10 Ideas To Help You Live A Sustainable Life 1.
Have you ever considered how much rubbish you actually generate in a day? Whether at home or at work consider how much waste you create.
What are you throwing away? Is there more you could do to reduce this quantity? Are you a fan of bottled water? Have you considered taking your water in a re-useable bottle? Packing your lunch in washable containers instead of plastic wrap? 2.
Shop local - can you walk to your local shop? Will shopping locally reduce the driving time? Is the bus or walking an option? By shopping locally meaning smaller distances in the car or walking you are reducing the air pollution your car creates.
Every little bit helps!! If you actively think about the pollution your car will create before every journey and find a possible alternative - you will be surprised how much air pollution you can reduce.
3.
Buy Quality Items - if you buy items which are quality and designed to last you will contribute to ending our throwaway society.
Reduce or eliminate your consumption of throwaway items such as razors, lighters and pens - these all have refillable options.
More expensive to invest in but in the long term can be cost efficient as well as lessening the load on our environment.
4.
Make your own household cleaning products.
Before 'easy off' everything we made our own household cleaning products - natural alternatives which are still readily available today.
Simple products such as vinegar, tea tree oil, lemon and other citrus and baking soda can all be used as cleaning alternatives which will reduce air pollution and cut back on toxic chemicals being washed down our drains.
5.
Eat less meat.
Did you know simply reducing your meat intake by one serving per week can have a BIG impact on the environment? Plastic packaging as well as growing the actual animals for consumption places a heavy strain on the environment.
6.
Compost! One of the easiest ways to help the environment, turn your green waste into compost in your backyard.
The beauty of composting is that it does not need to be a huge operation to make a difference.
Reduce your waste and carbon footprint by composting your food scraps and not only do you reduce your rubbish each week, you also create healthier soil and mulch for your garden.
7.
Recycle Gift Wrap.
Sounds pretty lame right? We all have a friend or family member who carefully unwraps their gifts putting the paper aside to be folded and stored.
Turns out that they are a step ahead of us when it comes to sustainability.
Every year hundreds of thousands of trees are consumed to accommodate our love affair of gift wrap.
An option you may like to consider is to use recycled gift wrap or paper or even a piece of cloth which has another use.
Or better still - get the recipient to close their eyes before they receive it - removing the need for paper entirely - and put a recyclable ribbon on it as decoration.
8.
Save water.
We pollute and misuse our current water supplies - this is a valuable resource we should take care to use carefully.
While you wait for your hot water to run through your shower could you collect and reuse the initial cold water? Do you have a water tank installed? Could you put the water you wash your vegetables in to better use than running down the drain? 9.
Reduce Your Electricity.
Can you think of ways to reduce your everyday electricity usage? Electricity burns fossil fuels - a precious resource.
A run in the park is a good alternative to using a treadmill everyday.
Can you use hand gardening tools instead of electrically powered? 10.
Change Your Routine Gradually.
Be realistic when considering the changes you make and be consistent - if you change slowly you're more likely to develop a habit one at a time than twenty new concepts at once.
It will take at least a month for your good intentions to become a habit so keep motivated towards sustainable living and make your changes slowly.
One change at a time you can work towards contributing to a sustainable living lifestyle and make your home green.
Have you ever considered how much rubbish you actually generate in a day? Whether at home or at work consider how much waste you create.
What are you throwing away? Is there more you could do to reduce this quantity? Are you a fan of bottled water? Have you considered taking your water in a re-useable bottle? Packing your lunch in washable containers instead of plastic wrap? 2.
Shop local - can you walk to your local shop? Will shopping locally reduce the driving time? Is the bus or walking an option? By shopping locally meaning smaller distances in the car or walking you are reducing the air pollution your car creates.
Every little bit helps!! If you actively think about the pollution your car will create before every journey and find a possible alternative - you will be surprised how much air pollution you can reduce.
3.
Buy Quality Items - if you buy items which are quality and designed to last you will contribute to ending our throwaway society.
Reduce or eliminate your consumption of throwaway items such as razors, lighters and pens - these all have refillable options.
More expensive to invest in but in the long term can be cost efficient as well as lessening the load on our environment.
4.
Make your own household cleaning products.
Before 'easy off' everything we made our own household cleaning products - natural alternatives which are still readily available today.
Simple products such as vinegar, tea tree oil, lemon and other citrus and baking soda can all be used as cleaning alternatives which will reduce air pollution and cut back on toxic chemicals being washed down our drains.
5.
Eat less meat.
Did you know simply reducing your meat intake by one serving per week can have a BIG impact on the environment? Plastic packaging as well as growing the actual animals for consumption places a heavy strain on the environment.
6.
Compost! One of the easiest ways to help the environment, turn your green waste into compost in your backyard.
The beauty of composting is that it does not need to be a huge operation to make a difference.
Reduce your waste and carbon footprint by composting your food scraps and not only do you reduce your rubbish each week, you also create healthier soil and mulch for your garden.
7.
Recycle Gift Wrap.
Sounds pretty lame right? We all have a friend or family member who carefully unwraps their gifts putting the paper aside to be folded and stored.
Turns out that they are a step ahead of us when it comes to sustainability.
Every year hundreds of thousands of trees are consumed to accommodate our love affair of gift wrap.
An option you may like to consider is to use recycled gift wrap or paper or even a piece of cloth which has another use.
Or better still - get the recipient to close their eyes before they receive it - removing the need for paper entirely - and put a recyclable ribbon on it as decoration.
8.
Save water.
We pollute and misuse our current water supplies - this is a valuable resource we should take care to use carefully.
While you wait for your hot water to run through your shower could you collect and reuse the initial cold water? Do you have a water tank installed? Could you put the water you wash your vegetables in to better use than running down the drain? 9.
Reduce Your Electricity.
Can you think of ways to reduce your everyday electricity usage? Electricity burns fossil fuels - a precious resource.
A run in the park is a good alternative to using a treadmill everyday.
Can you use hand gardening tools instead of electrically powered? 10.
Change Your Routine Gradually.
Be realistic when considering the changes you make and be consistent - if you change slowly you're more likely to develop a habit one at a time than twenty new concepts at once.
It will take at least a month for your good intentions to become a habit so keep motivated towards sustainable living and make your changes slowly.
One change at a time you can work towards contributing to a sustainable living lifestyle and make your home green.