My grandma taught me a lot about sustainability. Without even trying really. I find that a lot of the older generations have sustainable habits but not usually for the sake of sustainability. For my grandma, it was about being frugal. The longer you have something, the more money you save. And in turn, the less waste you produce.
And while my grandma is no longer with me, I cherish the things you taught. Frugal things that have saved me money and helped me better care for the planet.
Sustainable things I learned from my grandma:
1. Thrifting
Some of my first memories of my grandma are her taking me along n thrifting this. And while she was thrifting to save money, we all know how sustainable thrifting is. It keeps clothing out of the landfills and money out of the pockets of fast fashion brands.
Even growing up, the majority of my clothes were thrifted thanks to my grandma. And I’m thankful to her for instilling a passion for thrifting in me that I still carry to this day.
2. Reusing
I’m sure we’ve all experienced something similar at our grandma’s house. Opening a tin box of cookies only to find sewing supplies or other miscellaneous stuff inside.
My grandma saved every jar, plastic container, tin container, you name. She saved it and used it for something else! I don’t think he ever really bought containers new, just reused. Which as you may know, is something I’m very good at.
3. Mending
My grandma would mend, and patch, and sew over and over again until a garment was more thread than fabric. She knew that a garment could still live even if it developed a hole or a rip. She also taught me to hem and alter clothes that we thrifted.
Prolonging the lives of our clothing is so important when it comes to slow fashion. Treating our clothes well and giving them new life is essential and a skill I’m lucky to have been taught.
4. Buying in bulk
Buying in bulk is another one of the sustainable things I learned from my grandma. She always bought in bulk or bought in the largest container in order to save money but whether she knew it or not she was also saving a lot of waste.
5. Canning/preserving food
This is a skill I’m not perfect at. But my grandma would constantly can and preserve things. We never ran out of jam or pickles thanks to her. And while this is mainly a great money-saving hack it’s also a great way to make food last longer and prevent food waste.
6. Using reusable grocery bags
It’s so funny to think about this now because she really only did this to avoid paying $0.05 cents per bag at the grocery store. PAying a few dollars for a reusable bag that would last her years was the cheaper and more sustainable option. And t still is!
Related reading:
5 small things you can do to combat climate change
These are just a few of the sustainable things I learned from my grandma. I’m sure there are so many other thing she did that were “accidently sustainable” but these are the ones that stand out and that I actively do doing in the name of sustainability.
What are some things your grandparents or parents taught you about sustainability? Whether they meant to or not! Let me know down below and don’t forget to share this post and follow me on Instagram for daily lo waste inspiration!
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