Living Sustainably in a World That Wasn’t Built For It
A Talk by Leigh Anne Balzekas - Originally given at Deviant Libation, Tampa, FL 6/29/2025
I’m Leigh Anne Balzelas, I’m a small business owner, a designer, an artist, and someone who has spent the last 20 years trying to live as sustainably, ethically, and authentically as possible… in a world that wasn’t exactly built for it.
… My goal is to convey a way of living that will not only help YOU make some real change NOW and in the future of your community, but also work to free ourselves from the bullet train of mutual destruction we are all riding called late stage capitalism.
The title of this talk is: “Living Sustainably in a World That Wasn’t Built For It.”
Because that’s the truth, right?
We’re told to recycle, buy better, live lighter… but nearly everything around us — from fast fashion to urban sprawl to next-day shipping — was designed for the exact opposite.
It’s NOT about having the right reusable cup.
It’s about asking: What kind of world do I want to live in?
And how can my everyday choices help build that world — right here, right now?
So how do we move forward with intention, without losing our minds — or our values?
I believe it starts with a simple shift:
We STOP trying to be perfect.
And [we] start trying to be present — in our homes, our neighborhoods, and our communities.
Because sustainability, at its core, isn’t a product or a label.
It’s a way of showing care — to ourselves, to the people around us, to our planet, and to the future.
Let’s be honest. Most of us feel overwhelmed. The news is exhausting. The climate crisis feels huge. There are WARS all over the world. And sometimes, it’s hard just to get through the week, let alone overhaul or change your lifestyle. It’s easy to feel like we’re constantly falling short. Like living “sustainably” is just one more impossible standard.
And in that wave of overwhelming rhetoric we are also getting sold to, all the time, and the word “sustainability” definitely gets tossed around like a magic fix: BY brands and large companies. It’s all green & natural this, carbon-neutral & compostable that, and all in a brown and green package. But half the time, those promises are empty and it's mostly Marketing.
We don’t need better branding — we need better systems. But while we work toward that, we also need a way to live that doesn’t feel like constant compromise. Because we can not recycle or buy our way out of this global problem. The problem is we are currently in an unsustainable system.
That’s where the real work — and beauty — of sustainable living comes in.
Because the goal isn’t PURITY…. It’s participation.
Here’s the thing: sustainable living, when you strip away all the branding and guilt, is really just living well. To me, it means that everything you interact with can be meaningful, life-affirming, and beautiful.
It means living in a way that allows you to give more of yourself — because you’re doing good in so many small, interconnected ways.
Lets deep dive into to the word “sustainable, and sustainability “
Basic definitions:
1: capable of being sustained
2: able to be maintained at a certain rate or level
3: able to be upheld or defended
A definition I love found on Reddit during my research. From Greenisms:
“Sustainability is a movement towards a cultural lifestyle that maximizes the benefits of existing resources and provides people with the access to, ability, and freedom to pursue a life that is mentally, spiritually, and physiologically fulfilling”
It’s not about being trendy. It’s not about shame or guilt or even always knowing the “right” answer.
It’s about asking:
Can this choice be good for me and the planet?
Can this purchase support a real person, not just a corporation?
Can this way of living help me feel more connected, more capable, more whole?
It’s care, creativity, community, and connection — over consumption.
Perfection is a falsehood and a lot of people get bogged down by, trying to be perfect - and then get burned out. This can apply to many facets of our life.
It's about small intentional choices that ultimately add up to supporting a community you want to see. —————————
PERSONAL NOTE: Why I Do This
I didn’t get into this line of work because I thought it would make me rich.
I did it because I wanted to make things. Because I care about beauty and justice. Because I believe in my neighborhood. Because I wanted to build something meaningful — and invite others into it.
Every single garment I design is made in our studio — not in a factory halfway across the world.
We cut it. We sew it. We press it. We name it.
We infuse it with care, not just for the planet, but for the person who will wear it.
That’s the kind of future I want.
A City Built By Us!!
Let me ask you to imagine something with me for a moment.
