Sustainability might have been a goal that you added to your New Year’s resolutions for 2024, whether it be to recycle your old plastic containers, shop second-hand, donate old clothes or even start using a compost bin.

Sustainability doesn’t mean you have to buy completely new products, it just means that you should apply more conscious thinking to your decisions.

The overall actions that we as individuals take toward preserving our planet can be on a stand-alone level, as the actions we take can make a big impact. A 2023 study by RocketHomes, ranks Sacramento as the ninth-most sustainable city in the United States, due to its amazing sustainable options to shop, read and eat.

I have compiled a list of five eco-efficient businesses within a ten-mile radius of Sacramento State, that can provide options for students in need of food assistance and financial assistance while taking small steps toward sustainability.

Sacramento Natural Foods Cooperative

Location: 2820 R St.

The Sacramento Natural Foods Cooperative is an association of volunteers working for over 50 years, toward collaborative and sustainable values.

The co-op is a community space that works ethically to support the Sacramento region’s community members, as well as the environment we share. Jolie Laudicina has worked in the co-op’s marketing department for 19 years.

“It is easy to get overwhelmed by how our environment has been destroyed and feel like the weight of the world is on us,” Laudicina said. “I think it’s helpful to know that it didn’t take one person doing just one thing to get to where we are, it is up to many people doing many different things to improve our situation.”

Something as simple as switching to reusable straws and bringing your own reusable bags can truly create a difference.

“It is up to many people, doing many different things to improve our situation,” Laudicina said.

The co-op also has a wonderful food recovery program that collects food that might otherwise have been thrown away and will donate it to assist people in need. The Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op serves as a sustainable principle that offers opportunities to get in touch with the Sacramento community.

Refill Madness

Location: 1828 29th St.

Refill Madness is a zero-waste and refill store located right next to the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op, which is lined wall-to-wall with glassware, reusable and recyclable products and an insane amount of soap.

“For college-aged kids, we have all sorts of ways to make refilling more accessible and affordable for the everyday person,” Refill Madness manager Autumn Church said.

The store is a conscious, pay-per-ounce refill station, with the purpose of eliminating everyday plastic waste from detergent containers, shampoo bottles and soap bottles.

Church said the key to being sustainable as a student is to find something small to start with and make things more convenient to set yourself up for success.

Refill Madness is also partnered with recycling company TerraCycle, be sure to, check their website for specifics, and feel free to bring in your own recyclable plastic products.

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Nudge Eco Store

Location: 1126 18th St.

Nudge Eco Store is the place to go for all your eco-friendly gifts, home goods and self-care needs.

“We want to create a community that is non-judgemental, open to trying new things while being mindful, conscious consumers,” Nudge co-founder Nick Lee said.

Nudge sources its products as locally as possible and prides itself on finding non-toxic, package-free and community-tested equivalents to wasteful products.

Lee said for Nudge, it’s not just about offering an alternative to a product, but something as good as or better than the destructive equivalent.

They sell a variety of candles, plastic-free makeup products and bamboo kitchen tools to name a few sustainable sources.

Time Tested Books

Location: 1114 21st St.

For over 40 years, Time Tested Books has been providing the Sacramento area with a vast collection of used and pre-loved books of all genres.

For students, Time Tested Books can be a place to study, test out a new-to-you read and can even be a place to use the vast arrangement of books for research.

Co-owner Peter Keat has been supporting sustainable knowledge in this bookstore since 1981.

“The store’s purpose is to give old books a new life; reusing and recycling materials, and not throwing any books away”, Keat said.

Keat said it has been his and the store’s goal to give old books new life. The store has a buy, sell and trade option for those who would like to expand their personal libraries and offers a 10% discount on unused books.

Article Consignment Boutique

Location: 706 56th St. Ste 100

Article Consignment Boutique is an East Sacramento gem that has a carefully and tastefully curated collection of everyday wear and designer goods, which helps them cater to a multitude of people and was opened 14 years ago by husband and wife, Abe and Valerie Sanchez.

Thrifting is a big part of our trendy consumer culture, but sometimes the act of searching through countless racks can cause us to go for whatever is easiest, which for most is shopping fast fashion.

Article Consignments’s goal is to support slow, recycled and pre-loved trendy fashion.

“My goal is letting people know that you can still be on trend, have your own sense of style and be sustainable and get things that are just as personal, secondhand,” Valerie Sanchez said.

Being sustainable is available to us all throughout Sacramento. Shopping locally is one of the main factors of conscious consumerism. Check out these green spots and tag #stingerstyle and @thestatehornet if you visit.

A cleaner and greener future depends on us.