How to Start Living Sustainably

The word 'sustainability' is often associated with organic farms, environmentally conscious practices, and the occasional hippie. But living sustainably doesn't mean it's time to grow an entire vegetable garden in your backyard.

This week, we're taking a look at how we can incorporate sustainable practices at home, at work, and in our communities.

In last week's list, we pointed out a few resources and tools to understand leadership, and how we can apply them into our day-to-day routines. Just click here to catch up on last week's list if you missed it.

Now let's jump into this week's round up of sustainable finds:

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This week's assignment

Put a little 'hope' in your poster designs with this month's PosterJam theme. Flex your design muscles, and bring your unique perspective to the table. Learn more about how to participate and submit your poster designs here.

Book of the week

The Upcycle: Beyond Sustainability — Designing Abundance by William McDonough and Michael Brungart. Whatnext steps can we take to improve the world we live in by how we create, live, and build? The authors take us through the journey ofredesigning how we live to actively improve the environment.

Apps to check out

• Of all the devices out there tracking our steps, there's one app in particular that's actually tracking your carbon footprint. Download Joro and see how you can take action for the planet with every step you take.
• Want to plant more trees? Don't grab your gardening tools just yet. Give Ecosia a try instead. It's the search engine that plants trees with every search for free. Go ahead, keep searching for "funny cat videos." You're helping the planet!

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Create to captivate with Projector

Projector is a new collaborative space for you to shape your ideas, amplify your initiatives, and visualize your stories. Through approachable design tools, modern media, and graphic effects, Projector helps people and teams turn their ideas into beautiful visual stories across all kinds of formats — from social posts, and presentations, to print designs, GIFs, and videos. You can start from scratch, or from one of their professionally-designed templates. Sign up for free and create something at projector.com.

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Articles worth the read

• Design thinking can be applied to more than just design, and this blog from boutique advisory firm Amati & Associates explains the role design thinking plays in sustainability.
• Living sustainably doesn't only mean living with a green thumb. Green textile company, Bionic, says that living sustainably is about building deep and lasting relationships in nature and society. Read more here.

Move your body

• Get your heart rate up, and a good sweat in with this 30-minute Vinyasa Yoga Flow workout. Be prepared for plenty of yoga push-ups.
• Join Nike Master Trainer Joe Holder for a 1-Hour at home strength and mobility class. No equipment needed, and all fitness levels are encouraged to try this one out.

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Meals to try

• Breakfast: Forget store-bought pancake mix and syrup. Try these Oatmeal Pancakes with Cinnamon Apples for a meal that's just as delicious, and way healthier.
• Lunch: Lighten and brighten up your lunch plate in under 30 minutes with this Mango Ginger Rice Bowl recipe. 
• Dinner: Summer may be here, but soup is still on our minds. Try this 15-minute Thai Coconut Noodle Soup (Khao Soi) for a rich, flavorful, insaaanely delicious meal.

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What to watch

• Wall-E is the adorable, quirky robot left to clean up an abandoned, polluted Earth. Wall-E (2008) is the charming, touching, beautiful animated film that will leave you in tears, and with a new appreciation for our planet.
• Interstellar (2014) tells the story of an ex-pilot called to search for a potential life outside of Earth to save the human race from an uninhabitable planet.
• No Impact Man (2009) is the story of Colin Beavan, a typical family man who's decided to go an entire year without producing any waste. The indie documentary shows just how much Beavan's life with his family changes with one daring idea.

Listen while you work

Podcasts

• Paul Stamets is an industry-leading mycologist studying the habitat, medicinal use, and production of fungi. He sits down with Tim Ferriss to share how mushrooms can save us, bees, and (possibly) the planet. Listen to the episode here.
• In a fast-paced world, The Slow Home Podcast reminds us to take a breather. And in this particular episode, goal coach and leadership consultant Jacki Carr shares how to make room for failure, goals, and balance.

Music

• Listen to The Futur's Finds playlist on Spotify! Our Producer and Director Mark Contreras has the AUX chord this week.

And finally, a quote to keep in mind throughout the week

 "Sustainability is no longer about doing less harm. It's about doing more good."— Jochen Zeitz​

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