For many people, moving towards sustainable living seems like an unrealistic ideal. Isn’t sustainable living just something for people living out in the boonies? Or isn’t it too expensive for people living paycheck to paycheck? In fact, sustainable living is something that anyone can achieve and it doesn’t have to be expensive.
The first myth to dispel around sustainable living is that it’s an all-or-nothing lifestyle. “There are many ways you can make small changes to your daily habits that will make your life more sustainable,” says Horace Allen. an eco-expert at Revieweal and State Of Writing. “If we all made these changes in our lives, they’d add up to a big impact on the climate. “
Secondly, sustainable living doesn’t have to mean dropping a dime at the organic grocery store. Many sustainable living tips are about reducing, reusing and recycling and in fact, once you effectively implement these values into your life you can save money. Sustainable living is achievable for everyone, no matter their geographic or economic circumstance.
5 Sustainable Living Tips To Try Today
Reducing Food Waste
Staggeringly, research has revealed that in the United States the average household allows around ⅓ of its food to go to waste. Reducing food waste, therefore, is one of the most impactful things you can do to move towards sustainable living. Planning your meals to ensure you’re using every last ingredient in the fridge will not only save you money on groceries, but save the planet as well.
Turning Down The Thermostat
It becomes almost instinctive to reach for the thermostat whenever we feel discomfort in the temperature. And there are certainly times during the winter where we’ll need an extra blast of heat. But the thermostat is exceptionally energy consuming – preprogramming your thermostat to hover at around 72F, neither too warm nor too cold, can save on your energy bill and reduce consumption. In the winter, reach for the wooly jumper before you crank the thermostat.
Take A Walk
“As a society we’re increasingly reliant on cars, and many American cities are built with complete disregard to pedestrians,” says Jeffery Thompson, a writer at Eliteassignmenthelp and Essay Services. “Finding ways to take a walk instead of driving is a great way of reducing your energy consumption and working towards sustainable living.” If it’s just a short stroll to the local store, consider walking. Alternatively, you can reduce your driving miles by carpooling to the office, or exploring public transport options when taking a trip.
Reusing Rather Than Re-buying
Reusing and recycling day-to-day items is a fantastic way to reduce your consumption and make your lifestyle more sustainable. Everything from food containers to old clothes can be repurposed, meaning you’re shopping less and consuming less plastic and fabrics in your lifestyle. Many foodstuffs come in containers that make great tupperwares, for example – by keeping these onhand for leftovers, you can reduce plastic consumption as well as food waste.
Observing The ‘Eco-Sabbath’
Living in a world that’s as obsessed with consumption as ours can be challenging. We’re constantly bombarded by advertisements, overloading our brains into thinking we need to buy buy buy! Taking time out from this hectic landscape can enable us to reset our assumptions about what we need to consume, so consider setting aside a time where you steadfastly refuse the urge to consume. This could simply be an afternoon where you acknowledge how buying a takeaway coffee in a paper cup is an unnecessary expenditure, or even a whole week devoted to exploring the depths of your cupboards and cooking up inventive, waste-free banquets!
Wrapping Up
COVID-19 shook our world and revealed that even our most firmly ingrained habits can be changed by things outside our control. There’s never been a better opportunity for reflecting on how your lifestyle interacts with the wider world, and taking positive steps towards sustainable living can start today.
Bio: Lauren Groff is an eco writer at Case study writing and Bigassignments. Lauren writes about sustainable living and has been living off-grid in Montana since 2017. Also, she is a blogger at Top essay writing services.
