarantee that my finished read is used again and disposed of at a suitable recycling facility. Once it’s left my hands, I can’t own responsibility for that happening.
And finally, my evening…
When the day draws to a close, I usually still sit at my laptop. It’s getting dark, and I turn on the light. Since I like it bright, I often use unnecessary light sources. I also go to bed very late. If I lived by daylight, as our ancestors once did, I would save loads on electricity and decrease my Internet carbon footprint. Of course, these are modern times, so adapting to a daylight only approach is not realistic.
I conclude from my unsustainable day that we rely too much on companies to make things sustainable for us, and they rely too much on us to do the right thing once we consume.
So for now, I will continue to make small sustainable changes and I will decide if they hit the sustainable sweet spot of being sustainably social, economic and environmental.
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