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Welcome to Sustainability Scout.

Scouting out reliable information on sustainability

Sustainablility can seem so complicated. It doesn’t have to be.

It simply means practices we can keep up indefinitely without causing harm.

Where can you find carefully researched, balanced, and practical information that can help you live in harmony with nature?

Right here. Read Sustainability Scout regularly!

check out My books

It’s a jungle out there. A wilderness of clashing claims and rants about our environment. Let Sustainability Scout explore the jungle––do the research––so you don’t have to. Come here often for useful, reliable information and tips to enhance your green lifestyle. And check out my books.

ultimate guide to green living
The ultimate Guide to Green Living: 156 tips to save money, improve your health, and transform your community

With all these practical tips, you’re sure to find some you haven’t thought of yet.

Before and after the first Earth Day 1970

A view of environmental history from 50 years before to  50 years after Earth Day. Learn what problems we have solved since Earth Day, which we haven’t solved, and which ones no one had thought of yet.

When the river ran gray

The only book-length description of the third-worst coal ash spill in American history, the Dan River coal ash spill of 2014. What did industry, government, and environmentalists do wrong? And what can we learn from it?

Nurturing nature and saving money: how to be frugal with electricity

RosZie via Pixabay The earth is burning up. And we’ll have to burn fossil fuels for electricity for the foreseeable future. When we’re frugal with electricity at home, we reduce our share of fossil fuel consumption and save money at the same time. What’s not to like about that? It helps ...
hands holding soil and young plant. environmentally conscious consumer

5 practical tips to be a more environmentally conscious consumer

Marco Verch via Flickr Terms such as green, eco-friendly, or sustainable often don’t mean much. Let’s consider the less-familiar term “environmentally conscious.” The word “conscious” implies a state of mind or way of thinking. So the environmentally conscious consumer knows that the whole earth is interconnected. It is one large ecosystem ...

Food waste in America: 12 ways to help reduce it

Food waste / Nick Saltmarsh via Flickr The world wastes about 1.4 billion tons of food every year, but estimates of food waste can vary wildly. According to Feeding America, Americans waste about 59.5 billion tons of it every year, worth $408 billion. Meanwhile, one in six Americans suffer food insecurity, including ...

7 worst greenwashing examples and how not to be deceived

The majority of American consumers today are willing to pay more for products that seem good for the environment. Corporations want their business. Unfortunately, some resort to a dishonest marketing tactic called greenwashing. Let’s look at some of the worst greenwashing examples and see what we can learn from them. American ...

9 practical tips for an eco-friendly kitchen remodel

Among other eco-friendly features, the countertops are made with recycled coal fly ash. / Jeremy Levine Design via Flickr Is it time to remodel your kitchen? It sounds exciting—and expensive—but an eco-friendly kitchen remodel can both help the environment and add value to your home when you eventually sell or refinance ...

Home air pollution: (how to improve indoor air quality)

Air freshener spray can / Photo by 955169 via Pixabay We like to think of our home as a safe haven, a place to get away from the problems of the world. One of those problems is air pollution, and, unfortunately, indoor air is often more polluted than outdoor air. That’s ...

What is slow food? 16 ways to benefit (without becoming a snob)

Stefan Müller via Flickr Fast food has been around for a long time now. Slow food directly and deliberately opposes it. In 1986, McDonald’s announced plans to build a 450-seat store, its largest in the world, in Rome’s Piazza di Spagna. The announcement sparked protests, including unsuccessful litigation to stop it ...

A guide to fabrics: what is a sustainable fabric?

Defining a sustainable fabric is surprisingly difficult. Fabric can be made from plant fibers, animal proteins, or fossil fuels. The latter is obviously the least sustainable. But the processes of turning fiber into fabric and dyeing it raise additional issues for sustainability—both environmental and social sustainability. To begin with, a sustainable ...

10 simple ways to save water at home

You don't want to waste water, do you? Here are ways to save water, running water in particular. Plus a calculator for your water footprint ...

7 safe and responsible ways to dispose of used cooking oil at home

After you’ve fried food, what do you do with the used cooking oil? Improper disposal costs money and harms the environment. Here’s how to do it right ...

Do you make these 7 common recycling mistakes?

