January 12
Dear Division 16,
I know that the David Suzuki article we read early in the Food Project left a pretty big impression on many of you. I came across this short, sweet and inspiring list of Principles For Living Sustainably and thought you might be interested.
http://davidsuzukibooks.com/12-principles-for-living-sustainably/
Once you have read the article, please choose one of the Principles and propose three actions a family can take to live by this principle. Please make sure that you are pushing yourself to identify actions that go beyond the obvious, but at the same time are realistic. Think of things that your family could reasonably try, and would likely be successful!
Please ensure that you are detailed enough in your response that your classmates could take the actions you are describing!
I look forward to your responses,
Jody
Divisions 17 and 18 
Think more about energy drives plane rides
1 if you get a car try to get an electric one
2 if something is at full battery don’t bother charging it.
3 walk more than ride (unless your on a bike scooter etc…).
lordofthepies05 I really like your focus on energy. The last two are things we can all do and #1 is a good thing to aspire to!
make food not waste
#1 compost leftovers so farmers can reuse the food you ate.
#2 try not to be picky about the food you get.
#3 and try to (if you have a small garden of your own) use leftovers for your vegetables/fruits.
crazymemeslol123, you’ve done a nice job of finding solutions that are very personal but also local and global!
“Buy more local”
1. don’t buy into special adds that say for example “amazing smooth vanilla ice cream made fresh from Italy.” because even if Italy is famous for it I still really like Ernest ice cream (sorry of topic).
2. Make more meals from home.
3. make sure all of the ingredients all local. not just the meat in the sandwich.
You’ve taken “local” to a really high level here, Touchdown, great work!
DON’T BUY STUFF THAT YOU DON’T NEED
#1 Maybe think before you buy.
#2 Maybe donated to the food bank if there’s any left overs.
#3 Share them with your friends and neighbors
Great solutions, Flying Mandarin! These solutions will all make a big difference!
#2
1.If you need to buy something buy reliable things that will last a long time. This will reduce the amount that you buy because the high quality product has a good chance of not breaking. For example, if you need a battery, don’t buy a cheap one because it will either be weak, breakable, or it will run out of power right away. Instead buy a high quality one that you know will last longer and in the long run you will need fewer batteries.
2. You can buy used items from value village, salvation army, etc. instead of brand new stuff. For example, if you need sporting goods buying them from salvation army will be cheaper and it will reduce the number of sporting goods in the landfill.
3.You can share or borrow things. For example, if you need a screw driver and you don’t have one but you know that your neighbour does, then just ask them if you can borrow it instead buying your own.
the engineer, you’ve given excellent and thoughtful responses to the concepts of reduce, reuse and recycle. I really like your focus on changing perceptions about “cheap” goods!
1. Remember the Big Picture
1. Think before you’re going to drive to somewhere close, to save gas, fuel, and energy. Only drive or take a different kind of transportation, when the location you want to get to is out of walking distance.
2. Buy more local foods
3. Compost more
Amythest, this is some nice work. Your solutions would certainly make a difference!
8#
1Buy more plastic containers and buy used items instead of buying things new.
2 Reuse cans to can things or store things.
3 Instead of knocking down your house renovate the inside and keep the out side the same to save more money and you can use less materials and use time .
A very relevant ( and local!) set of solutions, Soccerboy123ABC. I like how you considered the 3 Rs!
#3.
– remember to compost
– grow your own food
– go shopping less frequently
All good advice, Spamlington!
#7 make healthy choices
Think about how much fossil fuels would be spent driving to a place you could walk or bike to.
Make a backyard garden to get healthy organic food that reduces your trips to the markets.
Always remember to compost.
smeagaleater10, you’ve done some good thinking here and connected ideas together in a way that really makes sense!
Remember the big picture
a) Use a Tupperware instead of plastic bags
b) Walk instead of driving, if the place you are going to is close
c) Instead of snacking on unhealthy foods, grab an apple, orange, carrot, pear, etc
I like your focus on shifting your thinking here, purple pom-poms!
make healthy choices
1. look through the ingredients before you buy it.
2. use your common sense! if it doesn’t look ok don’t even bother.
3.look through sources (online or through an employee) and see how much of an environmental impact that product has.
Pink Pickle, I really like how you’re encouraging your readers to do their homework and make good choices!
MAKE FOOD, NOT WASTE
#1 Buy only what you need
#2 Plant some of your own food
#3 Use food compost as fertilizer
Joaquin, I like how your solutions support one another!
“don’t buy stuff that you don’t need”
1.keep track of the stuff you have so then you can tell if need the thing your buying.
2.dont buy more extravagant items that are not necessary
3.dont buy stuff that’s bad for the environment
Buy local
#1 Support your local farmer markets.
#2 Check the label to see where its from before buying it.
#2 Eat out less to avoid ordering things from far away.
Buy local
#1 Support your local farmer markets.
#2 Check the label to see where its from before buying it.
#3 Eat out less to avoid ordering things from far away.
3. Make food, not waste
1. Before you go shopping make a list of only the things you really need and try to stick to it
2. Always read the label that says where the product was grown because even if you think something is organic it might be from halfway around the world and that would be wasting energy as well as food.
3. Try not to impulse buy because even if something looks good, it might not be, and then you might end up throwing it out.