I'm trying to live more sustainably by doing the little things.

It started by recycling more conscientiously (it's way more complex than I thought), getting rid of my Keurig (pourovers taste better and give me 5 minutes of zen in the morning), and composting (first our own bin, now a service). From there, probably the biggest change was going somewhat vegetarian (turns out one of the most impactful things an individual can do to combat climate change is have a plant based diet), which has been a source of continuous conversation in my life considering my previous carnivorous nature.

Long way of saying, there's a lot you can do to live more sustainably. I'm trying, but I'm sure I'm only scratching the surface.

More recently, I've also tried to bring awareness to our corporate footprint. VNN helped the RiverView Center (our landlord) launch a dual-stream recycling initiative, which while awesome is unfortunately still part of the leading 5-10% of commercial real estate in Grand Rapids which offer recycling of any kind.

This statistic floored me, but it seems to check out. I was pretty discouraged by the lack of effort around corporate sustainability after this. However, it turns out it may not be as bleak as I'd feared. It appears that companies are trying, but they suck at marketing their efforts so you have to know where to look.

For example, both Starbucks and Panera will give you a ceramic mug for your coffee if you drink it in store--the former even offering a discount. But neither will offer it unless you ask. (Contrast that with McDonalds, who won't even let you use your own mug, forcing you to take their disposable cup and transfer in your car, which defeats the purpose.) I only learned about this because an older gentleman returned his cup while I was ordering, and I asked. Again, crazy that they don't even mention this, but now that I know I ask all the time.

These little things add up, so where it seems like I can help, I'm trying to.

Let me know if you know of any other easy ways to live more sustainably. I'm always looking to grow.

In other good news, I learned that one of the most sustainable buildings in the entire country is in Grand Rapids. If you get a chance, give the guys at Catalyst Partners & M Retail Solutions a high five. They're still unique, but they're doing it.