S01E03 - Sustainable Living

 EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode, moms share why it is important to live a
sustainable lifestyle and the little everyday things they do to
contribute towards keeping our environment clean and safe. 





SHOW NOTES


Having a child makes you wonder what their future will look like.
You realise that the choices you make today shape their tomorrow.
Quite apart from the emotional legacies we leave behind, the way
that our generation consumes resources determines which resources
are left available to our children. This is something that our
panelists are keenly aware of. It made them determined to
conserve the resources we have, and make the most of what's
around them.


While Kamana of @mycocktail_life was an early adaptor of
minimalism based on her parents' example, Sushi of @beachwalkmuse
and Nayantara of @mommyingbabyt started making sustainable
choices as adults. Whenever you choose to embrace sustainability,
or even if you're considering where to begin, these inspiring
women have plenty of easily implementable suggestions for you. In
their opinion, even if one person were to make one change after
hearing this podcast, it would be a great step in the right
direction. The key lies in choosing a path that you can commit to
happily.


Could you choose to buy clothes when you need them, rather than
when you want them? And, when you buy, could you choose to buy
second-hand clothes? If that's outside your comfort zone, how
about shopping for local products? Consider going to a tailor to
get your clothes stitched rather than frequenting a fast-fashion
store. And if you find that even that isn't suitable, go ahead
and buy what works for you - but make the most of it. Take a cue
from the previous generation and reuse clothes until they're
fully worn out before repurposing them or passing them on.
Donating clothes rather than throwing them out can make a massive
difference to the size of landfills!


Sustainability can mean different things to different people. It
is a purely personal choice based on preferences. While some may
embrace veganism, others may choose to buy their dairy or
vegetables from a co-op rather than the supermarket. While some
may be comfortable with a no-poo method of cleaning their hair,
others may choose to wash their hair less frequently, while still
others may choose to only buy from brands with eco-friendly hair
products. Ultimately, sustainability is about changing your
mindset to think about how best you can consume the resources
available to ensure they last longer.


As parents, the panelists talked about embracing breastfeeding
and cloth diapering. They discussed how they’d made small changes
to the way they celebrated their children’s birthdays, choosing
to gift experiences rather than products. The aim isn’t
necessarily to generate zero-waste, but to at least move towards
generating low waste. Change begins here!


If you want a few tips to get started, here are Nayantara's 11
Tips to Save Water. Sushmita can also get you started with 10
Easy Steps towards Sustainable Living.