Chapter 10

Sustainability

Less Is More

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We can’t expect the world to get better by itself. We have to create something we can leave the next generation.

—Gwen Ifill

Years ago, I was driving home from college when I turned a corner and, suddenly, stretched out before me was a breathtakingly beautiful expanse of Kentucky bluegrass. Unlike a mown lawn, this field had been allowed to grow upward of three feet tall, and there at the top of each blade was a cluster of the tiny blue flowers that give the plant its name. This vivid sky-blue meadow lay beneath an actual sky of blue and was wrapped up in a bow of Kentucky’s ubiquitous white horse-farm fencing. I’ll never forget it.

Whenever I revisit the epic poem “Kentucky Is My Land” by Jesse Stuart, that scene comes to mind. So too do oak trees, moss, and the woodsy view from my mom’s deck. I was born and raised in Kentucky, and it was my home for well over twenty years.

For the past two decades, I’ve made my home much farther north—in Minnesota, another beautiful state. Here residents and visitors find more than ten thousand lakes, undulating farm fields, and, in its northeast, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), a million acres that include moose, black bears, wolves, otters, and, of course, hundreds of lakes.

The BWCAW can teach us a lot about sustainability—annual canoeists say no place on Earth feels more like home than this back-country. They also know by heart its “leave no trace” principles, which help minimize their impact and keep the area “pristine and wild.” And while I’m more camp than camper, I’ve always loved that phrase: It reminds me that I’m a citizen of the world, and I need to do my part.

Even my love of shopping, surprisingly, reinforced caring for the Earth from an early age. Not too far from my home was Stone & Thomas, a local department store that, in the 1980s, adopted a new logo of evergreen trees and the slogan: Saving the world is up to us all. They even began using recycled paper to create their bags and boxes. That too made an impact on me, especially as I grew up in a place of incredible natural beauty.

The world is our home. Caring for it is up to us. And that means our individual homes too, including our consumption of goods and our cleaning methods.

Doing More with Less

Too often we use myriad chemical products when one or two simple, natural options deliver a better result. Have you ever used a chemical bathroom cleaner only to watch a big drip land on a rug or, worse, a favorite garment? Then you use another cleaner or maybe two to remove that first product? Or perhaps you don’t like the smell of a certain cleaner, so then you spray a room freshener to cover up that scent?

Most of us have dozens of cleaning products tucked under our sinks. Some we use regularly, some accumulate dust, and some are eventually chucked into the garbage because they didn’t live up to their marketing hype. Did you know that experts actually recommend not storing chemical cleaners under the sink? They’re dangerous to kids and pets, their fumes can build up, and, if spilled, they can create a dangerous chemical reaction. I say, don’t buy most of them in the first place.

When we choose to rely on simple, natural cleaners like our 50/50 vinegar-water solution, we’re being sustainable. We’re buying fewer products. We’re reusing containers, refilling our spray bottles from giant jugs. And we’re using simple ingredients, so when a few drops of vinegar fall, there’s no harm, no foul, and no mystery chemicals that can hurt you, your loved ones, your home, or your environment. Our home should be our sanctuary, where it’s clean—and safe.

Doing Due Diligence

That said, just because a cleaner is labeled ecofriendly or green doesn’t mean that’s actually true. Companies that make such claims rarely suffer consequences when those promises are misleading or downright false. That’s called greenwashing and it’s common. You’d be surprised at how many major brands (yes, likely the ones popping into your head right now) market products as natural and nontoxic when their ingredients are anything but.

And it’s not just misleading information about cleaners—false claims have been made by a multitude of companies. Here are some examples:

What products do we use regularly that we haven’t given a second thought to until now? Consider those dense white sponges used for cleaning. Made of a compound called formaldehyde-melamine-sodium bisulfite copolymer, they’re linked in some studies to microplastics in our waterways. And purchasers are warned to wear gloves whenever using them to ward off skin burns and rashes. Rather than take the risk, how about we skip using those—just in case?

And what about paper towels? Think about this: When you’re cleaning with paper towels, you’re actually creating more waste. Instead, rely on rags made of old clothes, old towels, or old sheets, which are more effective anyway. I also use bar towels—I’m obsessed with them, in fact. Designed to clean up spills at a bar, they’re super durable and likely ten times more absorbent than paper towels. Simply wash and dry any of these items and they can be kept in circulation for months or even years.

As consumers, we must be wary. Businesses know we care about the environment or they wouldn’t make these claims in the first place. But companies that lie about being Earth-friendly are counting on consumers’ lives being too busy for them to pay attention. They don’t want us to check out their green credentials online or to turn those products around and read their ingredients lists. Or they hope we’re fooled when we see the words perfume or fragrance—not realizing that a cauldron of chemicals can be hidden under such a generic term.

The next time you’re at the store and you’re tempted to buy a green-labeled product, take a gander at that ingredients list and check out the claims online. Then determine for yourself whether it’s a product that you want in your house. And if it’s not truly ecofriendly, don’t be afraid to stand up to that company and be counted among other green consumers. If we demand more Earth-friendly products, maybe companies will provide them.

Be aware: There are general environmental warnings against using products, cleaning and otherwise, with carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur outside of your home. Once again, remember to read those labels.

