Essentially, sustainable living is all about minimising your impact on the environment. It focuses on the fair utilization of Earth’s natural resources while leaving enough space for wildlife and wilderness. It entails changing your lifestyle to minimize waste and consuming greener products. While these changes are not easy, they can be a huge benefit to the environment.
In addition, a sustainable lifestyle comes with many benefits that can help improve your health and your wallet. Sustainable living can reduce the cost of living by limiting your ecological footprint and reducing energy consumption and water usage. This can be accomplished by implementing green home design, using solar panels, reducing your meat intake, switching to a plant-based diet and other simple habits.
You can also reduce the amount of paper and plastic you use by going paperless, shopping for second-hand goods or using a paperless search engine like Ecosia. When you do need to buy something new, opt for an item made from recycled materials or bamboo furniture, which is a sustainable and renewable resource that doesn’t release stored carbon into the atmosphere.
Another key part of sustainable living is supporting local businesses, especially those that use eco-friendly practices and materials. This is important as it helps to re-enforce and create a culture of sustainability in a community. It’s also a great way to support your local economy.
In a world where climate change is becoming a more prevalent topic of conversation, we all want to do our bit for the planet. But it can feel daunting when you think about the scale of the problems we face. The oceans have warmed by more than 0.6 degrees since 1969, the Greenland ice sheet has lost an average of 279 billion tons of ice per year, and greenhouse gas emissions are rising at the fastest rate in recorded history. This can lead to eco-grief and climate anxiety, which is why taking action is so important.
A few small changes can make a big difference in the grand scheme of things. For example, try to limit your fast fashion purchases and choose pieces that you can mix and match so they last longer. You can also try to shop locally and opt for bespoke fashion brands that offer limited-stock fabrics, such as Benjamin Fox or MaisonCleo.
It’s also a good idea to reduce your electricity and water usage by insulating your home and turning off lights and appliances when you’re not using them. Choosing appliances that are energy efficient will cut your utility bills, and you can also save on energy costs by switching to a green power supplier such as Ecosia or Simply Switch. You can also recycle and reuse, by using a reusable coffee cup at cafes and ditching single-use plastic items like sachets of wipes for muslin cloths or similar reusable alternatives. You can also opt for a paperless banking and correspondence service to cut down on paper waste. If you do need to purchase electronics, consider buying them second hand or from a company that offers e-waste recycling programmes.