Welcome to Sustainability Scout.

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 ...

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 / 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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? ...

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 ...

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

Organic cotton fabric, although not perfect, is a much more sustainable fabric than ordinary cotton. It’s a good choice for clothing and linens ...

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

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? ...

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 ...

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

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

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

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! ...

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 ...

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 ...

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

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

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

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

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? ...

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? ...

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? ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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! ...

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 ...

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 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 ...

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 ...

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™ ...

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 ...

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 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 ...

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 ...