When I created the name Conservation Made Simple, I was at the time feeling like there was a lack of understanding about easy steps people could make to help the environment. Today, I feel this statement still stands. Many people become disheartened by an unrooted sense of fear that it is too late to do anything OR they lack the resources and knowledge about what is really happening. We here at Conservation Made Simple feel like not everyone has to be an environmentalist, but everyone could acknowledge their environmental impact on the community around them. Remember, you do not have to be perfect at being eco-friendly, on the contrary it is better to embrace imperfectness at the beginning! Taking small changes little by little allow you build up to being more eco-aware and you don't have to overturn your current lifestyle over night. So embrace being imperfect in plastic consumption, imperfectly go vegan, wrestle with zero waste and overtime you will grow a lasting environmentally friendly lifestyle!
As a team, we have collected (and will continue to collect) resources, apps, eco-labels, sustainable companies, and more below and we hope that you will enjoy looking through them! We started with a section that will open your mind and get you to think about some topics that are related to the categories on this page. Then we have a resource section that will help you create a base mindset for an eco-lifestyle and where to shop to support that mindset! At the bottom we have a multi-step environmental structure that allows you to challenge yourself on becoming more eco-conscious and implement healthy steps for you and the environment. And if you are still in the step one or two of it, no worries because some of us are too! If you have any other topics or categories you would like us to dive into and open up more, please contact us!
~Cameron Winkler
As a team, we have collected (and will continue to collect) resources, apps, eco-labels, sustainable companies, and more below and we hope that you will enjoy looking through them! We started with a section that will open your mind and get you to think about some topics that are related to the categories on this page. Then we have a resource section that will help you create a base mindset for an eco-lifestyle and where to shop to support that mindset! At the bottom we have a multi-step environmental structure that allows you to challenge yourself on becoming more eco-conscious and implement healthy steps for you and the environment. And if you are still in the step one or two of it, no worries because some of us are too! If you have any other topics or categories you would like us to dive into and open up more, please contact us!
~Cameron Winkler
The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything
~Albert Einstein
Things to Ponder before Continuing...
Q: I want to help the environment but I don't have an environmentally-based degree. Can I help even if my job isn't based in conservation?
ABSOLUTELY! Degrees are not the marker for a good environmentalist! Experience, passion, or commitment are more valuable than whether you were able to complete a degree. Above that, you do not have to be in the environmental field to be eco-conscious. If you look at the challenge steps at the bottom of this page you will notice most of them can be implemented into ANY lifestyle, career, or home.
Q: I want to be positive about conservation and the environment but it seems like I cannot do anything about it...
WRONG! There are so many things you can do, but I will only list a couple of them. First, take one minute and just think about the outlook on environmental conservation 100 years ago or even 50 years ago; it wasn't even close to what it is now! Many of us gravitate to doom and gloom super fast, but we need to also remember how fast things have been changing on a global scale for the good! Check out some of the positive stories below! And with the current capabilities of social media, good news and positivity can spread just as fast as any bad news! Maybe you are the one in your circle who needs to start it? Maybe you need to just get people excited about one thing. Choose a normally unknown animal and bombard your social feed with fun facts about them! Finally, remember your dollar is one of the most powerful tools you wield today. By taking your time to highlight great companies and choosing to only shop with them, the companies or products you wish would disappear will have to either change for the better or go bankrupt. There is more power through investing in a good company than going blue in the face trying to change a bad company. Have you ever watched two big brands compete for a consumer's attention? If Coca-Cola started implementing an eco-friendly product (Oh, wait, they are!) and everyone starts praising them financially, don't you think Pepsi would be right around the corner to match or one up them?? Vote with every dollar you spend, you still hold the power for change in big business.
Q: Ok, so you have highlighted all these great products and now I understand I should think environmentally friendly when shopping. I will go out right now and change everything in my house to an eco-conscious product!
STOP! Just because you have an item in your house that isn't eco-friendly doesn't mean you should replace it right away. I know that sounds like a contradiction to what I just said above, but think about this: Is it better to throw away the item and waste it or wait until it needs replacing THEN choosing the eco-friendly product? Whether we are talking about bamboo based toilet paper or an electric car, wait until your current item has reached its life end BEFORE replacing it. And even then, can you up-cycle the item in ANY way?? Though maybe not the toilet paper...
Q: But no matter what I say or do, not everyone will become eco-conscious. Not everything will change for the better.
