This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at DESU chapter.
3 Ways to Live a Sustainable Life
By Shelynn Handy
With reports of the world dying in about 12 years, you would think more people would have saving the planet at the forefront of their minds…. but they don’t. A lot of people are under the impression that saving the world has to be a gruesome task that changes their lifestyle completely when in reality, it doesn’t have to be that way. A few small changes can make a difference. Here are some of the easiest ways to make a change:
- Shop with reusable bags. You can find reusable shopping bags at many stores for as low as 99 cents. Lots of shopping bags are either non-biodegradable (which means they don’t really break down in landfills) or they take a long time to break down. Oh yeah, and reusable bags are way sturdier than flimsy plastic ones.
- Buy a reusable straw or utensils. This is probably one of the smallest changes you can make to have a larger impact in the long run. Plastic straws can end up in the ocean and harming the sea life and polluting our water. Save a turtle and buy a reusable straw.
- Shop reused clothing. Most of fashion is cyclical and styles that we think are new now have already been out before. Utilize the thrift store to try and find what you want first before shopping fast fashion which has a large impact on our environment. And when you’re done with those pieces, donate or repurpose them so that they don’t end up sitting in our landfills.
I know some of you may be thinking “How is doing so little going to help?”, and the point I want to make is that if everyone does a little, it can equal a lot.