Do you feel like you hear the words 'sustainable living', 'green living', 'eco friendly lifestyle' everywhere you go now? At the airport, on the radio, in the supermarket, amongst your friends, on YouTube...people just won't stop talking about it!
So what really is Sustainable Living and is it the right thing for you and your family?
In this blog post I'll explain everything you need to know about sustainable living - what is it, what are the benefits and why should you bother?! I'll also share some very simple and practical tips that will help you reduce your carbon footprint, save you money and ultimately help you practice a more environmentally friendly and responsible way of living.
What is Sustainable Living?
In very simple terms, it's a lifestyle choice in which individuals make a concerted effort to reduce their carbon footprint and live, eat, shop and travel more responsibly. So as an example, a person living a sustainable lifestyle will choose to walk or cycle to work, reduce their consumption of meat and dairy, use less resources and shop from ethical brands.
So essentially, we are looking at 5 aspects here:
Reduce energy and water consumption
Send less waste to the landfill
Travel more responsibly
Consume local, seasonal and plant-based diets
Support ethical brands
You can list out a lot more, or narrow it down to the very basics. No doubt it's a very wide field of study and the above principles will apply differently to you based on your geography, economic conditions and your access to opportunities and information. Having said that, living sustainably is just as important to someone living in the Northern Hemisphere or someone living near the coast in the Far East or someone with a significant amount of disposable income or someone living below the poverty line.
Why is Sustainable Living So Important Today?
We share one planet...and this planet has finite resources. Unfortunately our wants are unlimited. The more we have, the more we want. This means the extraction, destruction and depletion of natural resources and the irrevocable damage to our ecosystems and natural habitats.
Scientists believe that we still have some time - only if we can manage to keep the world from warming beyond 1.5C before the end of the century. In order for us to do that, we must act now and we must reduce our consumption of fossil fuels. That means using less energy in our homes, workplaces and factories and using the public transport instead of our cars, that means flying less and eating more local foods, that means buying less stuff and less plastic and reusing, borrowing or sharing what we have.
Only then we have a fighting chance.
We may think that here in the UK, we may be immune to the impacts of climate change, but what we fail to realise is that we are looking at global consequences. The increase in greenhouse gas emissions, the warming of the Earth, the melting of the glaciers, the flooding, the droughts, the food shortages, the environmental migrant crisis, the abuse of human rights...ALL of it is interconnected.
How we eat, drive, dress, everything we do has a consequence. If we can follow a lifestyle in which we avoid the impact of these activities or at the very least minimise their impact as much as possible, then we know that we are playing a small but significant role in addressing the climate crisis.
This is why it is important.
The Benefits of Sustainable Living
More and more people are becoming conscious of the impact their actions are making on the environment, on society and on their own health and happiness.
At it's core, Sustainable Living encourages us to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. That alone is a good enough reason for us to explore ways we can adopt more eco friendly practices within our lives, but I'm going to show you some additional benefits that may not seem so obvious at first.
Sometimes (actually quite often), there is a preconceived notion that sustainability means depriving yourself, or living off-grid somewhere in the mountains, or not washing your hair for months. It's actually boringly simple.
Here is not a very exhaustive list of the benefits of going green:
You save money. Sustainable Living promotes the principles of 'living more with less'. Less energy use, less water waste, less stuff you don't need...and more money in your bank account.
You save time. By having less stuff in your life, you spend less time cleaning it, organising it, storing it and then eventually throwing it away.
You get healthier. Once you ditch the car and walk and cycle more, you will start to see a visible difference in your waistline and fitness levels. Plus, by eating a diet with more vegetables and fruits, you will start seeing signs of better skin, hair and just lots more energy.
You have a voice. As a highly informed and social media savvy consumer, you have a huge say in how a brand manufactures it's products, how it treats it's workers, how it shows it's responsibility to the community and most importantly how it treats the environment. Brands are aware of this (and your decent sized wallet too!)
You support the local economy. By choosing for a staycation over taking long haul flights, you can support your own economy by staying at an air bnb, eating at local restaurants or visiting the cultural and natural landmarks of your own country.
40 Tips on Sustainable Living
So now you know what sustainable living is and what are some of the benefits of practising sustainability, but what do you need to do?!
I've listed some easy and practical tips that you could implent today, tomorrow or next week. They are all doable and don't cost much (if at all).
Energy Saving Tips
Use energy efficient light bulbs, such as CFLs or LEDs. They may seem a little expensive at first, but can significantly reduce your energy bills.
