Sustainable living is the practice of reducing your demand for natural resources by reducing, reusing, and upcycling to the best of your ability. Depending on where and how you live, these things can be drastically different. One day you may be able to refuse plastic straws, while in the future you may be able to phase out plastic altogether. As long as you are moving towards reducing your footprint on this Earth, your going down the right path. Below are 10 different ways to become more sustainable for every type of person.
Photo: Wu Haus
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Try Different Bulbs: Use LED or CFL light instead of incandescent lighting as they last longer, reducing your need for more bulbs.
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Support Ethical and Environmentally Conscious Brands: This one is a no brainer; stay away from brands that use animal products and rather focus on companies who are up front and can tell you where, when, and who made your clothing. Were not into child labor thank you very much.
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Start Timing Your Showers: The average American uses 17.2 gallons of water every shower, whereas a 4-minute shower only uses 9.5 gallons.
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Change Your Washing Habits: By washing your clothes less, you are reducing the massive amount of water used in each load, as well as keeping your clothes from getting worn out as fast.
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Try Sustainable Beauty: This in no way means you have to sacrifice your beauty routine, but try out sustainable brands such as Antonym Cosmetics or Besame for a look you can feel good about.
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Choose Renewable Energy: By choosing renewable over fossil fuels and help reduce the effect you have on climate change. Install solar panels on your house for electricity and water heating, explore options of tax credit that the government offers for this.
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Buy Products with Less Packaging: The excessive amount of waste that comes from everyday packages isn’t the only option you have. Look into zero waste stores in your city, or bring your own containers to buy in bulk.
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Stop “Fast Fashion”: Fast fashion is a trend where inexpensive clothes are mass produced in response to the latest trends. Avoid these products as much as possible as they are often not suitable made and wear out quick.
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Start to Cook More: In this day and age, takeout is much easier than cooking yourself. This doesn’t have to be the common trend anymore though, with companies such as Hello Fresh delivering food to your door for an easy home cooked meal, minus all the takeaway boxes.
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Ditch the Plastic: This may not be one that you can do immediately, but move towards totally leaving plastic behind for reusable products. Often the plastic we buy end up in the ecosystem, devastating wildlife and the Earth. It’s time for all of us to switch to reusable bags and ditch the plastic water bottles, for both the Earth’s and the sake of our wallets.
Photo: Films For Action
Living sustainably doesn’t have to be hard, and it doesn’t have to be a race. Take your time to find out what is right for you and your lifestyle. Start small, eat in every once in a while and you too can be on your way to having a more sustainable lifestyle.