I’m so very grateful that I grew up in a home that, in some fashion, encouraged being prepared. As I got older, and the idea became more refined in my mind, I realized that in order to be truly prepared – in this case, for an epidemic – a sustainable lifestyle is the way to go.
The hoarding we are witnessing during the current Covid-19 epidemic is not preparedness. And, it is not sustainable.
There is a huge difference between hording ALL THE THINGS and not needing them in the first place. True sustainability comes in the form of knowing what to purchase, when, and why.
It’s no secret why recycling is important and that a little difference can for a long way. Our resident sustainable blogger, Tatia Childers has put together her 12 R’s of Recycling to help you get started and hone your recycling skills!
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BE PREPARED, NOT SCARED
Right now we’re seeing store shelves being emptied of a huge variety of items, most of which are considered “disposable” (which, by the way, is a complete lie). Toilet paper, paper towels, paper plates, paper napkins, frozen dinners, etc…the list goes on.
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What if you didn’t need all of that in the first place? There would be no need for panic buying and you’d be sitting pretty in your comfy home, working on projects, watching movies, or playing with the kids.
Now that we’re all supposed to be practicing social distancing, this is the perfect time to reevaluate our level of preparedness and sustainability. How sustainable is it to have to go out and buy disposable products all the time? I can tell you that the answer is a resounding ZERO.
THE BE-PREPARED SHORT LIST
Here’s a short list of some really easy things to replace so that next time something like this happens (and yes, it will happen), you’ll be prepared and that will be one less thing to worry about.
- Paper towels: just use rags and wash them. My mother-in-law was going to get rid of an entire black trash bag FULL of old t-shirts, so I snatched them up, cut them up, and now we have enough rags to last us for about 10 years. And they were free.
- Paper plates: use real plates. We like to find mismatched, real china at the thrift stores and use those. We get them for about $.25 each and they’ll last until we accidentally break them. Then I can give the broken pieces to a friend who does mosaics. Nothing goes to waste!
- Paper napkins: use cloth napkins or rags. We’ve been able to find cloth napkins at the thrift store for $1.00 for 6 napkins. We’ve had the same ones for years and haven’t had to replace any of them. I can’t even remember the last time we bought paper napkins. Plus, it just feels nicer than rubbing paper all over your face.
- Frozen dinners: first of all, in the long run, they’re expensive. Second, they’re not nearly as healthy or tasty as homemade meals. Since you’re going to be home, quarantined, anyway, might as well take the time to make some wonderful meals! Last night I make a huge veggie lasagna. There are only three of us, but some of it will go in the freezer for future use and the rest we’ll nibble on for the next few days. This will cut down on how much I have to cook and, dang, it was pretty delicious, if I do say so myself. Plus I won’t have to deal with a lot of unnecessary trash.
- Toilet paper: ok, I saved this one for last, because honestly, people get weirded out about it. But seriously, what did people do before commercial, “disposable” toilet paper was available. Yep, you’re right, they used rags. And really, if you’ve ever cloth diapered, it’s the same thing. It’s not that big of a deal. These days it’s called family cloth and you can find hundreds of resources and information about it online. And if someone in your family is…ummmm….hairy (sorry, but it’s true), you can get a bidet that attaches to the toilet seat for under $60.00 online, which will be a big help. Or, if you want a fancy warm-one, you have to spend a bit more, but it will last you years. Yes, it’s a transition, but it’s totally doable. Once you get used to it, it’s really no big deal.
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BE PREPARED; SAVE MONEY; SAVE THE PLANET
These are super simple transitions that anyone can do on a very tight budget. In fact, by making these changes it can end up saving you money, which can be used for other necessities. I’d much rather spend my money paying off bills than on toilet paper, which literally gets flushed down the toilet.
And even if you’re not willing to go so far as to let-go of your TP, at least save some for others and don’t hoard it all!
So, thank you Covid-19, for giving people the opportunity to really evaluate their need for certain things. I knew something good had to come of this! In fact, my mother always says if there’s a big pile of poop there has to be a horse in there somewhere.
With these easy tips you can be prepared for an epidemic, save a lot of money, and yes, SAVE THE PLANET!
What other tips for being prepared instead of hoarding do you have?
To Your Preparedness!
Tatia
Tatia Elizabeth Childers is a certified sustainability consultant, radical homemaker, unschooler, doTERRA wellness advocate, and homesteader. She is also the admin for Toward Zero Waste Haywood County, NC Facebook group. Her background in alternative and natural medicine, preparedness, self-reliance, environmental science, and domestic history are the backbone of her life of zero-waste, sustainability, non-consumerism, and environmental responsibility. She has studied environmental issues, natural medicine, preparedness, and domestic history for the better part of 30 years and it is her journey to share the knowledge of how the health of one’s environment affects human health with her community. She offers classes, workshops, presentations, and courses on a variety of subjects that is she is passionate about, as well as consultations and mentorships. She is the mother of 4, plus one bonus son. She is married to her beloved, a retired Navy veteran and on the board of a local non-profit, Women of Waynesville. She received her BA in health & wellness with an emphasis on environmental science and domestic history from Purdue Global University in 2019. She can be reached at https://smokymountainhomestead.wordpress.com/ or smokymountainhomestead@gmail.com.
