Sustainable Living
Sustainable living may be easier than you think. See the easy changes you can make today.
Avoid single-use plastics
Support companies who prioritize sustainability in packaging decisions; shop with the end in mind (think reduce, reuse & recycle).
Conserve energy to reduce your carbon footprint
Turn off appliances when they’re not in use. Leaving them on uses energy unnecessarily. Wash your laundry with cold water.
Eat sustainably
Shop locally to reduce your environmental footprint due to the reduction of transportation emissions.
Eat less meat; it’s not only better for you, but also better for the environment, since the livestock industry is a significant contributor of methane (a greenhouse gas with 80 times1 more warming power than CO2). Read more or watch here about our research.
Reduce Water Waste
Take shorter showers or invest in low-flow shower heads.
Instead of buying plastic water bottles, install a water filter at home.
Wash full loads of clothes and dishes.
Practice sustainable transportation
Consider low-emission modes of transportation: walk, bike, or use public transit since 27%2 of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. (2020) were generated from transportation.
Go paperless
Go paperless to reduce pollution and deforestation.
Manage your transactions online whenever possible.
Keep things out of the landfill
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Remember that landfills release methane into the air, contributing to global warming and climate change.
Reduce food waste and practice composting since food waste in landfills goes through anaerobic decomposition that generates methane gas.
Reduce exposures to harmful chemicals
Use stainless steel or glass water bottles.
Avoid traditional Teflon (non-stick) pots and pans.
Don’t microwave or run plastic food containers through dishwasher.
Sustainability at Stanford Medicine