Well, maybe you need to shift your mindset on what is important. Although complete transformation in business, policy, and personal decisions focused on effects to the environment would be great, that is a long way away. Small wins and small changes are actually way more important for a couple reasons. Small changes in someone's personal life usually means they are making the decision to shift their actions and they will probably stick with it longer. Plus, now they may start becoming more aware of their actions and what products they buy, and take their next steps without your guidance! Further, we as a culture often forget about meeting in the middle and acknowledging change. If your friend has to use one-time-use water bottles in a situation where he only has that option, recognize all the other times he chose re-usable bottles. With that, if a small business wants to become more eco-friendly but cannot afford to fully shift, recognize what they did change! We are fantastic at alienating each other through pointing out the flaws or small situations where something went opposite from what you think is right.
Q: Why should I worry about this when there are countries and cultures that are way worse than me at being environmentally friendly?
Worse in your eyes or just worse? And what if they are worse, are you not also harming the environment? As an American organization, we often are told there is no point to wildlife conservation because the black market demand in Asia will just kill it anyways. Our response is always: America has not been perfect environmental stewards either, and ought not make a claim like that? Each of us need to remind ourselves that we all have a personal bias filter on every topic and when we see something we are looking through that. So just because you are able to feel compassion for pangolins and elephants in the black market trade in Asia, does not mean you can forget that we pollute our waters with fracking, drive out wolves and bears from the lower 48, and we have a huge issue with consumer waste. ALL COUNTRIES HAVE A DOWNSIDE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, in one way or another. Some places are turning this around and changing that but we as a human race is still not there. ADDITIONALLY, what allows us to place some issues over others? Why can we say "oh they are worse than us because they do this and we don't" or "they put more trash in the ocean than us, why don't they change"? If we want to really make change we need to drop the accusatory methods and instead lead the charge on change. Whether locally or nationally, YOU have that power to start it! Finally, remember to be careful who you blame or accuse because they might be innocent people in a broken system. What if selling that pangolin is the only way that person was able to supply food for his family? What if her family grew up as elephant mahouts and she has no other options in her community to make a living? Hopefully these questions will get you to think about some topics you get fired up about and see if you have misplaced blame. Then see if you can replace it in a place that will be more effective.
We recognize some of these points and topics are very heavy but the team at Conservation Made Simple thought it was critical that everyone takes a step back and thinks about their actions and the opinions they have on other peoples actions before making a shift. This page is all focused on shifting consumer habits and also challenging yourself to be more environmentally friendly. The best way to start thinking that way is to challenge your own thoughts and draw your own conclusions on how to move forward! We would love to discuss more about these topics if you have any questions and we may have a couple coming out as blogs in the near future!
If you would like to read another fantastic article that will make you think, check this out by Mary Heglar: Stop obsessing over your environmental “sins.”
ABSOLUTELY! Degrees are not the marker for a good environmentalist! Experience, passion, or commitment are more valuable than whether you were able to complete a degree. Above that, you do not have to be in the environmental field to be eco-conscious. If you look at the challenge steps at the bottom of this page you will notice most of them can be implemented into ANY lifestyle, career, or home.
- Chris Morgan, "It is not always about PHD's and protocol, but about passion, and being bold enough to do brave things."
- Barney Long, "The most important thing you can do is get out there and get your boots dirty. There is nothing that replaces on the ground experience. When I am hiring people, I am not looking at how many degrees you got, I am looking at your references from people who have worked with you in the field. Can you work with politicians? Can you work with local communities? Can you work with scientists? Can you work with communicators? Are you a good fundraiser? These are the skills that you need, not so much the scientific skills."
Q: I want to be positive about conservation and the environment but it seems like I cannot do anything about it...
WRONG! There are so many things you can do, but I will only list a couple of them. First, take one minute and just think about the outlook on environmental conservation 100 years ago or even 50 years ago; it wasn't even close to what it is now! Many of us gravitate to doom and gloom super fast, but we need to also remember how fast things have been changing on a global scale for the good! Check out some of the positive stories below! And with the current capabilities of social media, good news and positivity can spread just as fast as any bad news! Maybe you are the one in your circle who needs to start it? Maybe you need to just get people excited about one thing. Choose a normally unknown animal and bombard your social feed with fun facts about them! Finally, remember your dollar is one of the most powerful tools you wield today. By taking your time to highlight great companies and choosing to only shop with them, the companies or products you wish would disappear will have to either change for the better or go bankrupt. There is more power through investing in a good company than going blue in the face trying to change a bad company. Have you ever watched two big brands compete for a consumer's attention? If Coca-Cola started implementing an eco-friendly product (Oh, wait, they are!) and everyone starts praising them financially, don't you think Pepsi would be right around the corner to match or one up them?? Vote with every dollar you spend, you still hold the power for change in big business.
