10 Ways to Adopt a More Sustainable Lifestyle

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Do you ever pause to think about how your actions affect the planet? Or how you can make the earth a better place to live in? In our everyday lives, we make choices that affect our environment in one way or another. From the food we eat to our shopping habits, almost all our actions affect the planet in some way. So, in today’s post, we shall discuss how to be more environmentally friendly and also learn how to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle and thus, make the world a better place.

But what does it mean to be sustainable? How can you live sustainably? Sustainable living means reducing the natural resources you use so that these resources will continue being available for future generations.

When you decide to learn how to adopt a sustainable lifestyle, you will have to make positive changes in your day-to-day life in order to reduce your carbon footprint, and thus, combat climate change. 

Some of the ways to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle are discussed below.

How to Adopt a More Sustainable Lifestyle

1. Reduce, reuse, and recycle

Deposition of solid waste is one of the leading causes of water and soil pollution. However, some of the things we throw away that later end up in landfills or waterways can be repurposed or recycled.

When learning how to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle, you have to find alternative methods of waste disposal such as;

• Instead of throwing away old clothes, use them to make items such as napkins and rugs,
• Recycle plastics, tetra packs, cardboard, foil, and electronic gadgets, instead of throwing them away,
• Buy used items instead of new ones,
• Choose to reduce the amount of waste you create by limiting buying things you don’t need, and 
• Think twice before throwing away pollutants.

2. Conserve water

This is an obvious practice to adopt if you want to use resources sustainably.

Good quality water has become a scarce resource in recent years, and yet so many people continue to misuse it, either by polluting it, leaving taps running for longer than needed, or using too much of it.

Learn how to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle by using the below practices to conserve water;

• Take shorter showers,
• Fix leaking taps and toilets,
• Use only the amount of water you need,
• Get low-flow showerheads and taps,
• Reuse water, and
• Avoid buying bottled drinking water as it leads to more pollution. You can carry your own refillable water containers whenever you have to go out instead.

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3. Sustainable grocery shopping

Have you ever considered the environmental impact of your shopping habits?

Sustainable shopping involves buying products that do not negatively impact the environment during the entire process of growing, processing, packaging, and transporting.

When learning how to adopt a sustainable lifestyle, you have to be mindful when shopping.

Some sustainability tips to use when doing your grocery shopping include;

• Checking the labels on products for certification. Look for goods with the Fairtrade mark. These are sold by companies that are not only dedicated to sustainable production but also pay fair wages to their employees.
• Although they might cost you a little bit more, choose organic foodstuffs as they are grown using only natural farm inputs.
• Select products with eco-friendly packaging to be more sustainable. For instance, beeswax wraps, wood, bamboo, paper, mushroom root, bagasse, banana and palm leaves, et cetera.
• Instead of buying imported products, opt to buy locally grown items.
• Reduce your consumption of meat as its production is a major contributor to air, soil, and water pollution. According to FAO, the meat industry, especially beef, contributes up to 14.5% of all man-made greenhouse gas emissions.

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4. Eliminate the use of plastics

Most plastics are non-biodegradable, and their accumulation poses a threat to the planet. For instance, a lot of plastic materials end up in the ocean and other water bodies, thus endangering marine life.

Since you are learning how to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle, use the following sustainability tips to avoid worsening the already dire situation and eliminate your usage of plastic containers and bags;

• Choose reusable shopping bags,
• Buy unwrapped products,
• Switch plastic Tupperware for glass, paper, cotton, or steel,
• Avoid single-use plastic items such as straws, disposable cups, and water bottles,
• Switch from disposable diapers to cloth, and
• If you are female, reduce plastic waste from menstrual and sanitary products by choosing more environmentally-friendly alternatives such as plastic-free pads and tampons, reusable pads, period panties, or menstrual cups.

5. Sustainable fashion

According to statistics, the fashion industry contributes up to 10% of global emissions, leads to water pollution and wastage, and has also led to some wildlife species becoming endangered.

Other than that, a large percentage of garbage in landfills consists of textiles. Washing clothes also leads to the accumulation of microplastics from detergents going into the ocean.

Wearing sustainable fashion is one way to start living sustainably.

Learn how to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle when shopping for clothes and start;

• Boycotting wildlife products such as leather, wool, and fur clothing,
• Donating your used/old clothes,
• Repairing your clothes instead of throwing them away,
• Buying from eco-friendly clothing brands,
• Buying only the number of clothes you need,
• Purchasing clothes that work for all seasons, and
• Pause to consider alternative options before throwing anything out.

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6. Use alternative energy sources

Using renewable sources of energy, such as solar, wind, and biogas, not only reduces energy costs but also your carbon footprint.

For instance, to make your home greener and learn how to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle, you could;

• Install solar panels for lighting, heating, and water pumping,
• Make biogas for electricity and cooking
• Save energy by using LED energy-saver bulbs,
• Insulate your house,
• Switch off appliances when not using them, and
• Reduce energy use by hanging clothes out to dry instead of using a drier or hand washing clothes and dishes instead of the washing machine and dishwasher, respectively.

7. Drive less

Vehicles are another contributor to global warming because they emit greenhouse gases. When you decide to learn how to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle, make changes in your daily routine, and opt to walk or ride a bike if the place you are going to is not too far away.

You can also use public transport instead of driving if the distance is farther. By doing this, you will not only live sustainably but also save the money you would have used on fuel.

8. Adopt a minimalist lifestyle

If you don’t own a lot, you won’t have anything to throw away or waste. And thus, becoming a minimalist is one step closer to learning how to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.

Minimalism promotes consciously buying and keeping only the stuff that serves a purpose in your home.

As a minimalist, you would also prefer quality over quantity. This not only means that you do not have excess items to throw away but you also buy more durable items.

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9. Use less toxic products

The products we use in our houses can negatively impact the environment and our health. For example, using cleaning detergents that contain toxic chemicals eventually contaminates waterways thereby affecting aquatic life.

The detergents reduce the surface tension of water and add unwanted nutrients such as phosphates to water. This accelerates the growth of algae and reduces the amount of oxygen available for aquatic life.

Another example is paint. When drying, it releases Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that cause the formation of a ground-level ozone layer that is harmful to human health. 

Learn how to adopt a sustainable lifestyle by using less toxic products and thus, reduce the harmful effects. For instance, you could choose low VOC paints or recycled water-based paints, and use eco-friendly detergents devoid of toxins and pollutants.

10. Grow your own food

Is there a better way to be sure where your food comes from than to grow it yourself? If you have a garden or farm, this is one of the sustainable practices you could adopt.

By growing your own produce, you know what you put into your soil and the methods you use to keep pests and weeds away. Additionally, you can also use your kitchen wastes to make compost to use in your garden instead of synthetic fertilizers.

Once ready to harvest, there is no or minimal processing, and also no transportation required hence reducing your carbon footprint. Furthermore, plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, thus acting as air cleaners.

If you have a bigger piece of land, consider planting trees too as another way to adopt a sustainable lifestyle. If you don’t have land, you can still help by making donations to tree planting charities.

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Final Words

Everyone has a responsibility to take care of the environment. We rely on it for sustenance, and it is up to us to make lifestyle changes and choices that help the planet.

If everybody did their small part to make the planet a better place, we would leave it better than we found it and save it for future generations to enjoy the same privileges.

Use the above tips to learn how to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle and make the world a better place to live in.

In what ways do you help the planet? Have you adopted any of the above measures to live more sustainably?

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