10 Easy Sustainable Living Tips

 

 

 

Living sustainably has lots of benefits. The choices that you make at home aren’t only better for the environment, but also for your bank account and your health. Sustainable living means simplifying your life. And that is the key to happiness. In this article, I will give you ten easy tips that you can start with today. 

 

Why choose a sustainable life? 

Maybe you already know that it is good to recycle, reduce your use of plastic, save energy and reduce your Carbon Dioxide emissions. That is a great start.  

But did you also know that the average temperature on Earth has increased by 0.8 Celsius, compared to the temperature before the Industrial Revolution? If we don’t get our CO2 emissions in check, the Earth will only warm up more. This will have huge consequences for the environment, our flora and fauna, and our own wellbeing. 

 

How can you live sustainably? 

Sustainable living does not mean that you must live an uncomfortable life. It means that you consciously think about the stuff and the energy that you use, and about the choices you make every day.  

 

There are many simple, effective ways to live a more sustainable life. Here are ten green-living tips: 

 

1. Eat more plants and less meat 

An average western diet leads to an emission of about 25 tons of CO2 per person per year. For a meat lover, this amounts to 33 tons. The latter is quite like a return trip to Amsterdam-Singapore. So, if you don’t eat meat, you will save a lot of CO2 emissions a year. 

That seems simple, but it’s not. If you think you are doing the right thing by eating vegetarian burgers made of milk and eggs, think again. The milk industry also has a negative impact like the meat industry. If you want to have the most sustainable impact, go vegan. A vegan diet is equivalent to 15 tons of CO2 per person per year. That is less than half the CO2 emissions of the diet of a meat eater! 

 

2. Choose the train when travelling close to home 

We probably don’t need to tell you that travelling by air is one of the most polluting ways to get to your destination. Sometimes there is no other way though – especially if you need to travel to the other side of the world and you don’t feel like spending 3 weeks on a ship. 

But if you do have the time, or your destination is close to home, consider taking the train or the boat. Usually, travelling by train or by boat is better for the environment than car or air travel. 

Travelling by train or by boat is not only better for the environment, but it can also be such a fun adventure. You will meet more people, see more and have a unique experience. This even applies to your daily commute to work – as long as you take the opportunity to connect with other people. 

 

3. Choose eco-friendly toiletries 

Sanitary items are mostly made from non-organic cotton, which is highly pesticide-intensive crop and causes soil degradation. Farmers are using huge quantities of pesticides, fertilizers, and chemicals. And the production of fertilizers uses finite energy sources, releases considerable amounts of CO2. As soils normally capture carbon dioxide, soil degradation reduces this capacity – increasing global warming. Plus, all those sanitary items finally end up somewhere in a landfill or in the ocean. It is time to make a change. Look at these tips. 

“Naked” soaps and shower products. These products are eco-friendly produced, and they don’t come in a plastic wrapper or box. This is what you call solid toiletries.   

Eco-friendly sanitary products. A topic that most people don’t immediately think of when trying to reduce plastic waste. But if you figure that in the US alone people buy 5.8 billion tampons a year (based on 2018), that is a LOT of plastic waste that ends up in landfills and the ocean. Tens of thousands of tampons, pad, and applicators wash up on the shore every day. Reason enough to switch to eco-friendly sanitary products, such as menstrual cups or washable period pants. 

Organic, reef safe sun cream. Most sun creams contain harmful substances, including oxybenzone and octinoxate, which hurt coral reefs and marine life. Unfortunately, these are not the only substances that are harmful to marine life. The problem is that much of the sun cream that ends up in the ocean is concentrated at popular beaches. So even better is to cover yourself up with proper swimwear or a T-shirt so you need to use less sun cream when you enter the ocean. 

 

4. Buy less  

The biggest impact we have on the environment is because we are constantly buying new things. You may not immediately see why this is so polluting (other than it is ending up as waste somewhere). But that is because 92% of the impact of new stuff is “hidden”. 

The hidden impact is mainly a result of the production and transport of these items. Think of the CO2 emissions from factories in China that produce our goods, the use of water and land, pollution, deforestation, and the impact all of this has on biodiversity. 

A simple way to reduce our (hidden) impact on the environment is simply to buy less. By minimizing, you can make your life at home a lot more sustainable. 

 

5. Check labels and certifications 

There are a lot of certifications to choose between, but which one should you look for?

Choosing products that have a limited effect on the environment and local communities encourages sustainable practices amongst producers and manufacturers as well as reducing your own individual impact on the planet. 

 

6. Reuse & repurpose 

We need to reduce the amount we consume. We also need to reuse and repurpose as part of our day to day lives. There are several ways to achieve this.  

We can reuse by buying second-hand items from the thrift shops and flea markets. Take the example of clothing. Extending the lifespan of clothes by just three months reduces the item’s carbon, water and waste footprint by 5% to 10%. Imagine the difference we would make if we continued wearing second-hand clothes for many years after they’d been given up by their original owner! 