Q: Ok, so you have highlighted all these great products and now I understand I should think environmentally friendly when shopping. I will go out right now and change everything in my house to an eco-conscious product!
STOP! Just because you have an item in your house that isn't eco-friendly doesn't mean you should replace it right away. I know that sounds like a contradiction to what I just said above, but think about this: Is it better to throw away the item and waste it or wait until it needs replacing THEN choosing the eco-friendly product? Whether we are talking about bamboo based toilet paper or an electric car, wait until your current item has reached its life end BEFORE replacing it. And even then, can you up-cycle the item in ANY way?? Though maybe not the toilet paper...
Q: But no matter what I say or do, not everyone will become eco-conscious. Not everything will change for the better.
Well, maybe you need to shift your mindset on what is important. Although complete transformation in business, policy, and personal decisions focused on effects to the environment would be great, that is a long way away. Small wins and small changes are actually way more important for a couple reasons. Small changes in someone's personal life usually means they are making the decision to shift their actions and they will probably stick with it longer. Plus, now they may start becoming more aware of their actions and what products they buy, and take their next steps without your guidance! Further, we as a culture often forget about meeting in the middle and acknowledging change. If your friend has to use one-time-use water bottles in a situation where he only has that option, recognize all the other times he chose re-usable bottles. With that, if a small business wants to become more eco-friendly but cannot afford to fully shift, recognize what they did change! We are fantastic at alienating each other through pointing out the flaws or small situations where something went opposite from what you think is right.
Q: Why should I worry about this when there are countries and cultures that are way worse than me at being environmentally friendly?
Worse in your eyes or just worse? And what if they are worse, are you not also harming the environment? As an American organization, we often are told there is no point to wildlife conservation because the black market demand in Asia will just kill it anyways. Our response is always: America has not been perfect environmental stewards either, and ought not make a claim like that? Each of us need to remind ourselves that we all have a personal bias filter on every topic and when we see something we are looking through that. So just because you are able to feel compassion for pangolins and elephants in the black market trade in Asia, does not mean you can forget that we pollute our waters with fracking, drive out wolves and bears from the lower 48, and we have a huge issue with consumer waste. ALL COUNTRIES HAVE A DOWNSIDE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, in one way or another. Some places are turning this around and changing that but we as a human race is still not there. ADDITIONALLY, what allows us to place some issues over others? Why can we say "oh they are worse than us because they do this and we don't" or "they put more trash in the ocean than us, why don't they change"? If we want to really make change we need to drop the accusatory methods and instead lead the charge on change. Whether locally or nationally, YOU have that power to start it! Finally, remember to be careful who you blame or accuse because they might be innocent people in a broken system. What if selling that pangolin is the only way that person was able to supply food for his family? What if her family grew up as elephant mahouts and she has no other options in her community to make a living? Hopefully these questions will get you to think about some topics you get fired up about and see if you have misplaced blame. Then see if you can replace it in a place that will be more effective.
We recognize some of these points and topics are very heavy but the team at Conservation Made Simple thought it was critical that everyone takes a step back and thinks about their actions and the opinions they have on other peoples actions before making a shift. This page is all focused on shifting consumer habits and also challenging yourself to be more environmentally friendly. The best way to start thinking that way is to challenge your own thoughts and draw your own conclusions on how to move forward! We would love to discuss more about these topics if you have any questions and we may have a couple coming out as blogs in the near future!
If you would like to read another fantastic article that will make you think, check this out by Mary Heglar: Stop obsessing over your environmental “sins.”
