20 Ideas for Sustainable Living

Sustainable living is the act of decreasing your demand for natural resources by ensuring that you can replace what you use as much as possible. Sometimes this means refusing to consume a product manufactured using procedures that do not encourage sustainability, and other times it requires changing your habits so that you become a more active participant in life’s cycle. Climate change, global warming, ozone layer depletion, and resource depletion are all real, and their effects on human and animal life can be devastating. It is a chance for people to make sustainable living measures that will assist them to minimize their carbon footprint or environmental effect by changing their lifestyle. While there are many different methods to live and practice sustainable living, here are 20 quick and easy ways to do so.

Switch to reusable water bottles

Considering recent photos of oceans teeming with garbage and marine life washing ashore, Americans continue to use an estimated 50 billion plastic water bottles each year. While recycling has become ingrained in modern culture, the fact remains that 91% of plastic is not recycled. It’s simple to reduce your usage of plastics by switching to reusable water bottles, such as a mason jar or an ethically created product. It will also save money, as do most sustainable options.

Practice minimalism

Minimalism does not imply that you live without anything; rather, it implies that you ensure that whatever you own and utilize is used to its full potential. This includes both recyclable and non-recyclable items. You will recycle more and be more conscious of the products you support being created if you live a minimalist lifestyle, which emphasizes sustainability.

Switch to LED

Take a moment today to double-check that your home is equipped with only LED light bulbs. LEDs consume roughly 75% less energy than regular incandescent bulbs and can live up to 35 times longer. This may appear to be an afterthought in terms of assisting individuals in making the shift to sustainable energy. But at the very least, it’s a brilliant solution!

Switch to reusable rags from paper towels

Replacing paper towels with recycled clothes is one of the simplest ways to become more sustainable in 2020. Unrecyclable paper, like plastic, clogs waterways and creates wasteful trash in landfills. It’s simple to clean up a spill with a paper towel in a pinch. Consider how many paper towels are thrown away each year by every family on the earth. It’s 254 million tons, according to the Paperless Project. Furthermore, reusable clothes can complete the task more quickly by absorbing more liquid with less material and waste. For eco-friendly cleaning supplies, check out this plant-based company.

Be more efficient with your errands

To lessen your reliance on fossil fuels, you don’t have to buy a hybrid appliance. You may establish a system of sustainable living focused on minimizing the number of natural resources you spend by becoming more efficient with your errands.

Plant native plants

When considering what you can do to help maintain your local ecosystems, the solution is simple: grow native plants! The key to rebuilding our ecosystems is to support native animals. To establish a habitat in your own house or business, look into natural wildflowers, trees, bushes, and vines that are suitable for your area.

Start using natural cleaners

Spend an hour or so looking into some natural cleaners that you may make at home. Most surfaces can be cleaned using vinegar and water, and quinoa saponin can be used as a natural laundry detergent. By utilizing natural cleaners, you are lowering the amount of plastic packaging produced as well as the number of chemicals released into the water system.

Walk, bike, or carpool to work

The less you use your car for personal reasons, the better for both you and the environment. Walking or biking to work will enhance your health and minimize the pressure on public health resources, in addition to promoting sustainability by lowering pollution and natural resource consumption. Even carpooling contributes to sustainability by providing an additional social outlet that can improve one’s quality of life. Science has discovered that there is a clear link between your quality of life and the type of life you choose to live.

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

Reduce the number of new things you need to buy. There is less rubbish to recycle or reuse if there is less waste. In the waste hierarchy, learning to reuse or repurpose goods for purposes other than what they were meant for is critical. Old glass bottles or aluminum cans can be recycled. Keep a recycle bin at home and attempt to go to the recycling station rather than the landfill as much as possible.

Buy sustainable toothbrushes and reusable ear swabs

It takes nearly 400 years for plastic toothbrushes to disintegrate. As a result, bamboo toothbrushes are an excellent substitute. They’re completely biodegradable and antibacterial, which means they won’t harbor any harmful microorganisms. You can buy them in bulk for the entire year in compostable packaging. You’re mistaken if you believe that using an electric toothbrush lets you off the hook. Electric toothbrushes consume power and require batteries, which leak battery acid into streams and oceans when discarded in landfills.

Some of you may be aware that every year, millions of swabs wind up in the ocean, posing a serious threat to the future of our world. If you care about the environment, now is the time to get rid of all your single-use goods and replace them with reusable alternatives like LastObject’s reusable swabs. These eco-friendly swabs can be used over 1000 times and then washed with soap and water after each use.

