Daily Question: Are there things you try to practice daily to live a more sustainable lifestyle?

You hear the term “sustainable lifestyle” everywhere these days. It often brings to mind images of people who compost everything, wear hemp clothing, and never touch plastic. While I admire the dedication, I have to be honest: that’s not me. And yet, I’ve realized I practice many of the same habits.

Why? Because they just make sense.

I’m not necessarily trying to “save the planet” when I walk through my house turning off lights in empty rooms. I’m thinking about my JEA bill. Living in Florida means the A/C is a non-negotiable part of life for much of the year, and I’m not interested in paying to cool a room nobody is in. The same goes for water. Turning off the tap while I brush my teeth or making sure the dishwasher is actually full before I run it isn’t about saving the St. Johns River; it’s about not pouring my money down the drain.

It’s simple math. When I fill up my soda at Wawa, I bring my own (giantic) cup and use that instead of a disposable plastic cup. (Plus, Wawa’s lids are terrible these days.) It costs less, and frankly, my insulated cup keeps my drink colder for longer anyway. It’s a better experience that also happens to save me money.

This practical approach works well until you get to the big one: recycling.

I’ll admit, I’m skeptical. You see the news reports as I do—stories about how most of what we put in those yellow-lidded bins doesn’t actually get recycled. It’s frustrating and makes you wonder if it’s even worth the effort. For me, I kept doing it because it takes no more time to toss a water bottle into the recycling bin than it does to toss it into the trash.

But it turns out, there’s a way to address the skepticism. The biggest problem with recycling isn’t the idea; it’s the execution. Contamination—when we toss in the wrong things—can ruin an entire batch. So, the practical solution isn’t to give up, but to do it right. Here in Jacksonville, the rules are pretty straightforward:

• Make sure everything is Empty, Clean, and Dry. No food residue. A quick rinse is all it takes.
• Never put plastic bags in the bin. They jam the machines.
• Stick to the basics: Cardboard, paper, metal cans, and plastic bottles & jugs (look for #1, #2, #3, #5, #7).

When in doubt, it’s actually better to throw it out than to risk contaminating a whole batch of good recyclables.

Maybe I’m a sustainable person, or maybe I’m just a frugal one. Maybe they’re the same thing. I’m not driven by a grand environmental mission, but by the simple, everyday logic of not being wasteful. And if my practical, money-saving habits also happen to be good for the planet?

Well, that just makes sense, too.

Copyright © 2025 Doug DeBolt