Switch off your appliances when they are not in use.
Use the 'eco' function on your dishwasher and washing machine.
Request an energy meter from your utility company to help you track your consumption.
Switch to a renewable energy provider. Compare plans on a reputable website and find out how you can go on the greenest (and sometimes even the cheapest tariff).
Use Ecosia as your search engine. The social startup donates 80% of it's profits to tree-planting initiatives around the world to help combat deforestation and support engendered habitats.
Water Saving Tips
Use water saving devices for your shower-heads, kitchen taps and cisterns.
Shower instead of filling up the bath.
Cut down on your shower time as well.
Reuse whenever possible - water from cooking can be used to water your plants.
Ensure you have a full load before you switch on the dishwasher or washing machine.
Collect rainwater from your roof to water your garden. Check the legal requirements of your country first.
Grow plants in your garden that are native to the environment and therefore more adaptable to the water availability of your local region.
Low Waste Living
Switch to electronic bills and invoices.
Read digital magazines (or borrow them from the library). Once you've read them, they only collect dust on your shelves.
Put up a 'No Junk Mail' sign on your door and cut down on paper and plastic coming into your home.
Refuse single-use plastic as much as you can - for your groceries, at the takeaway or at the coffee shop.
Keep reusable bags in your car, stroller, handbag or the pocket of your jacket. There is no excuse to using plastic bags.
Get a double or triple compartment bin for your general waste and recyclables and a compost caddy for your food waste.
Buy in bulk whenever you can, especially plastic containers.
Indoor Environment
Stop buying cleaning products that contain chemicals and instead use eco friendly and natural cleaning products. You can also make your own All Purpose Cleaner too - just add a cup of vinegar to 1.5 - 2 cups of water. Its that easy.
Let fresh air in (or ventilate) after using products that emit high levels of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), such as paint, disinfectants, air fresheners and hobby and craft supplies.
Indoor plants are an excellent way to reduce the levels of carbon dioxide levels as well as airborne dust.
Sustainable Eating
Eat less meat and dairy. Even if it's 1 - 2 days / week, it will make a difference.
Eat more food that is seasonal and produced locally. This is also a great way of supporting small businesses and farmer's markets.
Use products that contain sustainably sourced palm oil or go palm oil free.
Avoid food waste as much as possible by making a food plan for the week or freezing certain items such as bread and vegetables so you can use them at a later date.
Re-purpose your leftovers. You can soup them, juice them or make a new meal out them.
Travel Clean & Green
Walk or cycle, especially for short journeys, or use public transport for longer ones.
Join a car sharing club for your commute to work (or start one on Facebook).
Drive more efficiently, by keeping a steady pace, unnecessarily accelerating and avoid overloading your car. This will not only help you to save on fuel but also reduce the risks of road accidents.
See if you can work from home a couple of days a month. Also consider if you can hold a virtual meeting instead of meeting your team and clients in person. It will not only save you fuel cost but also increase your productivity.
Choose a staycation (staying at a nice hotel within your local or regional area) over a summer holiday abroad.
Purchase carbon offsetting credits, especially before a long haul flight. Otherwise travel by bus or train.
Ethical Shopping
Buy less stuff. Clothes, shoes, toys, household items. It's a mindset change that can be difficult to make at times, but think of all the money and resources you will save!
Avoid fast fashion and go for high quality products that will last you a long long time.
Use beauty and makeup products made or sourced from organic and natural ingredients. They are good for you and the planet.
Always buy cruelty-free and vegan beauty products. At House of Ethics, we only sell vegan and plant-based fashion accessories that are PETA-approved, the gold standard for cruelty-free vegan products in the industry.
Go on to your favourite brand's website and read their Corporate Social Responsibility report. Find out what they are doing and is it enough? You can read about how we source and produce our products here.
Shop for fair trade. You know you are buying from a business that protects the welfare of it's people.
So that's 40 tips under your bag. A few things to consider though is that it's really really important to get your family or flatmates on board. One way to convince them is that most of these tips don't cost much, and when they do, you'll quickly be able to recover the costs in a relatively short period of time. And just remember that you don't need to do everything at once. It's a never ending journey and you should enjoy the ride!
Let us know if you tried a few of these or if you've got more to share. If you would like to receive more useful tips on sustainable living, then please subscribe to our newsletter here. You'll also receive 10% off your entire order if you sign up.
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