Follow the protocols of proper recycling

Let’s make 2021 the year of responsible recycling. The following recycling guidance is a decent rule of thumb. If the plastic packaging is numbered 1 through7, it can typically be recycled in the mixed recyclables section. In the paper sector, you can recycle cardboard and white paper. Caps, waxed paper, plastic bags, plastic film, and Styrofoam should all be avoided when recycling. Before being recycled, food must be cleaned off the items. Most cities will also give information on how to recycle in their location.

Shop at the local farmer’s market

Farmers’ markets are springing up all over the place. And it’s not without reason. They’re a fun way to pass the time on a sunny afternoon. Shopping locally also benefits local farms and small businesses. Browse the works of local craftsmen and other one-of-a-kind sellers while you’re there. However, remember to bring a reusable bag!

Plug large electronics into a smart power strip

The electricity that an appliance or equipment uses even while it is not in use is referred to as “phantom loads” or “energy vampires.” Leaving unneeded devices plugged into sockets might cost you up to $200 per month in additional electricity costs. When you’re not using your electronics, smart power strips turn off the electricity, saving you the stress of having to remember to unplug them each time. This is a great approach to saving money while using less energy at home.

Install a toilet buddy

Many of us don’t want to consider how many times we flush in a day, or how much water we’re squandering in an increasingly scarce supply. In debates regarding water conservation, sewage is frequently overlooked. While flushing is vital, there are ways to avoid water-wasting issues that could be caused by your toilet. Your toilet, for example, could be old. Older toilets can use up to seven liters of water per flush. A date is usually stamped inside or on the back wall of the toilet tank. It’s time to replace your toilet if it’s more than 20 years old. If this is too costly, toilet pals can assist in minimizing high-flush volume. Pouring water down the toilet is a do-it-yourself option for reducing toilet flushing.

Grow your own herbs

One of the most effective methods to become more sustainable is to grow your own food. Garden herbs are a good place to start for newcomers to the realm of food production. These delightful culinary accents give a welcome surge of flavor to any meal while also filling your house with a variety of lush, earthy scents. Basil, oregano, thyme, mint, and parsley are the five easiest herbs to start with depending on your climate. These can be cultivated in containers with six hours of direct sunlight and are simply watered once or twice a week.

Make your food shopping zero waste

Zero-waste is sending nothing to landfills that aren’t essential or recyclable. Reuse, reuse, and reuse is the mantra of the zero-waste concept. Bulk stores or bulk sections are a godsend for zero-waste shoppers. Bring your own bag or container to the store, and before you buy dry items, get a “tare” to see how much your container weighs empty. Also, instead of purchasing plastic-wrapped things, choose tin cans or paper-wrapped items. “Nearly half of the plastic garbage generated globally in 2015 came from packaging,” according to the United Nations.

Buy a right-sized house

Practitioners of sustainable living life in a way that is congruent with the concept of sustainability. One of the numerous strategies to promote sustainability is to purchase a smaller house that will consume less energy than a larger house. Lighting, furniture, and overall furnishing will be less expensive. You can even buy things at thrift stores and then donate them when they’re no longer useful. When constructing a new home, consider green building ideas and approaches.

Say no to plastic

Plastic is here to stay. Plastic takes millions of years to degrade. Plastic can be seen strewn about in the ocean’s depths. It has a negative impact on marine life. Every year, a substantial number of mammals, seals, and sea birds die because of ingesting or becoming tangled in plastic. It’s past time for all of us to dump single-use plastic water bottles in favor of reusable bags when we go shopping.

Use Sustainable Technologies

Rechargeable batteries should be used. Switch to Ecosia, a sustainable search engine. They run entirely on renewable energy and donate a portion of their income to tree planting. Solar energy chargers should be used. Donate your outdated electronics to underprivileged children or non-profit organisations. Electronics should be disposed of through local garbage recycling programs.

Observe an eco-sabbath

Set your own time for a single day or afternoon, or at least an hour once a week to give yourself and the earth a break. Don’t buy anything, don’t use any machines, don’t switch electrical items, don’t cook, and don’t answer the phone at that time. Every hour you save during the week reduces your carbon emissions by 0.6 percent each year. If you devote four hours each week, your impact will be 2.4 percent, and if you devote an entire day, your impact would be 14.4 percent every year.