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You don’t have to go off-grid or make another grand gesture to embrace sustainability. Sustainability is all about small shifts we make in our daily routines that, when combined, can create a wave of positive change.
From ditching single-use plastic to saving energy at home, here are some easy yet powerful ways to boost your green game and embrace a more sustainable lifestyle.
1. BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag)
Globally, we produce a staggering five trillion single-use plastic bags every year. If that’s not disturbing enough, consider this: Each bag has an average lifespan of just 12 minutes. Transitioning to reusable bags can dramatically reduce the number of plastic bags that end up in landfills.
Ditch the plastic by getting a quality canvas tote or compact foldable bags that you can carry around in your purse or pocket. Bring these bags with you not just to the grocery store, but also on other errands where you need to carry goods.
This easy step will help you shop more sustainably and even save you money, as a lot of stores are now charging for disposable bags.
2. Ditch Single-Use Plastics
Besides plastic bags, consider other times you can swap out disposable plastics for reusable materials. In the U.S., for instance, we use 170 to 390 million plastic straws every day.
Switching to a stainless steel, silicone, bamboo, or glass straw is a more sustainable choice. Along similar lines, you could invest in a reusable water bottle or bring bamboo cutlery and cloth napkins to spots where you might otherwise use plastic utensils.
By ditching single-use plastic, you’ll help reduce the amount of plastic that makes its way into the ocean and infiltrates the food chain as microplastics.
3. Embrace Reusable Sandwich Bags
Reusable sandwich bags are another great way to avoid plastic in your daily lunch. Instead of buying plastic sandwich bags, invest in a few high-quality reusable ones. Not only can you use them over and over, but they’re also often dishwasher safe, making clean-up a breeze.
4. Compost Your Kitchen Scraps
You might not think throwing away food scraps poses an environmental issue, but thrown-out food can actually sit decomposing in a dump, where it produces the greenhouse gas methane. To avoid adding all this methane-producing organic matter to landfills, you can start composting in your backyard or join a local composting program. Even if you don’t use the compost in your own garden, it can be a great resource for your neighbors or community parks.
5. Swap Out Chemical Cleaners for Natural Ones
Many cleaning products contain potentially toxic chemicals that are both hazardous to your health and the environment. Ditch the chemical cleaners and opt for natural cleaning products instead that use non-toxic ingredients to clean your counters and floors. You could also take a DIY approach and make your own cleaning products with tried-and-true ingredients like white vinegar and baking soda.
6. Use Fewer Paper Towels
Paper towels can be convenient, but they’re a serious waste of resources. Each roll can contribute to deforestation and water and energy use. It’s a cycle of waste that just keeps spinning.
For a more sustainable approach, use an alternative cleaning cloth like Swedish dishcloths. They’re super absorbent, quick-drying, and can replace over a dozen rolls of paper towels. Once they’re dirty, you can just throw them in the wash.
7. Save Energy at Home
There are easy steps you can take to save energy at home that will reduce both your carbon footprint and your energy bill. Switching to LED lightbulbs over incandescent ones, for instance, can consume up to 90% less energy. Plus, they’ll last 25 times longer.
Some states offer free energy audits of your home and provide advice on how to save more. Plus, your state may offer reimbursement programs or tax credits for installing energy-friendly appliances and devices.
Unplugging devices when you’re not using them can also help save energy, as can washing your clothes in cold water in the washing machine rather than hot.
8. Air Dry Your Laundry
Using your dryer is a sneaky carbon footprint right in your laundry room. By choosing to air dry your wet laundry instead of throwing it in the dryer, you can save energy and give your clothes that sun-kissed freshness.
You can get a clothes line, drying rack, or another makeshift solution in your yard or balcony to hang clothes out to dry naturally in the sun.
9. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
This common mantra of the “three R’s” still holds. Before tossing something away, think about how it might be reused or repurposed. For instance, you could turn an empty glass jar into a candle holder, flower vase, or storage container.
At the same time, learn about your local recycling guidelines to make sure you’re recycling effectively. Recycling helps reduce both waste in landfills and the need for raw materials.
