Small Acts of Sustainability: 5 Tiny Things We Do Every Day on our Urban Homestead
While big changes are impactful, I have found that it’s the little things we do every single day that help us to live more sustainably, reduce waste, and stretch our resources just a little further.
Here are five tiny acts of sustainability that are part of our daily rhythm here at Sunnyhill Homestead:
1. We Eat What the Garden Gives Us
Our meals are built around whatever is ripe in our very own backyard grocery store ;)
And that even holds true when talking about the not so pretty foods!
Whether it’s an awkwardly shaped zucchini or that giant cucumber we missed for two days too long, these "seconds" (as they are often referred to as) still have plenty of life and flavour within them!
We strive to treat these imperfect veggies & fruits as the star of the show, just like their beautiful counterparts! They don't just become compost!
Tip - if you shop at your local farmers market, you can often find amazing deals on their "seconds" produce, so be sure to ask!
We also snack straight from the garden. This not only saves time in the kitchen, but it puts money back in our pockets as we don't have to buy nearly as many snacks at the grocery store!
Our hedge of raspberries for instance has produced pounds of fruits just in the past 3 weeks! Multiple times a day we all head out and snack on the sun warmed, oh so sweet fruits! It makes for a relaxing and delicious family activity!
2. We Reuse Water Whenever We Can
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| Our IBC tote rain barrel. 1000 litres that we use primarily for laundry! The cover helps avoid algae growth. |
When we first started using rainwater for laundry, I was shocked to see just how much water our conventional washing machine uses.
For a small load it took 50 litres to fill, which doesn't include the water used during the rinse cycle!
Redirecting water that would otherwise go to waste is such a simple way to conserve more, whether it’s rainwater or municipal water you used to rinse your produce!
If you're curious about trying rainwater for laundry, feel free to reach out! I'm happy to share what’s worked for us.
3. We Compost Everything We Can
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| Our compost bins built from recycled, heat treated only pallets. |
Simply put - if it can rot, we compost it.
BUT... even with all our sustainability goals, food waste is still a struggle here.
4 kids, school lunches, kids taste buds changing almost daily "I don't like that any more, Mom!" and sometimes with our hectic evening schedules, even my husband and I don't get to finishing what was left in their lunch.
For years, this really frustrated me. So many food scraps can’t go into a regular compost system! Things like oils, fats, meat, and leftovers from cooked meals (like pasta) all had to go in the municipal green bin.
Which is great! Green bins are fantastic! But I couldn’t help feeling a bit envious… all that rich future compost was going to benefit a farmer, not our own gardens!
So I searched and searched. How is it possible to compost these types of things without 1) unbalancing the compost mix or 2) attracting rodents (huge concern if adding in cooked food scraps like breads, pastas, meats, etc.)
I then stumbled upon Bokashi composting and our world changed.
This process allows us to compost all these items without the risks! The items are fermented first (we use lactobacillus bacteria we cultured ourselves) and only once fully fermented is it placed within our regular compost for it to break down incredibly fast due.
I will be sure to go into detail about this more in a future blog post, so if you are intrigued on how this can work for your home, stay tuned!
Remember, sustainability isn’t about perfection, it’s about progress.
4. We Only Keep What Serves a Purpose
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| We also much prefer multi-use items. We don't own glassware as we just use mason jars that we also use for canning and dry goods storage. |
A huge part of sustainability for us is resisting the urge to stash just in case. We don’t keep things unless they have a clear use right now.
If an item can be repurposed meaningfully (like a jar for seed saving or a bin for soil mixing), we’ll use it. If not, we let it go.
This also means we are constantly questioning items we think we want/should buy, all while getting creative!
My instant pot insert works perfectly as a mixing bowl, so I don't own any mixing bowls!
When our youngest out grows his 'hand-me-down' clothing (by child #4, it's barely holding on!), they are cut up and used as rags. We haven't bought paper towel in years because we choose to repurpose these old clothing items and even linens into rags.
Limiting the items we bring into our home saves on money and the possibility of future waste (look into how many items donated to thrift stores are actually just thrown into the landfill. It's incredibly eye opening!)
Minimalism and sustainability go hand in hand here: fewer things, more function, less waste.
5. We Swap, Share, or Save
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| Our little seed library. What you don't see are the hundreds of varieties we have stored indoors that can be requested, for free and sent across Canada! |
It’s not just about giving. It’s about building connections, sharing abundance, and keeping good things flowing through our community.
While these five habits have helped our family live more sustainably, we believe community-wide sustainability should be on everyone’s radar.
These habits aren’t flashy or trendy, but they’re consistent, meaningful, and doable in just about any lifestyle. Over time, these small choices layer into something that feels both purposeful and empowering.
I would love to hear from you! What small acts of sustainability are part of your everyday life?
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Until next time,
Sarah & The Sunnyhill Homestead Family
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