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Sustainable. Organic. Eco-friendly. Carbon footprint. Waste.

These terms are tossed around these days like the marketing buzzwords of the decade, and we all know that just because a product or company tells us they’re green doesn’t mean they really are.

So what does sustainable really even mean?

I’m proud to be a Smarter Life Better Planet blogger, delving into some of these topics.

As our family takes baby steps toward a greener life, we do so because we believe its Creator has given us a gift — the earth –, and it’s our job to care for that gift.

Sustainable

To be honest, though, when I hear the word “sustainable”, it tends to go in one ear and out the other because it’s used often these days.

But really, wanting to live sustainably is at the heart of our desire to “go green” and live smarter lives now that contribute to a better planet for generations to come.

Sustainable is defined by Dictionary.com this way:

1. capable of being supported or upheld by having its weight borne from below.

2. pertaining to a system that maintains its own viability by using techniques that allow for continual reuse.

3. able to be maintained or kept going, as an action or process.

4. able to be confirmed or upheld.

5. able to be supported as with the basic necessities or sufficient funds.

That’s exactly what we want: to build a foundation now that can support or uphold the “weight” of future generations! We don’t want to live selfishly, taking all we can from the earth and leaving nothing for future generations.

How We Live Sustainably

For us, that means we want the land we live on to continue to provide not just gorgeous views, but also water for our family through our well and a healthy habitat for the flowers and frogs, and other animals that live here. And so we avoid chemical fertilizers, weed killers, and bug sprays.

It’s important to be eco-friendly when you have your own business. By utilising sustainable shipping mailer boxes, businesses can reduce their carbon footprint and preserve natural resources. Not only does sustainable packaging benefit the environment, but it can also offer an array of advantages for businesses. From reducing costs to improving customers’ perception, sustainable shipping mailer boxes prove to be a cost-efficient initiative that helps mitigate companies’ environmental impact as well as send a powerful message of corporate social responsibility. Furthermore, sustainable mailer boxes generate less waste, lower energy consumption and emissions during the manufacturing process, offer greater protection, and don’t just serve their purpose – they create brand recognition by offering customizable packaging designs.

We want to save money and reduce the amount of trash we produce, so we choose reusable products rather than disposable ones whenever possible (rags instead of paper towels, the Diva Cup instead of tampons, real glasses instead of plastic cups for parties, etc).

And we want to support other people in building their own sustainable lives by purchasing from small businesses, such as the farmer’s market, hand-crafted jewelry, etc.

Do we do all of this perfectly? If you’ve been reading Life Your Way for very long, you know we don’t. But our hope is to keep moving forward, remembering the why behind the changes we make and leaving a legacy for future generations.

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What about you? What does sustainable living mean to you? Tell me how you create a smarter life and better planet and why you do what you do!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Haier. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Contest Rules.