Resources
Learning
Podcasts
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Documentaries
- Sharkwater Extinction
- Thriving with Fire
- The Biggest Little Farm
- The Need to Grow
- Ocean Souls
- Forest Man
Credible News Sources
Books
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Shopping Sites
Little of Everything
- Earthhero.com (Discount Code Above)
- Earthsider.com
- Earthlove.co
- Monthly Gift Boxes
- Succulent.studio
- Monthly Succulent Box
Kitchen
- keepnaturewild.com
- Water bottles
- Trashbags
- Straws
- Naturbag.com
- Compostable trash bags
- Compostable utensils
- Biofase.com
- Compostable utensils and straws
- Ziptop.com
- Reusable containers, bags, and lids
- Swagoz.com
- Cloth for keeping food fresh
- Beeswrap.com
- Reusable food wraps
- Bagpodz.com
- Mesh produce bags
- Replacement bags
Clothes and Accessories
- Rareform.com
- Bags and totes
- Wallets and passport holders
- T shirts and hats
- Key chains
- Jakprints.com
- Custom Printing
- Ecoalf.com
- Pelacase.com
- Sunglasses
- Keepnaturewild.com
- Clothes (Shirts, headwear, kids, etc.)
- Stickers and pins
- Lanyards
- Bodypeacebamboo.com
- Bamboo clothing and accessories
- Treevotion.com
- Bracelets to promote planting trees
- Terraties.com
- Hair binders
- Legendbracelet.com
- Bracelets support various endangered wildlife
- Puravidabracelets.com
- Bracelets, jewelry, and stickers
- Weardopekicks.com
- Shoes
- Birdcollective.com
- Clothing and accessories about birding
- Nothingnew.com
- Tennis shoes
- Solgaard.co
- Travel bags and luggage
- Watches
Bathroom and Health
- Whogivesacrap.org
- Toilet Paper, Tissues, Paper Towels
- Bitetoothpastebits.com
- Toothpaste
- Grove.co
- Laundry detergent
- Soaps and cleaners
- Toothpaste, lotions, deodorant
- Shampoo and conditioner
- Air fresheners and candles
- Byhumankind.com
- Zero-waste bathroom products
- Shampoo, Deodorant, Soap, etc.
- Zero-waste bathroom products
- Reelpaper.com
- Bamboo toilet paper
- Mutinyshaving.co.uk
- Shaving
- Soaps
- Skincare
- Dentallace.com
- Floss
- Toothbrush
Pets
- Buckboneorganics.com
- Buck antlers for dogs
- Ground antler mineral for dogs
Electronics
- Pelacase.com
- Phone and Airpod Cases
- Phone and Airpod Cases
- Gosun.co
- Solar ovens
- Coolers
- Solar Lights
- Goalzero.com
- Solar Chargers/Panels
Outdoors
- Rareform.com
- Longboards and surfboards and carrying bags for them
- Weedsniper.com.au
- Weeding tool that delivers a microdose of herbicide
- Subpod.com
- Compost bins/system
- Catchnrelease.com.au
- Anchor retrieval system
Events, Business, and Office
- keepnaturewild.com
- Journals
- Nohbo.com
- Flower arrangements
- Bridal fashion and accessories
- Artwork
- Paperlesspost.com
- Virtual Invitations
- Jakprints.com
- Personalized Products
- Lilypadnotes.com
- Journals and notebooks
- B2P pen
- Ballpoint pen
- Gel roller
Kids
- Wildlifetree.com
- Stuffed animals
- Ears, tails, and wings
Food and Drink
Shopping Tips
Mobile Apps
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Labels
Eco Label Index
The Energy Star service mark can be found on certified energy-efficient products, homes, commercial buildings, and industrial plants.
Food Alliance is a nonprofit organization that certifies farms, ranches, and food processors and distributors for sustainable agricultural and facility management practices. By choosing Food Alliance Certification ensures safe and fair working conditions, humane treatment of animals, and careful stewardship of natural resources.
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Biobased products are derived from plants and other renewable agricultural, marine, and forestry materials. These products provide an alternative to conventional petroleum derived products and include a diverse range of offerings such as lubricants, detergents, inks, fertilizers, and bioplastics. For the purposes of the BioPreferred program, biobased products do not include food, animal feed or biofuels.
The Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal ensures that a product comes from a farm or forest operation that meets comprehensive standards that protect the environment and promote the rights and well-being of workers, their families and communities. Products that carry the green frog seal include coffee, tea, chocolate, fruit, ready to drink beverages and juices, flowers, paper and tissue products, furniture and more.
The Natrue-Label is a guarantee for cosmetic products. Their goal is to promote and protect natural beauty and skin care products. Any product with the Natrue label is intended to be as natural as possible, using natural and organic ingredients, soft manufacturing processes and environmentally friendly practices.