And if you’d like to do your part, make a commitment to using natural cleaners like vinegar and water as often as possible. They’re not only safe and easy, both for our houses and our planet, but they’re also wildly effective. And bonus—vinegar is cheap. What’s not to love?

Making Things Last

Something that gets me madder than a wet hen (as we say in the South) is when people buy things they don’t really love and then replace them a year or two later. Call me a thoughtful consumer, but I like to dwell on significant purchases for a good long while before I buy. And then I take good care of them, ensuring they last as long as possible.

When we moved into our house, for example, I knew exactly which chairs I wanted to add to our den, but I couldn’t find them right away. Eventually, I spotted them online and made the purchase. Fourteen years later I still love them.

The same holds true for our sofas; I’ll never get rid of them—I’ll only reupholster. And it took me eight months until I found the right carpet for our staircase, but the additional cost of a pricier floor covering is a bargain compared to replacing cheaper carpeting every few years. After all, the real cost is often labor, especially on those staircases.

Thinking back to furniture, I’m often thankful for my friend Louise’s great aunt Alma, or Al as everyone called her. She purchased a tall and graceful writing desk, or secretary, and it’s been passed down to loved ones throughout the generations. Eventually my mom will give it to me. Passing along beloved objects is sustainability too.

Or consider clothes. Rather than regularly buying fast fashion, what makes more sense from your wallet’s standpoint is investing in high-quality essentials for year-round use and buying a few popular items each season. If you really love your garments, both classic and trendy, you’ll be more motivated to take care of them and make them last. In sum, you’ll be buying both more thoughtfully and less.

The thrifting trend elates me—and not just because I sell vintage clothing at Mona Williams. Thrifters keep great clothes and great household items out of landfills and enjoy them anew. For my part, I’ve been collecting dishes in the Pfaltzgraff Farmers Market pattern for thirty years—from garage sales, yard sales, and online. They’re not expensive pieces, but it’s a thrill every time I add one to my collection and then share it during a party or get-together.

An unlikely advocate for thrifting, Elizabeth Taylor once said, “It’s not the having, it’s the getting.” And that’s so true. The anticipation of searching for and then finding that special item is way more fun than immediate gratification, according to behavioral psychologists. I recently added a sparkly 1970s Christmas tree topper to my collection—I’d been looking for one for at least fifteen years. (Ruby had one when I was growing up and I’d always wanted one.) With thrifting, you’re both finding something you absolutely love—and you’re saving something. Thrifting is also sustainability.

Thoughtful purchasing goes even deeper: If you accumulate the things you really love, rather than the things you just kind of like, I believe you’ll live a better life. And I mean that to be the case no matter the price. There are plenty of times where you might love the garage sale vase better than the new one at the discount store or the museum shop. Buy the one you really love or you’re likely to stay on the lookout for yet another one. Or perhaps you have to save up for that leather jacket you’ve fallen for, but keep in mind that you’ll wear it for decades. Perhaps you’ll even gift it to a child or grandchild. (If it’s a bit pricey, feel free to shred that receipt—like I do—so you don’t have to think about it again.)

House Love is certainly not a prepper guide, and I don’t advocate living off the grid, growing all your own food, and weaving your own clothes. That’s not realistic for most of us. Instead, this book counsels choosing and using safe products as often as you can, being thoughtful as you make decisions about your house and its contents, and caring for the planet however and wherever you can. If all of us adopt small changes, they’ll add up. In the meantime, you’ll feel better, you’ll live better, and you might even be happier. I firmly believe that living a greener life is living a better life.

Caring for Our Homes

Minnesota is my home. Kentucky is my home. (In fact, I often tell people that I’m a little Yankee and a little y’all.) My house is also my home. Home is the box you live in, and it’s everything around that box you live in. It’s our whole world, our entire planet. The point of sustainability is you’re taking care of home.

Not long ago, I went back home (there’s that word again) to Kentucky to visit family. I was sitting on that deck of my mom and step-dad’s house. They actually live in the home my mom grew up in—talk about sustainability—and it was a beautiful day. The hills were all around, the grass and trees were swaying, and everywhere I looked was green and lush. It reminded me of playing in nature as a kid. I loved running pell-mell into the woods and exploring with my cousin Loretta. We’d hike, pick berries and wildflowers, and climb trees. But my favorite thing to do was play in the creek at Granny Martha’s house. On hot summer days, we’d wade, skip rocks, splash, and even lie down in the spring-fed shallow creek.

I was dwelling on those memories when it suddenly struck me—these experiences are exactly what we’re trying to save when we talk about sustainability. It’s why we take care of the planet. It’s why we value the natural world and want it to last. It’s why we wade, hike, canoe, forage, bike, ski, and roll down hills. We want to enjoy it today and preserve it for the generations who come after.

And if Kentucky’s landscape doesn’t inspire you, maybe Minnesota’s Boundary Waters do, or South Dakota’s Badlands, Utah’s Arches National Park, the Appalachians out east, the Rockies out west, or picturesque harbors wherever you find them. Or maybe your scenes are more far-flung—Norway’s fjords, Peru’s Sacred Valley, or Vietnam’s Ban Gioc Falls.

No matter where nature makes your heart sing, isn’t that worth cleaning with natural products, using sustainable scrub brushes, pulling down your shades to cut the electricity you use in the summer, buying and caring for only those items you truly love, and a hundred other small but significant practices?

Yes, I think so too.