Meet Jacie Bretherick, a Certified Holistic Nutritionist passionate about sustainability and healthy living. With her expertise in holistic nutrition and commitment to sustainability, Jacie is a valuable resource for anyone looking to lead a healthier and more eco-friendly lifestyle.
Living in a time when humans impact the earth, I do my best to make positive changes and live sustainability. Every minor tweak we can do brings us closer to a better planet. I also am making a point to teach my kids the same so they can enjoy our environment along with generations to come.
Here are a few simple ways to ensure that you care for the earth as part of your everyday life.
Eat more fruits and veggies! Choose sustainably grown greenhouse grown veggies to ensure that what your family uses has been developed with less environmental impact. Veggies grown vertically mean less land space needed; with technology, greenhouses can ensure that water and nutrition are maximized without waste. Cook a large dinner for two meals to prepare an additional feast for the next day. Not only does this save energy, but it saves time when you have a busy weeknight. Try planting a small garden with your family and have fun watching your food grow before your eyes. Somehow this method helps with getting kids to try different products. You can also learn to compost with additional veggie scraps and coffee grounds, helping your garden grow.
Bringing your bags to the local markets and grocery stores, for example, is a straightforward way to make a HUGE impact on a better planet. Where we live on the west coast, plastic bags are banned in stores, forcing us to bring our own. When I pick up my favorite greenhouse produce, I get washable and reusable cloth bags to pack in rather than the single-use plastic bags at the store. For packaged products, we always recycle or reuse them when possible. When shopping for protein at the butcher counter, I have started bringing my reusable containers so that when I get home, I can stick them directly into the fridge or start marinating them immediately. This eliminates all the waste instantly into the garbage the moment I walk through the door. I also always pack my kids’ lunches in a reusable lunch box. This has probably saved thousands and thousands of plastic bags from going into our landfill, and from being honest, they love how it keeps their lunches fresh.
One of my favorite changes in recent years has been the zero-waste movement. Another favorite trick is to repurpose what would likely be throw-away ingredients. This not only minimizes waste but helps extend your already maximized budget. When chopping veggies (a daily routine), I always throw the odds and ends into a container I keep in the fridge. When I have enough, I will make a delicious soup stock with it at the end of the week. If I’m lucky enough to have roasted a chicken that week, I keep the bones to add, resulting in a rich, tasty stock of vitamins and minerals. With that, you can do more than just soup! When making a broccoli recipe, I always keep the stems to use for a crunchy salad or roast them up for a delicious side dish. Your squeezed lemon halves can be used to clean your cutting boards and stove tops, and your stale bread ends can with ground up to make breadcrumbs. I could go on and on about this, but the possibilities are endless. It will also save you money too!
Invest in a good water bottle and stop buying plastic ones! This can help you stay hydrated by helping you track your water consumption and reduce plastic consumption. It’s a win-win!
The possibilities are endless when it comes to helping the environment. If we can all make the slightest changes in our everyday lives and teach our youth the same, we can make a huge impact together.
~ Jacie
