2020 has not unfolded the way that anyone expected. With all the trouble which came along with this season, there are also several positive aspects, including the ability to live a more sustainable lifestyle.
Living more sustainably involves taking just a few small steps to change your lifestyle. As we spend more time in our homes, we have more time and resources to take these steps towards a smaller ecological footprint, less fossil fuel energy usage and a healthier environment. Below are some easy ways of achieving this from the comfort of your own home.
Be more conscious
Sustainable living starts with being more aware of the current environmental situation and how you are contributing to it. Consumption is the best place to start with this. Where are you spending most of your money? Are these companies working to become more environmentally friendly? What do they stand for, and how are they giving back?
Websites such as Good On You and Done Good can tell you how any given company treats issues such as labour conditions, material sourcing and waste. You can also find out whether a company has donated money to charities or campaigns with Open Secrets. Knowing where your money is going as a consumer can really help you to work on your ecological footprint and be in better control of your personal impact on the environment.
Stay local
Buying and eating local produce not only reduces fossil fuel energy consumption, but it also supports your local economy and small business in your area (not to mention the health benefits as well!). This is a powerful way to live more sustainably and support your local workers and producers.
Supermarkets have made it too easy to browse and pick items from all over the world. The convenience of this has meant we have forgotten the vast amounts of fossil fuel energy it takes to import produce from such places, and the environmental damage that this causes.
Buy Fairtrade
Once you have figured out where you want your money to go as a consumer, look for Fairtrade items when shopping for food and other produce. The Fairtrade logo means the produce was made using sustainable methods of agriculture, decent working conditions and fair terms of trade for workers in the developing world.
Fairtrade also discourages forced labour and exploitation while supporting sustainable living and minimising the environmental footprint.
Buy reusable items
Almost every plastic item we buy nowadays has a disposable and a reusable option. Only about 9% of all plastic ever made has been recycled, and around one million seabirds and 100,000 marine animals die each year from plastic pollution in the ocean. A call to action is needed, and reusable plastic items need to become more of a norm in our daily lives. Think carefully about how often you are likely to use an object when you buy it, and where it will end up when you’re finished with it.
There are more recycled plastic items than you may be aware of, and a list of several eco-friendly products you can buy to help stop plastic pollution can be found here.
Try sustainable fashion
Changing your clothes shopping habits may be the most powerful way to become more sustainable. The fashion industry has a bigger carbon footprint than all international flights and shipping combined — around 3.3 billion tonnes of it, to be exact.
Have a sort through your wardrobe and clear out anything you no longer need or want, being sure to recycle textile items instead of just throwing them in the bin. You can also take old unwanted items and up-cycle them, altering or cutting them into new garments you will wear more often. And if you’re not quite skilled enough for that, try shopping at second-hand stores for vintage or already up-cycled clothes which cost a lot less than brand new items.
Recycle as much as possible
Recycling household waste goes without saying, but there is always more you can do. If your building or residential area does not offer a routine recycle pick-up, find a local drop-off location or request a curbside service.
Find special recycling companies to recycle old electronics such as phones, tablets and batteries. Make sure these recyclers don’t ship the items overseas for disposal. Goodwill Industries International is a trusted company which disposes responsibly of customer electronics.
Reduce household power
Being more environmentally conscious inside your home can save you some pennies as well as reducing energy usage. There are many ways you can do this:
- Use LED or CFL bulbs instead of incandescent lighting. These last longer which means you buy light bulbs less often
- Wear more clothes instead of turning on the heating and get as much natural light in a room before turning on the light
- Put up a “no junk mail” sign on your door to reduce paper waste
- Hang clothes to dry instead of using a tumble dryer
- Time your showers or invest in a shower timer
- Buy recycled toilet paper with plastic-free packaging
There are hundreds of other small changes you can make to everyday life which add up to a significant energy usage reduction. We all have a duty to try to become more sustainable where possible, and there has never been a better time to do your research and start saving the planet.
Written by Emily Wright
Emily is a Media graduate and a keen writer. She enjoys exploring topics such as mental health and social politics, with a particular interest for how new technology can affect both mental and physical wellbeing.
