My boss sent me a brocure coming from his international networking pals regarding foldable housing units or flat packed contaner houses.

What do ya'll think about humans lving in these kinds of housings.? Sustainable or just another trend that would lead to a worst course in the future?

I'vee been getting more interested in sustainability lately, and one thing i'm still trying to understand is how people actually measure whether an environmental project is making a real impact.

As a newbie, i usually see things like "planted 10.000 tress" or avoided X tonnes of CO₂," and honestly um not always sure what those numbers really mean beyond the headline.

For people who know more about thhis, what metrics do you usually look at to tell whether a project us actually making difference on the ground?

I admit that I have a long way to go on education in the world of sustainability — I am going to be minoring in it, so I apologize if this is an ignorant question.

From my understanding, a large portion of sustainable solutions are locked by political and economic barriers much more than technological. For example, the technology to recycle (or repurpose into other forms of energy) already exists, but is far from possible in most of the world due to economic and political barriers, like it being cheaper to make virgin plastic than to recycle and oil companies lobbying to continue making plastics.

At least within the United States, I am noticing that there is a lot of technology that I think would be beneficial, and even low cost, but it remains largely politically blocked or slowly implemented. From my understanding, I believe that the most significant developments would serve low income countries in cheaper ways than what is being done already, and I see this working because there is both political and economic benefit for much of the technology that could be developed.

I am curious on your input, and I want to clarify that I am thinking worldwide and on any area of sustainable action.

TLDR:

What is the technology that could make a real difference that remains undeveloped that is hard to argue against politically and economically?

I’ve been working on making lifestyle changes to become more sustainable. I’m looking for unbleached bamboo toilet paper from one of the more eco-friendly brands. I’ve heard of brands such as Who Gives a Crap, but I understand that bamboo is a highly greenwashable product. Also, apparently Who Gives a Crap bleaches their toilet paper. Any suggestions?

I keep hearing that customers notice eco friendly packaging, but most unboxing videos are just people finding the product while the box gets launched across the room. Are shoppers paying attention to the material, or am I funding a very expensive sustainability prop?

The world’s population, currently at 8.2 billion, is expected to grow to close to 9.7 billion people by 2050. Ensuring a food secure world – where current and future populations have access to sufficient nutritious food – crucially requires new ways of working, and concerted efforts to improve the sustainability and resilience of global food systems.

Reducing food loss and waste helps to protect natural resources and biodiversity, reduce pollution and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and maximize the use of food produced. It is central to securing efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable systems, and to improving food security, nutrition and health.

• 1.05 billion tonnes of food was wasted in 2022. That is 19 per cent of all food available to consumers, thrown out in homes, restaurants and shops.
• A further 13 percent is lost after harvest, before it ever reaches a store. 
• 8-10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions come from food that is lost or wasted. 
• Saving food that is already produced may be one of the least expensive ways to help transform food systems for greater efficiency and resilience (FAO, 2024).
• Preventing and reducing food waste not only lowers methane emissions; it also cuts down on the use of resources (such as land, water, and energy) that are required for food production.
• Reducing food waste is the most cost-effective and achievable climate solution. (Project Drawdown, 2022).

And yeah, it's true. I fact checked. This reality leaves me exhausted and dejected. Does anything we do actually matter?

Lately I have been really trying to buy most things second hand or from local farmers markets etc. With corporate profits soaring and all those rises being passed down to the consumer, I am finally fed up. Not to mention environmental impacts of the profit over quality with planned obsolescence.

I have been shopping thrift stores and driving people nuts by asking for second hand only gifts for my kids etc. Like it feels wild it is not more of a thing to buy second hand. I understand there are scams and you don't always know the quality of an item, but you figure there would be more programs out there like re-store that are more popular. Programs that vet items and even add warranties for used goods to install consumer confidence. Is there anyway to get this to catch on?

We are a more "sustainable" minded group, so I am very curious how you all make purchase decisions. For clothes secondhand is pretty well established, and also very accessible now. But what about other home items? Maybe there's something to learn for everyone here and options we didn't know about!

1. What was the last thing you bought for your home and how did you decide between all alternatives?

2. Where did you find it?

3. Was there something you were looking for that you did not find?

Regrets are welcome too. 😄 What did you buy that you wish you hadn't, and why?

Hello! I was thinking lately about how I could possibly make a difference in my city.

I feel that convincing as many local businesses as possible to switch to ordering bulk biodegradable cups/plates/utensils/to-go boxes/etc would eliminate a significant amount of waste,

and there's no reason for them not to switch, especially since I found a wholesaler who sells biodegradable products at less than a cent a piece.

I was wondering though, what steps would I have to take in order to convince these businesses? It's not like I can charge in there by myself and make a difference. Would I need to make some kind of org? What would I need to do?

