4 Simple Ways To Make Your Life More Sustainable – By Alice Mansley
As most of us are aware, climate change is very real. It can be easy to assume that making small efforts here and there will never reverse the damage done to the Earth, or that one person cannot make a difference.
Many of us don’t quite know where to start when it comes to living a more sustainable life. This does not mean you have to be perfect. However making some small lifestyle changes could be beneficial for the future. It’s true what they say – be the change you want to see in the World.
These sustainable tips are not only beneficial to the environment, they can help with your health and to save money too. Another incentive to re-think some the items you’re purchasing and how they’re made!
Reducing Your Meat Consumption
Society and historic culture have always encouraged us to eat meat as part of a healthy and balanced diet. As times have changed, so has the scientific research behind health and well-being.
It’s now considered that a diet high in fat isn’t good for our bodies. This is why many of us have looked to reduce the amount of this we eat. Whilst cutting down or cutting out meat and dairy products may have many health benefits – one of the biggest benefits of this lifestyle change is what we can see in our environment.
According to Greenpeace, the livestock sector (raising cows, pigs and chickens for consumption) generates as much greenhouse gas emissions as all cars, trucks and automobiles combined!
Millions of square kilometres of forest areas are cut for animal grazing pastures – destroying one of the Earth’s most important ecosystems. You don’t have to become vegetarian or vegan. Simply cutting down on your intake and buying plant-based alternatives now and again can make a positive change.
Ditching Fast Fashion
Reducing the amount of clothing we purchase from fast fashion chains is crucial for the environment. We’re all guilty of buying clothes and either wearing them once, or not at all!
No one’s perfect and we have to start somewhere – whether it’s simply making an effort to buy less, choosing to purchase items from ethical brands that use recycled materials, or taking it a step further and shopping completely second-hand! Food for thought! The UN have stated that the fashion industry consumes more energy than the aviation and shipping industry combined!
Shopping second-hand reduces garment waste. This also means that your money isn’t going directly back into a harmful industry that’s known to pay workers in factories very little. There’s even a chance the money will go to charity.
Thrifting and shopping vintage can often be a great way of exploring your own personal style, rather than buying the latest trends. And of course, it’s an excellent way of getting much more for your money!
There are blogs and Instagram accounts dedicated to styling second-hand fashion. This is a great source of inspiration when hunting for your next bargain.
Swapping Your Car For A Bike
This isn’t a possibility for everyone. However riding a bike instead of using a car can save over 10 times the amount of CO2 per kilometre travelled!
We often opt for using our cars for short journeys out of habit. Walking short distances instead of taking a car ride is much better for the environment. Plus it helps with our health and fitness levels.
Taking train journeys can also help to cut your CO2 emissions. For example, a one-way trip from London to Madrid emits around 118kg of CO2 per passenger, whereas travelling by train emits 43kg.
It’s not always possible to take alternative transport methods. Investing in an electric car is a way of creating less pollution. This isn’t an affordable option for everyone, but as these cars are becoming increasingly popular with more and more choosing electric, the price of purchasing these vehicles is hopefully set to decrease when it becomes the norm.
Another option is to purchase a Hybrid car. These tend to combine petrol or diesel engine with an electric motor, therefore emitting less CO2 than the regular car.
Reducing Your Use Of Plastic
Maybe one of the most obvious ways to help our environment – recycling! Single use plastic creates unnecessary waste in landfill sites, which only have a limited amount of space. Not to mention that plastic items are usually made from non-sustainable fossil fuels.
A good idea is to start by thinking about the small, everyday items that you own or purchase.
- When you need a new toothbrush, instead of buying another plastic one, take the time to research where you can get one that is made to be recycled or made from sustainable materials.
- Make-up wipes are often non-recyclable – however reusable make-up pads and cloths are available that can be washed then reused.
- Purchasing a reusable non-plastic bottle to carry around with you makes a perfect alternative to purchasing single use plastic water bottles or coffee cups. And of course this saves you money.
Small steps can be taken to achieve an eco-friendly future for all of us. It does not matter how big the changes you make are, consciously making a different can inspire those around you!
Bio
Alice Mansley is a Content and SEO marketing assistant for Cactus Water Systems – an eco-friendly alternative to purchasing plastic whilst providing great water for businesses. She is passionate about making sustainable changes for a better future. Check out Alice on LinkedIn.
Great tips – some easier to follow than others but we should all stop and think! We can all do more to reduce single use plastic – I thought I was doing OK but then we watched War on Plastic with Hugh and Anita and I realised I could do a lot more! Small things like replacing hand wash with soap rather than another plastic bottle, using paper sandwich bags rather than cling film – they can be re-used then recycled, using plastic containers to freeze food rather than plastic freezer bags (yes plastic – but reusable and will last for years!). Some supermarkets have plastic bag recycling points you can recycle more than shopping bags and I think Colgate are making bamboo toothbrushes… Here’s a link to the programme: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m0005xh7/war-on-plastic-with-hugh-and-anita 🙂
Thanks for sharing that link. It is a case of trying to do more. My kids are really pushing for no plastic which I think is great.