I just stumbled across a new website/blog, the “conscious life & style” and Elizabeth’s (the founder of conscious life & style) sustainable swap challenge, and I decided it’s something I’d like to promote in 2020 within our farm community. In 2020, I’m personally going to really commit to reducing my household and farm’s waste to do my part in contributing to making some big impact sustainability changes.
I’m essentially going to be keeping an eye out for conscious life & style’s weekly email and passing along her weekly action steps. I may agree completely and copy her weekly step, tweek it a little, or completely change it and fill in my own suggestion. Her blog is mostly about making ethical fashion & eco-living approachable and accessible for everyone with guides, resources, and more; so I already suspect I’ll be adapting the challenge to encompass more aspects around supporting local food and agriculture, but I’m assuming Elizabeth’s challenge will give me a lot of great suggestions.
What is the Sustainable Swap Challenge?
Elizabeth states that ,”the concept is simple: there are 50 swaps ranging from basics (like reusable bottles and napkins) to big impact changes (like switching to socially responsible investment funds or saving your money in an ethical bank).
How can I learn about the weekly swap?
You can learn about the weekly swap right here in our farm’s blog and I’ll also put a little reminder in the farm emails that go out. This farm blog will have information about the swap (tips, resources, where to buy the swap if needed, my experiences with that swap, details about any financial or time savings I experienced, etc.).
Will the swaps be complicated and expensive?
Elizabeth states that, “the swaps start simple to ensure everyone can join in no matter where anyone is on their journey. I’ll also provide tips/resources alongside the swaps so you can get something out of the content even if you’ve already made that particular swap. I’ve made some of the swaps already but others I’ll be implementing right alongside you. My goal is to make this challenge as accessible as possible. I will include a DIY / free / affordably-priced option for whatever swaps I can and will work on finding affordable options for every swap I can too. Also, some of the swaps will have an upfront cost but will save money in the long-run. (Like investing in a menstrual cup instead of buying a box of tampons every month or using reusable food storage instead of buying single-use plastic bags/wrap constantly!) If you find that you’re not able to do all of the swaps in the challenge due to accessibility/affordability etc… don’t sweat it, I’d still LOVE for you to join in on the challenge and do what you can. It’s not a contest and there is no leaderboard keeping scores or ranking anybody. I simply hope that this will be a fun way to build more sustainable habits together!”
I’m in! How do I sign up?
If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, be sure to sign up for our farm newsletter that will have reminders and links to this farm blog so you won’t miss a week. The link to sign up for our farm newsletter is below.
Did the challenge already start? Can I still join?
Yes and yes! The Swap Challenge did already begin, but you can absolutely still join in on the fun. Below you’ll find information about previous swaps to catch up:
SWAP #1: Reusable Bags
SWAP #2 Reusable Produce Bags
SWAP #3: Reusable Water Bottle
Ready to join in?
https://mailchi.mp/f4807755406a/heritagebellefarmsnewsletter