Recycling is an important tool in cleaning up our planet, but common recycling mistakes make it less effective than it ought to be. Can you do better? ...

What is green cleaning and what does it look like in your home?

Do you look for trusted brands of green cleaning products? Or do you prefer to make your own? Either way, here’s information you need to know ...

8 ways to shop more sustainably on Amazon

Online shopping has a growing portion of total sales. Amazon dominates the online marketplace. Here’s how you can shop more sustainably on Amazon ...

Do we need coercive tactics to reach environmental goals?

Do we need coercion to force people to help us meet environmental goals? Some environmentalists think so. Who has a right to do the forcing? ...
cotton plants

How organic cotton is better than conventional cotton

Organic cotton fabric, although not perfect, is a much more sustainable fabric than ordinary cotton. It’s a good choice for clothing and linens ...
hands holding soil and young plant. environmentally conscious consumer

12 easy ways to live more sustainably at home

We can’t leave the environment to the government and corporations. Fortunately, it’s no big burden to live more sustainably at home ...

Recycling right: how clean is clean enough?

Some people wash their recycling like their dishes. Too many others put not yet empty containers out to the curb. What’s the best way to clean recycling? ...

Cooking for one on a budget: easy, eco-friendly meal ideas

If you live alone, you can still enjoy home-cooked meals. Cooking for one person is healthier, less expensive, and more eco-friendly than the alternatives ...

The Lorax: environmental warning still valuable after 50 years

Dr. Seuss published The Lorax one year after the first Earth Day. The book is still relevant today. What can it teach us about threats to the environment? ...

Natural mosquito control: how to get rid of the nasty bugs

Natural mosquito control avoids toxic chemicals. You can still use (make!) mosquito repellant sprays—along with a lot more uncomplicated tactics ...

7 ideas for a sustainable, low-maintenance backyard

A sustainable, low-maintenance backyard is a place of beauty that benefits nature. It’s a great place to relax and entertain guests ...

Sustainable products: is reusable always better than single use?

Can single-use plastics make sustainable products? Some studies say some of them might be more eco-friendly than reusable products ...

Have an eco-friendly bathroom in 3 easy steps

Save water, move toward zero waste, and use green cleaning products for an eco-friendly bathroom. Change one or two habits at a time. How easy it is! ...

Your sustainable kitchen: must-have no waste, non-toxic utensils

August de Richelieu via Pexels No one decides to start an eco-friendly lifestyle and changes overnight. It takes a lifetime of learning and taking small steps. In fact, considering lifestyle is too broad for one post. Looking to plan a more sustainable kitchen is ambitious enough! A totally no waste kitchen ...

11 common recycling myths and what to do about them

Recycling can seem complicated. Part of the problem is we can think it accomplishes more or less than it really does. Let’s tackle some recycling myths ...
lawn with shrubs, biodiverse lawn

How to transform your ordinary lawn to a beautiful biodiverse lawn

A biodiverse lawn has healthier plants and soil than an ordinary lawn. It can also be less expensive and easier to take care of. Here’s how to grow one ...

Rechargeable batteries vs disposable batteries: which are best?

Rechargeable batteries are more eco-friendly than disposable batteries and cost less in the long run. They’re better for nearly everything ...
hemp plant

Hemp fabric vs cotton and bamboo: how sustainable is it?

Hemp fabric is relatively unknown. As more people become familiar with it, this sustainable fabric will challenge cotton and bamboo in the marketplace ...

What can we use instead of paper towels?

Sustainable living requires minimizing single-use products and finds alternatives. Fortunately we have lots of substitutes to use instead of paper towels ...

Lawn alternatives for a more sustainable yard

In most parts of the country, the standard turf yard is not a sustainable lawn. What attractive lawn alternatives need less water and fertilizer? ...

Dishwasher vs hand washing: which is the most eco-friendly?

Comparing dishwasher vs hand washing. How do you do each of them? Which uses the least water? What can’t go in the dishwasher? And what about germy sponges? ...

Why use silicone kitchen tools and cooking utensils?

Silicone is a manmade polymer, but it’s not plastic. It’s more like rubber. What are the benefits of silicone kitchen tools and cooking utensils? ...

