Urban Treehouse

Welcome to Urban Treehouse!

We are committed to saving the planet by living more sustainably and inspiring others to do the same. The blog is full of ideas and tips for anyone interested in living a cleaner, greener lifestyle.

We also know many people are unsure about how or why saving the environment should matter to them. It’s easy to think climate change will only affect far away places but in reality, climate change is connected to our everyday lives.

 Severe weather is causing droughts that affect the availability of food

 Sea levels are rising – causing cities like Miami to flood, which spreads disease and threatens homes

 The forests responsible for cleaning our air and the exotic plants we rely on for medicines are dying

Our livelihood is tied directly to a healthy planet.

While protecting our planet can seem overwhelming at first, the good news is, it’s easy to help! To get started, check out our First Five Steps toward Sustainability.

First Five Steps toward Sustainability

1. Learn More

There’s a lot of information out there about sustainability and climate change, but these few documentaries are a good place to start!

 “An Inconvenient Truth” – Al Gore’s compelling documentary about climate change. You can find it on YouTube or iTunes.

 “Years of Living Dangerously” – a multipart series featuring lots of famous people. Watch it on Hulu, iTunes, or Google Play. Check out episode clips here.

 “LA Eco Village: Changing the Way We Live in the City” – a 20 minute documentary directed by Urban Treehouse co-founder, Alexis Cornejo, about real people living sustainably in Los Angeles.

 Others you may like: “Pump,” “The True Cost,” and “Who Killed the Electric Car?”

2. Use less

Refuse, reduce, reuse/repair, recycle, rot (in that order). By using less, you reduce the strain on our natural resources and send less trash to the landfill.

 Use less plastic: Making plastic requires coal, natural gas, and crude oil. Plus, plastic takes hundreds of years to break down so it pollutes our oceans and remains in our landfills essentially forever. Use canvas shopping bags, save and refill containers you already have, and start noticing how much packaging your purchases include.

 Use less energy: While clean energy options like wind and solar are becoming more popular, it’s common for power plants to source dirty (like coal burning) energy from out of state during peak hours. Change your light bulbs to LEDs, adjust your thermostat by two degrees, and turn appliances and lights off when you’re not actively using them.

 Use less meat: Cows are one of the biggest producers of methane (a powerful greenhouse gas) in the world. Increased beef production has also led to large-scale deforestation and requires tremendous energy to feed, transport, and process. By going meatless even one day a week, you can reduce the demand for these damaging practices and help save the planet.

3. Try different types of transportation

According to the EPA, transportation creates about 30% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.

 Find a carpool buddy to and from work

 Hop on your bike or walk to your local errands

 Try out your local public transit

 Opt for an electric car or one that uses alternative fuels

 Or, simply change the way you drive your current car

4. Buy local

Manufacturing and shipping items from different countries produces a lot of pollution. Buy your food and products from local farmers and makers to reduce your carbon footprint and support your local economy.

5. Compost

You can turn your food waste into super soil! Let us show you how.

We know saving the planet seems like a big job but if we all work together and do our part, we can keep our environment clean for everyone!

Article by: Kelly Conroy

Kelly Conroy earned her bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from UC Davis and has been working as an environmental advocate ever since. From wildlife biology to climate change mitigation, she’s passionate about the planet and loves sharing her enthusiasm with others.

Watercolor Illustrations by: Rosaura Unangst

Rosaura Unangst is the owner/artist behind Pigment & Parchment. She studied American Studies at UC Santa Cruz and now sends handmade wedding stationery around the globe & teaches workshops all over California. She is happy to use her artwork to promote education, environmentalism, & pretty much any cause that tugs at her bleeding liberal heart (just email her if you’ve got a cause in need of art).