5 easy Habits for a more eco-friendly lifestyle

Significantly lower emissions, reduced resource consumption, and relief for areas suffering from over-tourism; while none of us want to endure a pandemic in our lifetimes again, the positive environmental impact has been amazing. Many of us were also compelled to consider how we live and whether we might be doing things better. Slowing down our lives allowed us to see a simpler, less environmentally-demanding existence at home, whether it was making our own bread, maintaining vegetable gardens, or learning new skills.

As we emerge from the disruption and resume our ‘regular’ lives, we must take the lessons learned and progress achieved and continue to establish sustainable habits by making deliberate decisions to protect the planet’s future while without jeopardizing our way of life. Remember that living more sustainably will make your life simpler and will undoubtedly increase your happiness. According to research, there is a link between your quality of life and the long-term viability of your lifestyle.

So consider these basic suggestions and incorporate them into your daily routine. Keep in mind that living sustainably necessitates a continuous commitment to the environment. When you decide to learn how to live a sustainable lifestyle, you must make positive adjustments in your daily life to lower your carbon footprint and so prevent climate change.

Conserve Water

With climate change producing droughts all across the world, saving water whenever possible is vital. Agricultural runoff, industrial pollutants, fossil fuels, and deteriorating lead-pipe infrastructure have all put thousands of people at risk. In recent years, good quality water has become a limited resource, and yet many people continue to misuse it, either by contaminating it, leaving taps running for longer than necessary, or using too much of it. Avoid pouring chemicals down the drain at home, avoid damaging local water tables, and save water whenever possible.

 
Avoid bottled water. Bottled water corporations aim to make tap water look awful, even though it is effectively free and many city drinks of water have won quality and taste tests against name-brand water. And the extraction of water, as well as the manufacture of all those plastic bottles, is notably detrimental to communities and animals. Instead, you may bring your own refillable water containers with you whenever you go out. 

Water may also be saved by taking shorter showers, repairing leaking toilets, and selecting low-flow and low-water appliance choices. Installing low-flow faucets, showerheads, and toilets can help you save a lot of water (and money). The average family may save 700 gallons of water per year by replacing outdated, inefficient faucets with low-flow choices such as aerators. Consider xeriscaping your yard, a landscaping approach that employs native, drought-tolerant plants that require less water and upkeep over time while also providing habitat and food for birds and bees. If you enjoy long showers, you may install low-flow shower heads instead. They have lower water pressure and hence less water flow, but nevertheless, provide a good shower. Ultra-low flush (ULF) toilets are another option. They consume less water per flush yet perform just as well.

Choose Natural Products

The products we use in our homes have the potential to harm both the environment and our health. Detergents lower water surface tension and introduce undesired nutrients into the water, such as phosphates. This hastens algal development and lowers the quantity of oxygen accessible to aquatic life.

Reading the labels on traditional health/beauty and domestic cleaning goods may make you feel like you’ve stumbled into a chemical factory. For example, sodium Laureth sulfate is commonly included in traditional shampoo bottles. This component is frequently contaminated with 1,4 dioxane, a potentially carcinogenic and flammable human carcinogen. Alcohol ethoxylates, which are occasionally contaminated, are another chemical used in laundry detergents, body wash, and surface cleaners.

You can maintain your indoor air cleaner and your house healthier for yourself and your family by using eco-friendly, less-toxic cleaning solutions, detergents, scents, candles, body care, and other goods. By employing natural products, you empower your economic and social growth, as well as various ‘ecosystem services’ that assure a continuous supply of clean air, water, food, and raw materials, as well as disease regulation and recreational space. Ethically manufacturing products have greater quality and more attention to detail, as well as using less energy than a large manufacturing assembly line. There are many natural cleaning agent brands available these days, whether it’s for your kitchen counters or the washing machine in the laundry – or make your own sprays using citrus peels and vinegar! 

