8 Simple and Easy Ways to Start Sustainable Living Today!
Sustainable living is a lifestyle involving the reduction of waste and toxic products in daily life. It is eco friendly and a healthy way of life for not just the physical environment and body but also for the mind. Here are a few ideas and examples:
- BRING YOUR OWN WATER BOTTLE
Do not throw away those glass bottles you got when you ordered in those healthy smoothies. If you are going to a game, concert, or a picnic, carry this bottle filled with water so you can refill when needed. It will avoid unnecessary purchase of plastic water bottles or using plastic cups at the venue.
2.USE HANDKERCHIEFS INSTEAD OF TISSUES
They are reusable, and you will save trees that need to be cut down to make paper for the tissues. This reduction in trees around the world is causing the ozone layer in many places to deplete, leading to harmful sun rays entering the earth that otherwise would have been filtered out by it.
3.BRING YOUR OWN SHOPPING BAGS
Next time you need to pick up some groceries, make sure you leave home with cloth bags or any bag you already own at home. It will remove the need for you to take your groceries in plastic bags that stores supply at checkout. Some stores do offer cloth bags, but you can cut costs by taking the ones you bought the first time instead of repurchasing.
4.REUSABLE CLOTHS INSTEAD OF PAPER TOWELS
This is a great way to make use of clothing that have wear and tear. Since they cannot be donated, cut them up into convenient sizes and use them instead of those linty paper towels. A cloth can absorb more water than paper anyway.
- BRING YOUR OWN TO-GO CONTAINERS AND SILVERWARE
Next time you want take-away from your favorite restaurant or even from a party of a close family member or friend, carry along your own to-go containers and silverware. It reduces unnecessary wastage of disposable packaging and saves inventory from the place you are taking away food. That’s a win-win for all!
- MAKE YOUR OWN CLEANERS
This is simple. Just take some water, baking soda, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and salt. Mix them up together and you have a good organic, a non-toxic, eco-friendly, and economic option that works just as well as store-bought cleaners. Check out this YouTuber mom for ideas: Brittany Vasseur.
- MAKE YOUR OWN BEAUTY PRODUCTS
Did you know that 60% of what you put on your skin gets absorbed into your blood? Cancer is one of the main reasons you must opt for this as the billion-dollar beauty industry does not care about your health. While there are ethical, organic companies out there that do sustainable business, they’re quite expensive. Making your own products is cost-effective. Just make sure you do a patch test for allergies when using an unknown ingredient. Checkout this YouTuber for ideas: Pure Nature.
- COMPOSTING AND GROWING YOUR OWN FOOD
Learn how to make your own compost using bio-degradable waste from your kitchen like banana peels and vegetable remains. Twigs and dry leaves on the ground outside also work well. Buy seeds from organic seed sellers of all your favorite fruits and veggies that you can grow in your backyard or balcony and have the farm to table experience every day. Your body and your pocket will thank you in the long run.
Start your eco-living journey today with reusable products you have at home.