Giving items a second life, either by buying second-hand, donating unwanted items to charitable organizations or selling your things on platforms like Facebook Marketplace and eBay, helps to reduce the amount of stuff going to landfill. 

It is also possible to rent the items you use less frequently. You can find DIY tools, party decorations, sporting equipment and even musical instruments available to hire at websites like Fat Llama and Rentything. As well as renting from others, consider renting out your things. Advertise belongings you have just sitting around the attic or the garage and you could help create a reuse revolution! 

When it comes to items you already own, think twice before you throw anything away. If something is broken, try to fix it. Or if it’s beyond repair, give it another use. A worn-out cotton t-shirt works well as a duster. A pallet can be repurposed as a garden planter. Newspaper can be used to wrap presents. 

We should all be aiming to reuse and repurpose our food leftovers too. Whenever we put food into the bin, we waste the resources that were used to grown it. Growing just one apple takes 125 liters of water! So, it’s so important that we address food waste at home. Get creative in the kitchen, find recipes that use leftovers and try to avoid wasting anything. 

 

7. Go camping and have a “staycation” 

Are you the outdoorsy type? Then the idea of camping isn’t too hard to sell to you. But even if you are not a fan of outdoor toilets and sleeping bags, camping can be done in many ways. You can choose to go on a “staycation”: a vacation in your own home and camp in your own backyard! 

Not only is camping better for the environment (compared to some eco-unfriendly hotels), but it also saves you a lot of money and it is amazing for your mental and physical health.  

• Being outdoors makes you disconnect. No distractions from your phone, laptop or TV. Social media can lead to feelings of anxiety and insomnia. Unplug your devices and reconnect to nature! 
• Nature does wonders for your mood. It reduces depressive symptoms and negative thinking. The fresh air, the forest, mountains or ocean are nature’s best anti-depressants.  
• Camping is great to improve your fitness level. You can go hiking, hop on a mountain bike, go swimming or do some other activity that you are less likely to do in a hotel. 

 

 8. Live car-free 

Did you know that the transport accounts for a quarter of the world’s CO2 emissions? And it’s not just planes! Cars, trucks, buses, and motorbikes account for three quarters of the CO2 emissions produced by transport. 

For many people, a car is an essential. If you don’t live on a good public transport route and you have to travel a reasonable distance to work, travelling by car is the obvious solution. However, we should all be seeking alternatives to car travel whenever possible. Using public transport, cycling or walking are all much better for the environment and an easy option for shorter journeys. 

We should encourage our employers to offer home working opportunities, at least a few days a week. This would drastically cut the carbon emissions produced by a commute to work. And if that isn’t an option, ride sharing with others travelling to the same location is another way to take cars off the road.  

If you switch to an electric car or manage to live car-free, you’ll save more than a ton of CO2 per year! 

 

9. Grow your own 

Growing your own garden can be incredibly rewarding. Even if you don’t feel particularly green-fingered, you can easily get started with a couple of planters or window boxes. Trees and plants reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. They also provide habitats and food for a huge range of animals and insects. 

Choose native and bee-friendly plants wherever possible. These are plants that grow naturally in your country or region and, as a result, are best suited for the local wildlife and weather conditions. 

Growing your own food has even greater benefits for the environment. Any fruit and vegetables you produce will have much lower carbon footprint than food you can buy in the supermarket. Food must travel a very short distance from soil to table, reducing the carbon emissions involved in food transportation. There is no plastic packaging to consider, and you get to be in complete control of the way food is grown, avoiding harmful fertilizers and pesticides. 

 

10. Conserve energy & water at home 

There are lots of easy ways to make your home more sustainable. Switching to renewable energy is much easier than you might think and a great first step. Several energy suppliers do not offer 100% renewable electricity. Be sure to do your research on suppliers and get to know their eco-friendly credentials. Companies want to be seen as “green” but not all of them are living up to the title. 

Next, it’s time to look at how to use that energy as efficiently as possible. When it comes to heating or cooling your home, be as sparing as possible. Put on a jumper instead of turning up the thermostat and open a window rather than using the air conditioning. Insulation is another key factor. Making sure heat isn’t escaping from your home – from walls, windows or the roof – is really important. 

Choosing energy efficient appliances is another good way to make your home eco-friendlier. Here are a few other ideas: 

• Use Energy efficient LED lightbulbs. 
• Don’t leave electrical appliances on standby. 
• Make sure the washing machine is full before using it. 
• Dry clothes on a washing line rather than in the dryer. 
• Collect rainwater in a water butt and use this to water the garden. 
• Choose a toilet with a dual flush. 
• Install a water-saving shower head. 

 

These home and lifestyle changes may seem small but every little bit we do for the environment helps to make a difference.