10. Conserve Water
Water is a finite resource, but you can take steps to conserve it by installing low-flow shower heads, fixing leaky faucets promptly, and collecting rainwater for gardening. It’s also helpful to be conscious about how much water you’re using. For instance, turn off the tap while you’re brushing your teeth, as a running tap can emit up to eight gallons of water a minute.
11. Make Eco-Friendly Packaging Choices
When shopping for groceries or other items, it’s all too easy to focus on the item itself and not what it’s packaged in. But lots of plastic packaging can add up, so consider opting for items with minimal or eco-friendly packaging.
For instance, you don’t have to wrap each fruit and vegetable from the grocery store in a plastic bag. You can simply place them in your cart and rinse them off when you get home.
You might also buy rice, pasta, or grains from bulk bins to cut down on plastic waste. Along with bringing your own cloth bag, you could bring your own reusable containers for bulk food.
Try to avoid overly-packaged items, too. Some companies wrap goods in multiple layers of plastic that you have to peel back and trash before getting to the item itself.
12. Choose Second-Hand and Upcycled Goods
The fashion industry is the second largest polluter globally, right after the oil industry. Fast fashion is one of the worst offenders, with clothing often worn out and discarded after only a few wears.
To make your lifestyle more sustainable, avoid fast fashion and embrace minimalism. When you do shop, consider supporting sustainable brands that use eco-conscious production practices and packaging.
Thrift shopping and buying secondhand is also a way to help reduce the demand for new clothing. You can breathe a second life into pre-loved clothes to prevent them from going to the dump.
13. Eat Less Meat
Producing one kilogram of beef requires between 5,000 and 20,000 liters of water. Meat production requires vast amounts of water, food, and land and produces significant greenhouse gas emissions.
While your eating habits are a personal decision, choosing to eat less meat — perhaps by incorporating “Meatless Mondays” into your weekly routine — can have a positive impact on the environment.
There are lots of plant-based options to explore, whether you want to replace a beef burger with an Impossible burger or bring plants to the forefront of your meals.
14. Opt for Public Transport, Carpooling, Biking, or Walking
Transportation is another big contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Everyone driving their own private car is a lot less efficient than sharing fuel in buses or trains.
When possible, consider opting for public transportation, carpooling with colleagues, or cycling or walking for shorter distances. These habits will reduce your carbon footprint and can be a great way to get more exercise.
15. Dive into Local Shopping Adventures
While it’s all too easy to order from Amazon and other online stores, consider the carbon footprint of having an item shipped from across the country or world. You can avoid these carbon-heavy journeys by shopping from local artisans and makers. Go to the farmer’s market or visit local shops to reduce transport emissions and support your community at the same time.
16. Start a Garden
Starting a garden can bring you closer to nature and be a great step toward sustainability. Choosing to grow your own tomatoes and lettuce, for instance, means fewer trips to grocery store, less packaging waste, and less carbon emissions from transportation.
Plus, your vegetables will be free of pesticides and other chemicals that often come with store-bought ones. Even if you don’t have a yard, you can start small with herb pots or a raised bed in your driveway or on your porch.
Start with plants that are easy to care for or are native to your region and grow well in your climate.
17. Embrace Eco-Conscious Travel
Traveling broadens our horizons, but it can also expand our carbon footprint. Next time you plan a trip, consider ways to reduce your carbon footprint, perhaps by opting for a train over a flight. If you do need to fly, consider contributing to a carbon offset program, like Carbonfund.org or Gold Standard, to offset your flight’s emissions.
Choosing sustainable accommodations and being careful to leave no trace if you’re camping or hiking are also steps you can take to help preserve the environment.
Final Thoughts: Small Steps, Big Impact
In today’s buy-and-toss culture, striving for a more sustainable lifestyle can be challenging. It often means swimming upstream and putting in that extra effort even when there’s an easier path beckoning.
But sustainable living is about progress, not perfection. It’s about trying, learning, and growing as you go.
Remember, every small, conscious choice you make counts. By opting for sustainability, you’re casting a vote for the kind of world you want to live in and leave behind for future generations.
