Sustainability Stories :: Part Four
In addition to celebrating our 10 year anniversary, today we are celebrating Gage's birthday! Read about his path to sustainability and other insights below.
As part of our 10 year anniversary celebration, we’re sharing our Sustainability Stories, where each of our team members explains a little more about their passion for sustainability. Read Part One here, Part Two here, and Part Three here.
Gage
When + why did you decide to start living more sustainably?
My path into sustainability was a long winding road that likely started with food. For as long as I can remember, like since I was in elementary school, I've always loved cooking my own meals. And I'm not talking about kid stuff like making boxed macaroni and cheese or something, but literally inventing my own dishes made from mostly plants like Tomegtable Soup (tomato soup base with lots of chopped veggies cooked into it) which my vegetable-fearing friends from back in the day still request when we're hanging out. I just naturally loved vegetables. I'd eat whole bell peppers as a snack... still do... though now I'll at least chop it up with some heirloom tomatoes (and maybe feta) and then toss it with some olive and oil and balsamic vinegar before chowing down (like a twist on a greek salad). Over the years the more I learned about good food, the more I leaned toward buying organic and cooking with whole ingredients because that just felt like the most real food to me — and it happened to also be delicious. Then as I went deeper into my obsession, I started peeling back the layers of the sustainability onion to realize that I could also learn to consume more sustainably, live more sustainably, and even work more sustainably. That's probably the moment I decided to start Modern Species.
What would you like people to know about sustainable living?
Living sustainably is not an all or nothing thing. It's okay to start where you are and make small, incremental changes. In fact, you're probably already doing a handful of things and should give yourself a pat on the back. The trick, however, is to keep going. Keep making little changes to your lifestyle along the way because a lot of little changes eventually add up to a big impact. I know it's not always the easiest path. It takes a little more thought when buying things and when throwing them away. It takes a bit of will power to turn that hot water off instead of sitting in the shower for thirty minutes. At first it's hard to remember to turn down that straw, plastic bag, or remember to bring your shopping bags to the store. But it does get easier. New habits can be formed if you take a lot of little steps to make it easier on yourself, and when you reward your good behavior. So maybe try saving your dessert (or veggies in my case) as a reward for following through on your sustainability goals. Bottom line, don't freak out if you can't do it all at once. Have patience, keep trying, and celebrate your wins! After all, it's not just a win for you, but for your kids (or other small living things you love), their kids, and all the kids after that.