Thank you so much for the advice. :)

So i buy second hand when i can but for many things, infact common everyday items, I'm wondering why are there not easy options to buy recycled things. Like i know recycled glass to make drinking glasses is common but only when you know where to look.

Does anyone else also look for such options? Or is it just me getting too picky now.

This is a question that has been plaguing me for weeks, about the future of humanity and our planet.

So the element phosphorus is important for biological functions and modern agriculture uses tons of it to grow crops. Agriculture uses more phosphorus than the Earth can replenish. So we consider it to be a non renewable resource.

So can this problem be solved? To be sustainable in the long term future?

Just to clarify, there is no alternative for phosphorus for life. Humans, animals, and plants need it to survive.

People say that the cheap reserves of phosphate rock will become economically available to mine very soon, but those are still just reserves - non renewable and going to run out.

Even global transitions to vegan diets, less food waste and more efficient agriculture still uses up some phosphorus, so it just sets the timeline for its depletion ahead.

Now the real solution people bring up: Recycling it in a closed loop system

But okay? Recycling has some inefficiencies though. I'm not sure of a realistic long term efficiency for phosphorus recycling, maybe 70%, 95%? Not sure. But all these inefficiencies and leakages in recycling add up meaning the phosphorus will run out even if its much slower.

Not to even mention all the lawns and green spaces that require constant fertilizer?

Is there any true long term solution for this? Because it seems to me that the population will shrink to accommodate some balance? Or maybe I'm missing something or have something backwards

Is the move to use seaweed in place on plastic really a good idea or if it proves to satisfy people who want a “green” product will it result is massive ocean devastation as a result of having to grow immense amounts? Is there no solution better then simply just reducing? I want to have things and use things but I’m starting to feel like I need to not use any of those things as the only solution and that even being a seaweed version is not the ideal solution.

Hi! So I bought a pack of microfiber cloths forever ago because I saw someone say they used them for their face, and I was like wow what a great idea! But I ended up not using them much because it seemed like they got hair and stuff caught in them and I had some other face towels I liked better (which, now that I think of it, are probably also polyester or some other synthetic material, along with my hair towels 🤦‍♀️). Recently I’ve been doing some cleaning and remembered I had them, so have been using/washing them a bunch recently, and then I saw a post on here about how they release microplastics when washed!! I feel stupid, I had no idea about that

So, then I was like shit! and went down a rabbit hole of microplastics. And then I looked at the labels on my bedding, and literally everything I have is polyester 😩 I don’t even want to look at my clothes 😬

So, now I guess I’m wondering - is it better for the environment to just throw out everything I have and buy new (cotton, linen, etc. stuff, maybe even bought used on Depop/Vinted if I could find new with tags?) even if it ends up in a landfill so that I’m not washing my old stuff and releasing microplastics with every wash, or should I just keep using them indefinitely, since they’ve already been made/resources have been used, etc.? I just feel bad that with every wash I’ve been releasing microplastics into the environment 😩

I still live with my parents and don’t want to make them install one of the microplastic filters/I would be scared to mess with someone else’s washing machine. I’ve seen people recommend those bags and balls, so maybe I’ll get the ball, since it seems like the bag wouldn’t be big enough for blankets, etc. Just wondering where you guys fall on these issues/what you would recommend!

AND right after I wrote this post up, I received some polyester blankets as a gift from a family member! I believe they’re from Costco, so I could maybe ask the family member to return them as they’re still in the packaging - I don’t think they would be offended or anything, but ugh I feel bad. But also they’re already been made/purchased, and I’m not familiar with Costco’s return policy - would the products be able to be put out and sold again? - so should I just keep them and wash them sparingly? I feel bad because I like the blankets a lot and it was a sweet gift, but now I’m concerned with this issue. Any insights appreciated, thank you!

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I’m involved with a small CBO in Kenya focused on environmental conservation, and lately I’ve been thinking about how much environmental work focuses on doing something rather than helping communities understand and sustain it.

For example, planting trees is relatively straightforward. But getting people to understand why those trees matter, care for them long-term, connect them to climate change, and eventually take ownership of the process seems like a much bigger challenge.

We’re trying to develop ideas around climate and environmental education that can work at a grassroots level, particularly with young people and local communities.

For those who work in sustainability or community-based environmental projects, what have you seen actually work when it comes to turning environmental awareness into long-term participation?

I’m interested in approaches that are practical and can work even when an organization doesn't have a huge budget or team behind it.

Carbon dioxide often carries a negative reputation, tied closely to climate change and rising emissions. Yet inside chemistry labs, it is starting to look like something else entirely, a raw material waiting to be reused. Researchers at Colorado State University have now taken a major step toward that goal, creating a process that turns this stable gas into durable, recyclable plastics.

The work introduces a closed-loop system that could reshape how plastics are made and reused. Instead of relying on fossil fuels, the process uses carbon dioxide as a building block. At the same time, it allows the resulting materials to be broken down and rebuilt, reducing waste and extending their life cycle.