KEARNEY SUSTAINABILITY SNIPPETS

Encourage. Develop. Lead. KSM Volume 1, Issue 11

What is the Kearney Sustainability Movement?

We are a group of individuals who all have a passion for using the limited resources available to us in a wise manner. The goal of the group is to help spread the word about sustainable activities, influence sustainable change in our community, and to continue to grow our knowledge about sustainable practices. We meet monthly, on the third Thursday of the month, at the Kearney Public Library and discuss ways we can help influence and create sustainable practices in the community.

What have we done so far?

KSM had helped make EcoBricks for the Students 4 Sustainability via CCC for their State Fair Project. It was a success with hundreds of EcoBricks being made. Some members of KSM attended UNK’s Blue and Gold days, getting the word out about the group.

Sustainability Tidbit for the Month:

With the holiday season right around the corner, the time of merrymaking and festive cheer are upon us. Around this time we also shower the people we care about with gifts to show how much they mean to us. Even though this has the best of intentions, it has a negative environmental impact. A lot of the gifts are returned, thrown away, or unloaded onto thrift stores which get overwhelmed and don’t always have the room for them. The easiest way to have a more sustainable holiday season is to not give any gifts. The main purpose of this time of year is to spend a little bit of extra time with the special people in your life.

There are other ways to think outside the box when it comes to gift giving. Instead of giving physical presents, you could opt to make memories by doing experience gifts. These can be as simple as going down to the local ice skating rink, a trip to the zoo, or any special excursion where you get to spend time together.

You could always do something bigger too, like going to a sport event, concerts, or destination trips. The best part about experience gifts, is that you don’t have to do it all around the holiday season. You could spread them out throughout the year. This could help spread costs out or allow you to enjoy something in more moderate weather. Experience gifts give you the opportunity to go out and enjoy life.

An advanced tidbit: If gift giving is essential to you, try to stay with more eco friendly gifts. This means watching out for greenwashing. Greenwashing means that a company presents itself as eco friendly but in reality their practices are not sustainable. Do research on companies you plan to purchase from or purchase locally. Purchasing things locally helps families that are close to home.

Our mission is to encourage the spread of knowledge, the development of practices, and to lead our community towards a sustainable and prosperous future.