Leather, faux leather, vegan leather, and the environment

What are the differences among real leather, faux leather, and vegan leather? Real leather raises controversy on more than one level. What advantages do leather alternatives have? Especially for the environment? ...

How to save energy with window treatments

Most people prefer bright, sunny days to cloudy, gloomy days. And sunlight through the windows certainly cheers up a room. Unfortunately, windows also transfer heat ...

Reusable cloth grocery bags vs plastic bags

In an ideal world, we should be able to identify things we can use that have no environmental downside. We don’t live in such a world. Take grocery shopping bags, for example. Plastic bags remain forever in the environment and jeopardize wildlife ...

The hidden costs of not going green

Going green has a reputation for being expensive. But the price we pay for our choices does not reflect the full cost. For example, whatever we buy probably comes with packaging. Then we have to pay to discard it. And we have to pay for the energy it takes to go ...

The health benefits of drinking water

The human body is about 60% water; the brain is about 70% water, and blood about 90% water. You may have seen frequent assertions that we need to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day. That’s half a gallon. As it turns out, no particular scientific experiments stand behind that ...

The recycling process: how a materials recovery facility works

Once you haul your recyclables out to the curb, what happens to them? A lot of the recycling process depends on your municipality’s practices. Most rely on single-stream recycling ...
bamboo forest

Bamboo products and sustainability: how eco-friendly are they?

How sustainable are bamboo products? At first appearances, bamboo is one of the most sustainable materials on earth. Let’s consider some of the ways ...
garbage bag

12 sustainable living tips through waste reduction

More sustainable living can mean going off grid, giving up your car, and other drastic measures, but it doesn’t have to. You can go a long way toward protecting the environment by reducing waste at home. That can include buying less, buying different things, or just using less water and electricity ...

8 cool solar products for your home: buyer’s guide

Solar products don’t all need sunlight. Some work with indoor light. You need something like these gadgets anyway, so run them on free energy! ...
lawn with no shrubs. green living message

Promoting sustainable living: the power of many

Instead of condemning all this grass, how about mentioning that trees would protect it from too much sun and shrubbery would make the house look better? / Image by midascode via Pixabay Have you noticed that not everyone cares about sustainable living? And even among people who do, a gap sometimes ...
online shopping

Online shopping vs in-store shopping: which is more eco-friendly?

When you want to buy something nowadays, you have a choice between going to a store to get it or ordering it online. Since you have come here to read this article, you want to do what’s best by the environment. So what is the better choice in online shopping vs ...
food date label

How to reduce food waste by understanding food date labels

Food packages often have food date labels. They use such phrases as “used before,” expires on,” best by,” “best if used by,” “use by,” or “sell by” before the dates. As it turns out, consumers find these labels confusing ...

Environmental degradation and the plagues of Revelation

In another article, I have described how the fall of man explains human incompetence in taking proper care of the environment. It represents an act of rebellion against God, the rightful Lord of the universe. This time, I’d like to look at the last book of the Bible ...
convenience food in pantry

Inconvenient convenience food, or, Tuna doesn’t need help

Our society has become addicted to convenience in general and convenience food in particular. But is it really as convenient as it seems? Let’s look at products such as Tuna Helper™, Hamburger Helper™, and Chicken Helper™ ...

The three pillars of sustainability explained

Explaining the three pillars of sustainability first requires defining sustainability. The concept of sustainability arose from environmental activism. It’s taken to mean making sure that the current generation can meet its needs without making it impossible for future generations to meet theirs ...

The many benefits of outdoor solar LED lights

You don’t need to invest in an entire rooftop solar system to take advantage of solar energy. Just get some outdoor solar LED lights. You can get lights with a built-in solar collector or lights with a solar panel you can mount at a distance. In that case, if you want ...

Do you need a home drinking water filter system?

Do you know what’s in your drinking water? Don’t buy into the myth that bottled water is safer than tap water. It comes with a lot of hidden costs, too. The US enjoys some of the cleanest and clearest water in the world. Yet, there are times when you might want ...

Extended producer responsibility and the recycling crisis

The terms “extended producer responsibility”(EPR) and “product stewardship mean about the same thing. Recently, however, a distinction has arisen. Product stewardship mostly means voluntary programs. EPR mostly refers to programs mandated by ...
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