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The Global Organic Textile Standard was developed with the aim to unify the various existing standards and draft standards in the field of eco textile processing and to define world-wide recognised requirements that ensure organic status of textiles, from harvesting of the raw materials, through environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing up to labelling in order to provide a credible assurance to the end consumer. Processors and manufacturers shall be enabled to supply their organic fabrics and garments with one certification accepted in all major selling markets.
The non-GMO seal means that a product has been produced according to rigorous best practices for GMO avoidance, including testing of risk ingredients. The Non-GMO Project is the only organization offering independent verification of testing and GMO controls for products in the U.S. and Canada.
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria.
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Good News
National Level
- Germany Leads the Charge in Renewable Energy & Germany Produced too Much Renewable Energy
- Peru Pushes for the End of Palm Oil Deforestation
- Sweden Repeatedly Imports Trash & Sweden Trash Powers Transportation and Heats Homes
- Italy to Teach Climate Change in Grade School
- Pakistan 10 billion Campaign
- Ethiopia Breaks Tree Planting Record
Community Level
Get Involved
Get involved
- Patagonia Action Works
- Find local organizations and their events in a city near you
- theconservationnetwork.org
- Find unique opportunities worldwide with multiple organizations
- Wild Keepers
- Get outside, pick up trash, and advocate for a cleaner earth
- Wands for Wildlife
- Send in your used mascara wands for wildlife rehabilitators
- Ecoasia
- Plant trees as you use their search engine
Petition Sites
- Earthjustice.org
- Hold events and sign action letters
- Biologicaldiversity.org
- Trout Unlimited
Fun Things
Animal Live Cams
- Explore.org
- Little of everything
- Earthcam.com
- Little of everything
- Africam.com
- Cameras in the African bush
Challenge Yourself
Each tab challenges you to dive deeper into environmentalism. We hope you will take each item and implement them into your life little by little. Remember, many of us are also only in steps one and two and even in a perfect world one person cannot accomplish everything in these lists!
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Seed
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Sprout
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Sapling
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Tree
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- Shorter showers
- Cut out meat & dairy consumption by one or two days a week
- Use heating/air conditioning only when needed
- Pay bills online
- Opting out of all paper statements can usually save you a little money too!
- Recycle used ink/toner cartridges rather than throwing them out
- Wash clothing in cold water
- Use reusable grocery bags
- Know what you can and can't recycle
- Eat local & organic
- This cuts down travel emissions and pesticide use
- Unplug electronics when not using or charging
- Sign some petitions
- Plant a tree!
- When looking for something to plant, think about your pollinators and native birds!
- When looking for something to plant, think about your pollinators and native birds!
- Hang a birdhouse or a bird feeder
- Repurpose unusable clothes
- Maybe you can use them for rags for projects in the garage?
- Maybe you can use them for rags for projects in the garage?
- Regularly replace air filters
- Hang dry clothes
- Eat seasonal fruits and vegetables
- Upcycle
- Garden
- If you don't have space in the backyard, maybe have a couple planters in the windowsill
- If you don't have space in the backyard, maybe have a couple planters in the windowsill
- Switch to LED light bulbs
- Purchase reusable water bottle and other reusable essentials
- Reduce air travel
- Terracycle
- Ditch the plastic
- This one is easier said than done but start small with one time water bottles and work your way up to eliminating plastic packaging when shopping
- Buy second-hand when available
- Compost
- Use the compost in that garden you just started!
- Practice Minimalism
- Cutting down on your consumer waste is a big win for the environment! Remember, the fashion industry is the second largest polluter after oil
- Use public transit or bike when possible
- Participate in citizen science
- Many organizations depend on citizen science, from counting amphibians to monitoring bird migrations
- Many organizations depend on citizen science, from counting amphibians to monitoring bird migrations
- Swap for energy efficient appliances
- When looking for a new dishwasher or fridge, make sure you prioritize energy efficiency
- Begin a conservation club at school
- Install solar panels
- Put up a bathouse
- Although there is a bad connotation around them, bats are fantastic for the environment
- Although there is a bad connotation around them, bats are fantastic for the environment
- Adopt a stream or a highway
- Put a beehive in your backyard
- If you are looking for honey in this new relationship, try this new innovative beehive!
- If you are looking for honey in this new relationship, try this new innovative beehive!