Sustainability

Sustainability – preservation, protection, conservation, respect of our natural environment.

San Marcos Democrats believe we all should live sustainable lives but we don’t always have the tools we need.
With this page of our website, we hope to provide you with some tools, information, connections to help you reach the goal of a sustainable life and good stewardship of the Earth.

We also hope you will SHARE information through your comments on what works for you, what tools you use, what websites offer information, what is happening in your community. That information will be permanently added to this page. We need you to make it grow into THE PLACE to go for information.
It will take ALL OF US to stop and maybe even reverse the damage done to date!!!!

Events

Environmental Organizations & Volunteer Opportunities

Education

Downloadables

Books

  • Speed and Scale by John Doerr
  • How to Prepare for Climate Change by David Pogue
  • Climate Justice by Mary Robinson
  • Upcycle by William McDonough & Michael Baungart
  • Diet for a Hot Planet by Anna Lappe
  • Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough & Michael Braungart
  • Rebuilding Earth: Designing Ecoconscious Habits by Teresa Coady
  • Sustainability for the Rest of Us by John Pabon
  • Responsibility Revolution: How the next Generation of Businesses Will Win by Jeffrey Hollender & Bill Breen
  • Wear No Evil by Greta Eagan
  • Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered by E. F. Schumacher
  • Grow Food Free by Huw Richards
  • Quenching the Thirst: Sustainable Water Supply … by George Annandale
  • Nature’s Best Hope … Starts in Your Yard by Douglas W. Tallamy
  • Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom … by Robin Wall Kimmerer
  • Strategy for Sustainability: A Business Manifesto by Adam Webach
  • Nature’s Best Hope by Douglas W. Tallamy

Videos & Movies

  • DCEFF Online – ecological movies and festival
  • American River Films
  • Earth.org – Best environmental films of 2022
  • Don’t Look Up – Netflixr
  • Black Fish
  • Honeyland
  • Cowspiracy
  • Inconvenient Truth
  • The Human Element
  • Racing Extinction

Companies and Products promoting sustainability

Look for Energy Efficient Hotels: The Marcel – A New Haven, Connecticut hotel is hoping to be the U.S.’s first net-zero hotel, meaning it generates enough renewable energy to cover its annual needs. The Marcel is part of the Tapestry Collection by Hilton.

Sonos – making a commitment to sustainability and a goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2040. Packaging with care, investing in biodiversity, innovating to save energy

SilverFit – promoting Plogging – Combining your fitness routine with a good deed may enhance your workout motivation in a big way. Plogging (picking up litter while you walk or jog) is a fun, easy way to do this.

King Arthur Baking – The Sustainable Baking Guides

Dog waste bags

(Hillman)

Household Items

  • Green Paper Products – compostable items including garbage bags, cutlery, cups, plates and bowls, gloves, etc.
  • Bamboozle Home – baking and prep kitchen bowls, measuring cups and spoons, storage canisters, tableware, salad sets, serving ware, and fun children’s tableware. (wedding or shower gifts?)
  • Reuse parchment paper when baking: King Arthur Baking
  • DIY everywhere
  • Refresh Glass – repurposing wine bottles in to glasses, vases and more
  • Induction Cooking
  • Tru Earth Laundry Sheets
  • wool dryer ball
  • laundry balls instead of detergent
  • biodegradable deli wax paper & sandwich bags
  • biodegradable paper towels & napkins
  • biodegradable toilet paper
  • multi-use sandwich and storage bags
  • biodegradable and compostable garbage bags
  • bamboo kitchen utensils
  • recycled glass glassware
  • reusable straws
  • reusable waxed clothes for wrapping foodstuffs
  • biodegradable dishwasher “detergent” and dish soap
  • biodegradable cleaning products
  • cloth tea towels, dish cloths, etc

Garden and Landscape

  • mulching and composting
    • improve you soil – one of the best detergents is soil rich in nitrogen, potassium, iodine, boron, phosphorus
  • drip irigation
  • neem oil and other phytotoxic essential oils
  • natural acids – vinegar, citric acid
  • diatomaceous earth for aphids, snails, ants, slugs, earwigs, beetles, whiteflies, squash bugs, fleas, ticks
  • lady bugs/beetles and praying mantis as friendly predators
  • epsom salts for the garden – DIY everywhere
  • kitchen soap spray – 1 tablespoon liquid soap in 1 quart warm distilled water
  • catmint and alyssum near roses attracts ladybugs and lacewings to eat aphids
  • fight bad bugs with plants – marigolds, petunias, alliums, nasturtiums, chrysanthemum
  • Make your own “Round-up” – 2 cups of vinegar, a bit of dish soap and 1 tablespoon salt
  • corn gluten
  • herbicide soaps
  • bad garden bugs generally hate fresh herbs – parsley, fennel, lemon balm, coriander/cilantro, sage, dill
  • hand remove large gad garden bugs – don’t spray – caterpillars, tomato hornworms, potato beetles, slugs, etc.
    • Tip: wrap duct tape around one of your garden gloves, sticky-side ou; with cup of soapy water in one hand brush pests into water with duct taped hand!
  • Garlic spray – 10 clovers of garlic – puree them; combine with 1 quart water; let sit overnight; strain mixture with cheesecloth the next day and then mix with 1 cup vegetable oil and a shake of cayenne pepper; let sit again 1 day then dilute with 1 gallon water to 1/4 cup garlic solution; fill spray bottle and spray underside of leaves – reapply once a week or after rain and sprinkler. while not harmful to dogs and cats, will keep them away. And vampires and zombies!?!
  • iron-based and salt-basedherbicides

Grow these annuals to attact bees and other pollinators
Articles from The National Gardening Association:
Attract Butterflies with the Right Plants
Plant List for Hummingbirds, Butterflies and Bees
Butterfly Plants Especially For the North and West

Food Waste

  • freeze, dry and properly store leftover or excess food – just like grandma did!
  • reuse, repurpose leftover food scraps
  • recycle through EDCO’s new green bin curbside organic food waste recycling program
  • start your kitchen compost
  • buy only what you need – use stores offering bulk bins where you can purchase small amounts – remember to bring your own reusable bags

Crafting and Sewing

  • Repurpose clothing into crafting supplies
  • Upcycling crafts for children – upcycle my stuff

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