Sep 2019: Sustainable Social Media
- Kaili Brande
- Sep 15, 2019
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 8, 2022
Happy September All! Welcome back to the blog. Now that it is September, it is time for me to share some big news. I will be starting graduate school in about a week at UC Santa Barbara, pursuing a PhD in environmental science and management! My passion for the environment is prevalent in my home life and career, and I couldn’t be more excited to begin this new step in my career (and life). However, all of the studying and hard work will leave a lot less time for me to write blog posts. SO! From now on, I will be posting a blog post EVERY TWO MONTHS instead of once a month! I wish I could continue posting every month, but I need to be realistic about my time.
However, I hope these posts continue to be educational and inspiring for you all! I hope you will continue being subscribed and continue your sustainability journeys with me! To help you stay up-to-date, expand your knowledge, and keep motivated, I am sharing a list of sustainable role models that I have found over the years. Many of them can be found on Instagram and Facebook (and perhaps Twitter), but some are more website-based. Check them out below, in categories by theme! :)
Ocean Protection/Plastic
Plastic Pollution Coalition: I attended one of their lunch events in Berkeley, CA in mid-July and became a member (free for anyone)! They had a wide variety of speakers from as far as Australia, discussing plastic-free lifestyles, brands and products, and the current waste management system of the U.S. The PPC champions the reduction of single-use plastics in our everyday life. They do a lot of education, outreach, events, etc. The leaders are really friendly, too! Find them on Facebook and follow them on Instagram @plasticpollutes.
The Last Plastic Straw: The Last Plastic Straw was also represented at the PPC meeting I attended, as mentioned above. They spread awareness about reducing one of the easiest single-use items to replace: the straw. Find them on Facebook and follow them on Instagram @noplasticstraws.
5 Gyres: An organization whose name is based on the 5 gyres of ocean plastic that persist in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. They provide educational programs, outreach, fundraising, etc. for the reduction of ocean plastic pollution, and work with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (wow!). Find them on Facebook and follow them on Instagram @5gyres.
Think Outside the Bottle: A Facebook page dedicated to reducing sale of bottled waters in places like national parks. Instead, they support greater use of reusable bottles!
Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Restaurants: Surfrider Foundation does great work to protect coastal California from threats like plastic, and its new Ocean Friendly Restaurants campaign is no exception! It encourages restaurants to meet several criteria (including “No expanded polystyrene use (aka Styrofoam)” and “No plastic bags offered with take out or to-go orders and utensils are provided only upon request”) in order to be deemed an Ocean Friendly Restaurant. You can use the link above to find an “OFR” near you, as well as register a restaurant who is worthy! Sounds like a great way to incentivize restaurants to do their part and reward them with more customers. Check out Surfrider.org for more information on the other great things they do!
Cooking
Zero Waste Chef: previously mentioned in this blog post.
Max la Manna: previously mentioned in the same blog post above.
Home Life
Zero Waste Home: Considered one of the founders of the zero waste movement, Bea Johnson writes about ways to reduce the waste in your home considerably! There is even an online tool that allows you to find stores that sell bulk foods (minimal packaging)! Follow on Instagram @zerowastehome.
Trash is For Tossers: Run by a blogger who lives a zero waste lifestyle in New York City, this website provides how-to advice on lots of unique ways to reduce your waste and eco-footprint. She has even opened her own packaging-free shop in New York (in her 20’s!) where you can buy amazing eco-friendly products! Follow her on Instagram @trashisfortossers for inspiration.
Wasteland Fantasy: This website is run by a woman that also attended the Plastic Pollution Coalition event in July. After checking it out myself, it seems to be a design-focused approach to how plastic is used in society and how that relationship can be improved. Very unique approach!
Humor
Zero Waste Memes: This one’s just a bonus, but I really enjoy following @zerowastememes on Instagram because it is very relatable if you care about these things! Check it out and tell me what you think. ;)
Of course, there are a lot more sustainability-focused organizations out there that I didn’t mention. There are also several notable environmental groups (i.e. Sierra Club, NRDC, World Wildlife Fund, etc.) that I did not address. I chose to solely highlight leaders in sustainability, since sustainability is the main focus of this blog, and because the general public tends to know less about sustainability than about other environmental issues.
By seeing these sustainability leaders in our social media feed everyday, it will help us learn and encourage us to continue aligning our lives with our environmental values. It’s our job to spread the word and improve our society’s sustainability, one household at a time! :) I hope you all have a lovely September and October, and we’ll connect again in November!
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