4 Sustainability lessons we can learn from past generations

Economic uncertainty is not new. During the 1930s and 1940s millions of people were forced to drastically change how they lived, consumed, and survived due to the Great Depression and World War II.

I recently lost my grandmother and, of course, have been thinking back over time spent with her over the years. It’s interesting to note how many of the careful and frugal habits she developed during challenging times in her life align with modern sustainable living principles. As we continue to face new economic, environmental, and social challenges, I find it comforting to turn to the past for sustainability lessons that provide inspiration on how to respond to these times.

This post is a part of our Climate Change Collective conversations. This month we’re starting the conversation off with “How sustainable living helps in uncertain economic times”. Learn more about the Climate Change Collective below.

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1. “Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, or Do Without”

This popular slogan from the era perfectly captures the spirit of resourcefulness. People mended clothing, reused materials, and repaired household goods instead of throwing them away.

However, I find that sometimes my good intentions outpace my ability to make use of items that I’m saving. If you’re in that position, here are a few ideas to make use of some of your rescued items!

• Alison recently shared 12 ways to reuse and repurpose old clothing
• We love to write about reducing food waste and you can find some of our past posts here
• Get creative to make use of commonly disposed of items!
  • Creative ways to use egg shells and cartons
  • Over 20 ways to reuse shipping and packing materials
  • 10 creative ways to repurpose old towels
  • 10 ways to reuse bread bag clips
  • and one of my grandmother’s favourite things to reuse! 6 easy ways to reuse prescription pill bottles

2. Home Gardening and Victory Gardens

“Victory Gardens” and backyard gardening in general tend to surge in popularity when there is economic uncertainty. In an era where we generate significant pollution to move food around the world which adds to it’s cost, growing our own food or sourcing locally can be a cost and environment saver. Additionally, supporting small businesses strengthens local ecosystems that then insulate consumers from international economic shocks.

One thing my grandmother used to do to bring down her grocery bill and increase self-sufficiency was to preserve local and in-season produce by canning. There was nothing quite like diving into a jar of her canned peaches! I haven’t mastered this art, however many local recreation centres offer courses on food preservation.

3. Bartering and Community Sharing

When times are difficult, people lean on each other. In the past communities would barter goods and services—perhaps eggs for a haircut or sewing in exchange for carpentry. Communities supported one another out of necessity and you can too! A few ideas to swap for the things you need include:

• Participate in local swap groups or time banks – Alison shared about her experience with a local buy-nothing group here!
• Share tools, books, or skills within your community; see how to host a clothing swap here!

4. Making Do with Less

In the past, economic challenges drove reliance on the non-material, experience over consumption. I think back to a recording I listened to of my mom’s family growing up where they made their own mock radio show with all of the kids performing piano songs. I have many memories of passing whole evenings with my grandmother playing Canasta, Gin, Rummikub, Yahtzee – and it was so much fun! Here are a few other ideas to inspire us to make do with less:

• Practice contentment with less
• Pursue experiences over things – the best memories are often based on time spent, no matter where that is!
• Consume consciously

The Climate Change Collective

This post is a part of our Climate Change Collective conversations.

The Climate Change Collective was born out of an exchange that took place between Michelle and Jamie in the comments section of a Jamie Ad Stories blog post. Jamie and Michelle both care deeply about the impact of human activity on our planet and wanted to find a way to keep the climate change message top of mind for everyone. A tweet was sent out, bloggers responded, and we’ve all now teamed up to create the Climate Change Collective! Learn more about the bloggers behind this group in our post introducing everyone: Get to Know our 5 Fantastic Climate Change Collective Bloggers.

The idea is simple. The members of the collective will take turns writing a monthly blog post sharing their concerns and unique perspective about climate change. After the post is published, the rest of the group will keep the conversation going by sharing a link to the post on their blogs along with their thoughts and ideas. If you’re a like-minded blogger and would like to join our collective, please get in touch. The more the merrier!

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