Green Your Closet

According to estimates, the fashion sector generates up to 10% of global emissions, causes water pollution and waste, and has resulted in the extinction of several animal species. Aside from that, textiles make up a major portion of rubbish in landfills. Washing clothing also contributes to the buildup of microplastics in the ocean from detergents. Wearing sustainable clothing is one way to begin living more sustainably. The selection is still limited, and it is easier and less expensive to replenish your wardrobe in the nearest shopping center. But, just as organic food was difficult to get 15 years ago, the more we demand sustainable clothing, the more will be available.

Change your spending habits. Instead of investing your money on a wedding gown or a pair of shoes you’ll only wear on rare occasions, put your ‘investment’ money into something you’ll wear every day. Stop telling yourself, ‘I’d never spend that much money on a pair of pants.’ Instead, decide that you will only buy one pair of pants this year, or one thing this month, and stick to it. After a few seasons, you will have a high-quality, long-lasting wardrobe that you can be proud of.

Donating your discarded clothes to a worthy cause, rather than leaving them in your closet, can assist others in being more sustainable; they will invest in your old pieces rather than buying anything new. A wonderful approach to achieve this is to implement a one-in, one-out policy, in which you live by the notion that every time you buy something, you will contribute something.

Travel sustainably

Transportation contributes to global warming by emitting greenhouse gases. When you decide to learn how to live a more sustainable lifestyle, make modifications to your daily routine and choose to walk or ride a bike if the destination is not too far away. If the trip is longer, you can also take public transportation instead of driving. Consider joining a carpool if you need to drive to work, school, or another frequent activity. You’ll become more social, use less gasoline, and save money! You will not only be living more sustainably as well as improve your physical and mental health!

Airplanes contribute around 2.5 percent of global carbon emissions while also causing other environmental issues. Consider going closer to home to decrease the significant contribution to your carbon footprint every time you fly. If you must fly internationally, stay longer than usual and travel locally rather than traveling somewhere new every month. It’s tempting to get caught up in cramming as much as possible into a trip. After all, this may be your only visit to the location. Though a jam-packed schedule may appear excellent on paper, you will most likely spend most of your trip running from one location to another. While you may visit several bucket-list attractions, you will miss out on getting to know the location. Not to mention that this fast-paced “hit-and-run” style of tourism is a recipe for stress. Do yourself a favor and spend extra time exploring the place. Instead of taking many shorter excursions throughout the year, choose one long vacation. When you get to your destination, instead of jumping from one location to the next, park yourself in one spot for a time. 

Eco-tourism is growing in popularity as well, and if you wish to see some of the world’s most isolated and protected areas, an eco-tour is a great alternative to commercial mass tourism and provides considerably more socially responsible travel alternatives. Eco trekking and other forms of ecotourism that combine physical activities with a larger purpose might be thought of as active educational travel. Hiking, climbing, nature walks, water-based activities, and other activities are undertaken by visitors with minimum impact on the local environment.

Grow your own food

Buying locally produced food from your farmer’s market or local grocer is a wonderful way to reduce your environmental impact, but producing your own food takes it a step further.

To visualize how producing your own food decreases your carbon footprint and improves the environment, consider food production and distribution in terms of an empty jar. The higher the environmental effect and the number of components involved in creating and delivering your food to your plate, the fuller the jar.

Is there a more reliable method to know where your food originates from than to cultivate it yourself? This is one of the sustainable strategies you might implement if you have a garden or farm. It will imply different things depending on where and how you live, but cultivating plants – any plants – is a great way to live sustainably. Try growing your own food if you have the opportunity. Growing your own vegetables allows you to control what goes into your soil and the strategies you employ to keep pests and weeds at bay. Additionally, you may compost your kitchen trash instead of using synthetic fertilizers in your yard. You may have your own small-scale compost even if you live in a one-room flat with no balcony or other outdoor area. Naturally, you will have to make adjustments to accommodate the limited space, and you may not be able to compost everything, but even the little things matter.

Once harvested, there is no or minimum processing necessary, as well as no transportation required, lowering your carbon footprint. Plants also take carbon dioxide and release oxygen, functioning as air cleaners. If you have more land, try planting trees as another method to live a more sustainable lifestyle. If you do not own property, you may still contribute by donating to tree-planting organizations.