With the abrupt changes that are happening in our world today, from global warming to climate change and all, have you ever thought why are all these things happening? Indeed, this might be due to the advancement in almost all aspects which greatly affect our environment. So, adopting a more sustainable lifestyle could be one of the best things that you could do for yourself and for the planet as well.
What is Sustainable Living?
Well, sustainable living refers to a lifestyle which strives to reduce the impact of human life on the planet. This kind of living seeks to reduce the environmental impact by lowering the carbon footprint whereas switching to a lifestyle which has a little impact on our environment. Every country, city or individual could strive towards adopting a sustainable way of living.
So, what can you do to live a sustainable lifestyle?
Sustainable living is considered essential, however, there are some ways that you should know first before transitioning to this kind of living.
- Use reusable shopping bags.
Start here if you plan to shift to sustainable living. It takes about 450 years for a plastic bag to biodegrade so this means every single plastic bag on earth still exists, unless they are burned. This could definitely be disturbing!
Good to know that there are alternatives to these plastic bags which we have used once before and they are the paper bags. However, this could be your last resort if you don’t have a handy reusable bag with you.
Always keep a reusable bag or if you have none, always choose paper bags instead.
- Buy low impact and natural beauty products.
This one is another important aspect of sustainable living and there are several reasons why. Natural and organic products are a lot better for our environment since products with chemicals could have a very alarming and damaging impact to the environment. Perfumes and sprays which are released in the atmosphere could be very harmful together with the manufacturing process to make them.
Also, the smearing chemicals on your face, armpits and over the rest of your body doesn’t seem to be a good idea. Always keep your skin looking and feeling healthy and young with natural products.
- Cut out aluminum foil and plastic wrap.
Aluminum foil and plastic wrap are impossible to recycle, and they are extremely wasteful especially when you are transitioning to sustainable living. Beeswax wrap is the best eco alternative to plastic wrap as it could last for ages and is also reusable, aggravating and far cuter compared to plastic wrap.
- Save energy.
Well, there are many ways on how you can save energy and save the planet. Some ways could be through the following:
- Turn off the lights and unplug. You can let the natural light in to save energy and live a more sustainable lifestyle. Plus, you should unplug electronics once you aren’t using them since anything plugged could still consume energy.
- It is also advised to turn off the heat or AC which makes it better both for the environment and for your electricity bill.
- Don’t throw away all the non-organic products.
As you switch to sustainable living, you might feel inclined to chuck all the old products away. But don’t just do it yet. You might finish using those products or try giving them away for free. If you couldn’t find a home for those non-organic products, and you don’t want to use them at all, you have to clean out all the bottles and simply recycle what you can.
- Grow your own food.
Bear in mind that the more food you could grow, the more that you can cook at home and preserve. This would cut down your grocery bills, increase sustainability and also create a wonderful sense of accomplishment.
These are just some ways that you might start considering as you shift to sustainable living. And eventually, you’ll definitely reap the benefits of living a sustainable lifestyle.
Some of these benefits are the following:
- Using less resources. Indeed, the capacity to be sustained in certain areas of your life means you are not diminishing resources.
- Eradicating those harmful chemicals you might have at home which reduce the chances of compromising the health of the family.
- Saving more money. Living sustainably definitely leads to huge savings. Sustainable banking is also a great step to living this kind of lifestyle.
- Living a lot simpler life. You actually need less so you buy less, spend less and definitely want less.
- Making lesser waste. Sustainability promotes utilizing what you have until it couldn’t be used at all, recycling and purchasing used.
- Increasing your personal knowledge or skills. With sustainability, personal skills and knowledge base grow over time.
Indeed, in a world where advancements and changes happen almost every single day, choosing to live a sustainable lifestyle seems to be a challenge to the majority. However, taking one step at a time will greatly help us achieve this kind of living!