Learning to Live Sustainably

Hello! My name is Tori-Beth Robinson and I am currently a first-year Sustainable Development Major at Appalachian State University. I have had sustainable living on my mind for a long time, but until recently, I haven’t been doing so good at it. This blog is an attempt to help me in my journey.

​

It all started Thanksgiving of 2016. Youtube surfing was my favorite pass time. I’m not sure how I stumbled upon it, but I found Lauren Singer’s Ted talk. Her message hit me hard. I started watching more and more videos on zero waste and sustainability, and I began to want to match the lifestyle I saw. I did the best I could for four months. I lived with my parents. They did the groceries. It got harder and harder to sustain that lifestyle. I began to falter. All around me people told me that I wasn’t making a difference, so why bother. I forgot why I started so I just… stopped. I still was aware of my footprint, and it was definitely less than before, but not by much. That’s how I’ve been living my life since then.

​

I want to change. I’ve decided that it doesn’t matter that I won’t make a difference. It doesn’t matter that it’s hard. I’ve decided that I owe it to myself to change the way I’m living. It doesn’t matter if no one around understands why I’m doing this. It doesn’t matter that I won’t always get it right. I want to try.

So yea, this is my documented journey. I’m learning to live sustainably.