Picture a city where everything just feels alive.
Not because it’s flashy or corporate or “smart,” but because it’s built on real connection by real people. It’s a city where small businesses are everywhere.
You walk down the street and pass cafés where the barista knows your order — and your dog’s name.
You find bars with art on the walls from local painters, DJs playing records, and conversations that spill onto the sidewalk.
There are farmers markets, vintage shops, and corner stores with handwritten signs
There are community spaces — places to gather, talk, swap, learn, and share. In this city, people support local because it feels good, not because they were guilted into it.
Because they want their money to go somewhere it matters.
Because they know that when they spend it locally, they’re investing in their neighbors — in themselves.
And these places! They reflect the people who live there.
The shop down the street carries your favorite incense.. and You’ve found your shop match — that place where you’re known, where your taste is understood, and where shopping becomes something joyful and connective, not mindless or extractive.
The bakery on the corner makes the pastry like your mom used to make.
The bar down the street hosts a poetry night you didn’t know you needed.
That’s what happens when cities are built by hand — and by heart.
And here’s the thing:
It’s already happening — in pockets, in neighborhoods, in cities like Tampa.
All across the world, people are turning toward small, toward local, toward meaningful.
The more we live like this — the more we build communities that reflect who we really are — the more the world takes notice.
If we do it well, if we lead with creativity and care, if we show up for our own cities, people in other places will look at us and say:
“That’s what I want too.”
That’s the ripple effect.
That’s sustainability.
That’s culture — not as content, but as lived experience.
So how do we get there?
Sustainable living doesn’t have to be expensive or extreme. Some of the most sustainable things are free and a true sustainable lifestyle is about spending less money.
Let’s talk about how this works in real life. I am going to lay out three examples of how you can make small changes, what the possible impact of those choices is, and how it can create a better future.
1. Shopping Small & Local Like Your community's life depends on it.
When you buy from a local maker or business— from someone you know, or someone in your neighborhood — you’re making a sustainable choice. Not just environmentally, but socially and economically.
You’re keeping money in your local economy. You’re reducing shipping waste & carbon emissions . You’re encouraging more people to build lives around craft and creativity. If you know a small business owner you know we have to be creative. By choosing to purchase from either a small maker or small business you invest in the community you want to see more of.
And this has a waterfall effect
And I am not just saying this because I am a local maker and business owner. But, to use my business as an example:
When people buy from me, here is what I do with it: I buy from other small makers, I pay my staff more, and I am able to offer more benefits to my staff like health care & paid time off. Then my staff & I go spend that money at other local businesses. Then all that money stays local. We all pay local taxes. Our sales tax, business tax etc.. goes into our local infrastructure and pays for schools, roads, and more. This directly creates the community we want to live in, a thriving one.
When you shop at a local boutique, you’re doing something powerful.
You’re not just getting a shirt or a candle or a pair of earrings.
You’re supporting: A real person’s rent or groceries, who most of the time are your neighbors. A maker who pours love into their work. A tax base that funds your streets, schools, and parks
So— find your shop match. That boutique, that corner store, that market that gets you. That lights you up. That makes shopping feel like joy, not shame. If they don’t have something you are looking for, ask them. Most of the time you are speaking with the owner or their staff that will be speaking with them. As business owners we are looking to stock what you want!
And here is the thing… Retail therapy is real... That rush of something new can make you feel pure childlike joy. But a lot of time, it's not because of what you’re buying — it’s because of how it makes you feel. And not just because it's the same thing you saw on instagram, it's the item and the story, the individual you are supporting, retail therapy that helps your community and that you can enjoy without wondering, why did I buy that?
When you shop with intention and connection, it becomes therapeutic in the best way. It becomes a relationship. It becomes love in action. Then every time you use that item you are reminded of that pure experience.
And the money doesn’t disappear. It recirculates.
That’s what economists call the multiplier effect.
Buy a locally made item — the shop pays the maker, the maker pays their staff, the staff supports the bakery down the street. It goes on and on.
