When I started this blog, my mantra was that sustainable living is about progress not perfection. A recent blog post from Cecilia at The Kitchen’s Garden made me pause and think about how my approach has evolved. As I pondered the question “What kind of environmentalist am I?”, I considered all the benefits of sustainable living. Read on to find out what I discovered.

Different types of environmentalists

As I mentioned, I was inspired to write this by Cecilia at The Kitchen’s Garden. In a recent post, she looked at 5 genres or types of environmentalists. Her point is that there are different motivations and approaches to sustainability, and each of us can be any or all of these types at any point in time.

Please visit Cecilia’s blog and read the full post. It’s very inspiring and thought-provoking, and it gave me an opportunity to reflect on my personal journey.

Sustainability is not a straight path

In late 2018, a gift from my sister-in-law introduced me to Molloy’s, a local bulk soap supply and refill store. When I visited the store, I was so inspired by their story—two people working hard to do good for the Earth—that I set a goal for 2019 to reduce the amount of single-use plastic in our home. Looking at Cecilia’s genres, I’d say I started out as a “preventative personality” seeking to reduce plastic and packaging.

Learning more about the state of our planet distressed me and I realized I need to do more. One thing led to another. Waste reduction and sustainable living soon became a passion. In July 2019, I decided to share my message with the world by starting this blog.

My philosophy from the start has been progress not perfection. It’s easy to feel discouraged by dire environmental news, but small, incremental changes will add up over time. We all have to start somewhere.

Joys and benefits of sustainable living

As I look back on my journey, I’ve reaped so many benefits from living a more sustainable life. If you’ve been following my blog since the beginning, you’ve witnessed this transformation. Here are five ways sustainable living has improved my life.

Intentional choices

First, focusing on sustainability has made me more mindful about all the choices I make in my life. I’m much more intentional about how I spend two of the most finite resources—my time and money. These days I buy very few non-essentials, and I’m selective about how I spend my time. It has made such a difference.

Simplicity

Since 2019, my blog has evolved from a sustainability focus to simple living and decluttering. It turns out it’s all connected. Decluttering and being selective about what I buy made me realize I can live with a lot less. I’ve learned joy comes from simple things and not from anything you’ll buy online or at the local department store.

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Gratitude

Sustainable living has taught me to be grateful for what I have instead of wanting more. I’ve also learned to take pleasure in the beauty of nature, and life’s simple daily pleasures. For the last couple of years, I’ve been journalling about daily highlights. Often, these highlights are about flowers blooming, birds singing, or ducks swimming on the pond.

More space

Decluttering and sustainable living has freed up physical space in my home. More important than physical space, though, is mental space. I find I have more room to breathe, create and enjoy life.

Healthier life

The first four benefits of sustainable living were mainly about mental health. I’ll wrap up with a few physical health benefits. I’ve reduced my exposure to harmful chemicals in personal care and cleaning products. Plus, I’ve cut back on my meat consumption, and I spend more time hiking and enjoying nature.

Oh…and my bank balance is healthier, too. What’s not to love about that!

So what type of environmentalist am I?

Over the last five years, I’ve seen an evolution in my approach to sustainability. Considering the five genres from Cecilia’s blog post, I now see many elements of “frugal people” in my current life. Depending on the day, though, I sometimes take the “path of least resistance” when life gets busy.

In the end, I’d add a sixth genre to Cecilia’s list and call myself an imperfect guardian. I openly admit to imperfection and not always making the right choices. However, I take my responsibility to be a good steward—or guardian—of the earth seriously.  

We’re all a work in progress.

Thank you, Cecilia, for inspiring this post. Please visit The Kitchen’s Garden to read the full post and let me your sustainability personality.

What benefits have you seen from living a more sustainable life? Drop me a comment below and let me know.