What Can I Do?

Good morning and welcome to the seventh issue of The Leaflet. Today, we will be exploring a few more avenues for being “sustainable.” These avenues were found by my father, Ryan Haney, after reaching out to members of the Arbor Day Foundation to see about specific things they do in their daily lives for the environment.

Although we recognize that not everyone who is a recipient of this newsletter is involved in Creighton Prep’s Freshman Retreat, we still made the decision to limit this issue to one article in order to allow for those working on it, or attending it, to give their full attention to the retreat. We hope you enjoy this issue.

In theory, practicing sustainability is simple. In reality, implementing it into your life complicates your life a thousandfold.

But—it’s not impossible. Sustainability can be practiced in varying degrees, but even the most extreme methods of sustainability can be achieved in daily life—you just have to want to do it bad enough. I wouldn’t label the examples below as extreme necessarily, but rather—unconventional. They are methods outside of the normal talk of sustainable practices that includes recycling, composting, turning off the lights, etc.

Ok, I’m done using the word “sustainable” or “sustainability”…for now.

1. The first slightly unconventional method (at least in the sphere of Creighton Prep) is carpooling. Buddying up with someone who lives in a similar area and has a relatively similar school/extracurricular schedule is an incredible way to limit oil and gas consumption.

2. The second solution is to cut out plastic use as much as possible. Even though some plastics are labeled as recyclable, it still requires a lot of energy and water to recycle them. Plastics too are not infinitely recyclable. Glass, however, is infinitely recyclable. Try to use glass products whenever possible.

3. Never buy anything with styrofoam. If you are ordering takeout and you aren’t sure, you can always ask what type of containers they go for takeout food.

4. A rather simple, yet extraordinarily effective method is planting trees. This method is only unconventional in the sense that most people don’t plant trees. If the cost of trees is a limiting factor for you, there are many grants out there where you can get as many as 10 trees for free.

5. Perhaps the most unpopular method on this list is switching to plant-based meat. The cultivation of livestock is a huge detriment to our planet, and plant-based meat promises an incredible benefit to our planet. For a more in-depth explanation of animal-based meat’s environmental degradation, read our article linked here.

6. The sixth, and final method, is to not buy anything brand new. You heard that correctly. Go thrifting whenever you need something, find reusable alternatives to non-reusable items (such as straws) in your life. It truly does wonders for the environment when we aren’t constantly stressing it for its resources.

These are some unconventional methods of practicing sustainability (dang it, I said it again) that you can implement into your daily life. All of these methods have been tried and successfully implemented by real people. I have managed to practice a few of these successfully, and so have employees of the Arbor Day Foundation. Some of these names include Toby Burnham, Michelle DeRusha, and Hanna Pinneo. A special note of appreciation for the information they shared with me, and for my father for contacting them.

Please consider implementing a method of sustainability in your life. It doesn’t have to be one listed above, but anything you do helps.

~ Seamus Haney

P.S. Always feel free to respond back to this email with questions about content I cover. I’d love to explain anything further.