Now multiply that by 60% of a city’s population doing their retail therapy locally?
That’s how we build economic resilience. That’s how we build culture. That’s how you build a sustainable community.
By keeping as much money as we can local we are strengthening our community. So next time you think about something you need or want or when you need that retail therapy. Instead of giving your hard earned money to a billionaire outside your community, keep it local.. Every dollar spent locally builds a stronger Tampa.
Think about when you travel, when you walk around that city, you want to shop the local boutiques, breweries, restaurants, and galleries. Something unique to the place you are visiting. Increasingly those have become more and more homogenized, it used to be there were no big box stores in places like New York, or Chicago - there were small independent places where you could get things that weren’t available anywhere else. Those places are disappearing, not just here, but around the country. When we buy more and more from big box places, we are telling the market that we want a homogenized life, that we want our experiences to be the same everywhere. When we support small and local, we put more money and energy into meaningful, unique products and experiences, then that is what will flourish in our community
2. Use What You Have, Share What You Can
Shifting gears away from where you spend your money … because sustainability doesn’t have to cost more. Some of the most effective things are totally free.
Here are a few easy examples of free ways to get what you need:
Host a clothing swap with friends or attend one locally
Join a “Buy Nothing” group there are so many..
Mend your jeans or shirt instead of tossing them: by extending the life of a clothing item just 9 months you reduce the overall carbon footprint of making that item by 20-30%
Borrow a tool instead of buying one: unless you're my husband …
Trade plants, books, and skills
These aren’t just eco-friendly moves — they’re community building moves.
They make you feel less alone. And THAT is something the world needs just as much as compostable straws.
3. Buy Used, Make It, or Barter
There’s something powerful about finding your style, or your home aesthetic, through reuse.
Vintage shops, curated resellers, flea markets, and even thrift stores & Facebook groups — they offer not just sustainability, but story. WHY buy something mass-produced when you can find something with a story? or if you need something mass produced, find that item you need, gently used. New furniture is shown to off gas harmful chemicals … so buying used is literally better for your immediate health. Also, going back to what I said about extending the life of clothing items: if you are buying used, then you are extending the life of that item and reducing carbon emissions.
Taking a class is not only a great way to feel a connection in your community but skills are also sustainable. If you know how to sew and your friend knows how to rebuild a fence then you can trade your skills to help each other. Also by learning a skill you also learn to appreciate it. By learning to sew, cook, or build you then gain a greater appreciation for those skills. Which will overall lead to better appreciation and value of people who have that skill set.
The Intersection
This is where it all comes together — sustainability, community, personal wellbeing, and future vision.
When you live sustainably — even in small ways — you:
Strengthen your community
Reduce waste
Your spending is more intentional
You feel more grounded
Invest in people instead of harmful systems
Build something that lasts
Contribute to a more vibrant, thriving community
And it’s okay that it looks different for everyone. We all come to it from different places, with different capacities and unique values. This is also what makes every community different because all the different styles, interests, and skills of the members of the community build a unique landscape.
But I promise: it’s not about doing everything.
It’s about doing something.
And when you do something with care — it grows.
BUILDING THAT FUTURE TOGETHER
So, what do we do next?
We take one small step.
Not toward perfection, but toward presence.
Not toward guilt, but toward joy.
Not toward consumption, but toward connection.
You already have more power than you think, you’re just giving it away. Instead, USE it.
Use it to build the kind of city you want to live in.
Use it to support the people, places, and practices that light you up.
Use it to create a life that is not only sustainable — but beautiful, intentional, and authentic.
Because the future is handmade.
And we get to make it together.
When I get overwhelmed, I remind myself:
Everything big started with something small.
A conversation.
A swap.
A skill shared.
A shirt mended.
A shop supported.
You don’t have to save the world alone — and you’re not meant to.
We do this together. In community. In love.
With our hands, and our hearts, and our choices.
And slowly, we create a world that actually feels good to live in.
A world that wasn’t built for sustainability — but can be rebuilt by it.
One kind, creative, messy, beautiful choice at a time.