Sustainable living and sustainability is a favorite topic of a lot of people these days. Everyone on social media wants to chip in a post or two, every politician worth his salt touches on this topic even if it is just to attract attention to their campaign.
But how many of these influential people come up with feasible and practical ways to practice sustainability? The numbers are actually dismal. It is so easy to talk and tell others to become conscious about what they are consuming and be mindful of their carbon footprint. But sustainable living becomes an idealistic and fanciful topic without solutions.
In this post, we bring you our top easy and practical ways you can practice sustainable living.
1. Become a mindful shopper
You will agree with us when we say that we were all random buyers a few decades ago. All of us were driven by the need to fill our homes and lives with the latest inventions and collections. This was intensified due to the fact that the world witnessed unprecedented growth in technology and other industries in the last couple of decades. One example of this is the surge of home entertainment, such as Blu-Ray and 4K DVDs. The environmental tax of these innovations can be rendered environmentally friendly by using a DVD rental service specializing in 4K that is known for its green practices.
This has resulted in the fact that we have our homes filled to the brim with plastic materials. Other items that were meant as one use are also a massive part of our possessions. Now, you don’t have to throw all these items in the trash as that would defeat the very meaning of sustainability.
However, we can start by purchasing items that are made of materials that are not plastic. Avoid all sorts of packaged food items and choose to make bulk purchases. Whenever you have to buy new things, choose those that are made of metal or glass.
2. Sort your trash
Literally. An average household produces 1000 lbs of trash in a year. It is astounding even to imagine the combined household trash we produce globally. Sustainable living is not only about going out and planting trees. You can start right at home.
Install two bins in your home – one for biodegradable wastes and one for non-biodegradable wastes. You can later take them out separately and take them to recycling centers. Bio-degradable wastes can also be composted and made into fertilizer for your kitchen garden.
3. Digitize as much as you can
The current generation has access to more digital advancements than any other generation before. Not only do we have instant connectivity and access at our fingertips, but we also have the opportunity to make everything digital.
Pictures, documents, and all information can be digitized instead of getting them on paper. There is no need to subscribe to newsletters and magazines and even newspapers. Almost all companies and agencies have their websites and email lists to run their business. So choose the digital method and give the trees a break.
4. Leave your car
There is a particular element of convenience and comfort while driving your personal car. But do you know that an average car produces 4.6 metric tons of Co2 in a year? That is enough energy to power 422,542 homes for a full year!
If you have the heart for sustainable living, take public transportation as much as you can. This way, you can reduce your carbon footprint. If you live in a place where you can use a bicycle or an electric charged bike, that is even better. You might think that you alone cannot make a change, but it only takes one person to start a war, but thousands to win it.
5. Shop secondhand items
Everyone knows that the fashion industry is one of the most unsustainable ones in the world. Every year, millions of clothing end up in landfills, which emit harmful gasses that harm the environment.
You can choose not to contribute to this devastating phenomenon by shopping for secondhand clothes. Unbeknownst to many, there is a thriving industry that supports secondhand and vintage shopping. You will be surprised to know that the quality of the clothes in this category is much better than those in fast fashion stores.
When you buy secondhand, you are not only contributing to a sustainable way of living, but you also save a lot of money as well. If you care about brands and your designers, you will be pleasantly surprised to find designer goods in these stores at a fraction of the actual price.
6. Go organic
When you decide to stop supporting ready-packaged items of food and go organic, it is not only sustainable but healthy. Mass-produced foods have a considerable amount of chemicals in them. This is not only harmful to your health but the environment as well.
Foods that are grown and harvested organically are healthy and in their natural state. You also get to support local farmers who create a chain of sustainability wherever you are.
If you have space where you live, take it a step further and start your own kitchen garden. There is nothing like putting the seeds in the ground and watching them grow into beautiful vegetables. You can use the biodegradable composts from your kitchen for fertilize as well.
Another option is to join a community garden. They are available in most cities. Here, you will get a patch of garden for yourself and plant veggies, herbs, and other food items of your choice.
Conclusion.
Sustainable living is quite doable when you know where to start. You don’t have to throw away all your possessions or go live on an island, eating the wild berries to be sustainable. You can begin right in your kitchen and your backyard.
The key is to be conscious of what you consume and be continuously informed. Sustainable living is a lifetime commitment that will require you to experiment and learn as you embark on the journey. Everyone starts somewhere, but they learn and hone their skills of sustainable living, which becomes their way of life. We hope this guide will help you make a more informed and loving decision for your life as well as the environment. We owe it to our kids as well as the planet.
