With all of the environmental discussions going on around the world lately, athletic company Adidas decided to join i
n. Recently the brand created a running shoe out of recycled materials from the ocean.  Partnering with the environmental group Parley for the Oceans, Adidas began collecting waste for the shoes back in April. According to takepart.com, between 10 billion and 28 billion tons of plastic were released into the ocean in 2010. By creating this sustainable shoe, Adidas has high hopes that this will be the shoe of the future.

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The environmental movement is no stranger to feminism, from female scientists Rachel Carson playing an important role in getting the environmental movement off the ground to the housewives of Love Canal fighting for their health and their environment. Feminism and environmentalism are closely interwoven. Through the years there have been a number of influential eco-feminist books. Here’s just a few to get you started.

1. EcoFeminism by Maria Mies and Vandana Shiva

A book written by an economist and a physicist, EcoFeminism discusses the troubling relationship between the patriarchy and environmental degradation. This book takes a philosophical approach to the deterioration of nature by drawing on female perspectives from both North and South. Mies and Shiva argue for a new approach and commitment to the environment as well as acceptance of the limits of our Earth.

2. Feminism and the Mystery of Nature by Val Plumwood

In her book on feminist theory and the environment, Plumwood critiques western philosophy and the “logic of colonialism” in how it controls both nature and women. This insightful book details the relationship between ecology and the patriarchy and the way in which feminist theory is closely related to both.

3. EcoFeminist Philosophy: A Western Perspective on What It Is and Why It Matters by Karen J. Warren

This book examines the unjust domination of women and the environment by the patriarchal structures at play in the western world. Warren details the way in which feminist philosophy can contribute to a better understanding of environmental issues and the aspects of the movement that lend itself to changing western male ideals of power and control.

Environmentalism is known to be classist and exclusive. Many people cannot afford to partake in the well-known acts of being environmentally friendly such as shopping locally or going vegan.  Many people do not even have the environmental knowledge to begin to be conscious. However, here’s a list of ways to be environmentally conscious and save money while doing so!

Drink tap

Not only is bottled water bad for the environment because plastic takes at least 450 years to decompose, but it also is unhealthy for you! The bottled water is regulated by the FDA unlike tap water meaning that its origin and other important factors are not questioned. Because bottled water sometimes travel through trucks, the heat of the truck can help some parts of the plastic the water is contained in to infiltrate the water thus indirectly poisoning yourself. Also, the carbon footprint of plastic water is substantial. Not only does bottled water have to be packaged, but also shipped (who knows the distance?) to different stores. By not buying bottled water you not only decrease your carbon footprint, but also save money!

Thrift Shop

Thrifting is not only cheaper, but also takes money away from corporations which is always a good thing. Clothes at thrift stores tend to be cheaper than clothes at corporate stores because of the fact that they are secondhand. By thrifting, you are lessening the amount of clothes having to be made by larger corporations which takes money away from those corporations and puts the money in the pocket of locally owned businesses (thrift shops tend to be locally owned). Not only will you be buying staples that no other person probably has, but you will also be saving the environment and taking money away from corporations while doing so!

Turn Off the Lights!

This one is a bit more obvious. Turn the lights off whenever you leave a room. By turning the lights off not only do you save money on your electricity bill, but also allows your house to use less energy (specifically fossil fuels) to sustain.

Turn Off Other Electronics in the House

Like turning off the lights, turning off other electronics when not in use could lower your electricity bill and use less fossil fuels to sustain whatever electronics you may own.

Eat Less Meat

Not only will you be saving money by buying less meat and using alternatives such as beans, but you indirectly will be saving water and animals. Because raising livestock uses a lot of water, by cutting down the amount of meat consumed, you will not be a part of that water-taking process.