Sanjose A Thomas

Sustainability is one of the most popular lifestyle choices of the past decade and will hopefully become second-nature to us all in the coming years. As we transition from lives of convenience and fast-fashion to lives of environmentally conscious choices, sustainability will continue to permeate almost all of our daily decisions. Sustainability comes in many forms and has many benefits, but have you ever wondered what it means to live sustainably?

What does a sustainable house need?

Here are some basic items you need to live sustainably at home:

Reusable bottles: Plastic bottles often end up in our oceans, where they take hundreds of years to decompose. We are polluting the world’s oceans faster than nature can purify them, and one simple way to offset this is to avoid buying plastic water bottles to begin with.

Reusable shopping bags: Invest in strong, reusable bags, and if you do have to use plastic bags, they can often be recycled by returning them to the store, so do so if you can!

Reusable coffee cups: Most of the materials used to make takeaway coffee cups are single-use plastic, so bring your coffee flask with you to the cafe next time you’re getting your caffeine fix. Some coffee shops even offer a discount for those who bring their own!

Subscription to a clean energy supplier: Supporting clean energy drastically reduces your carbon footprint, as it doesn’t result in the release of damaging fossil fuels. While we should always try to conserve energy at home, using clean energy is a great way to ensure that your energy has a minimal negative environmental impact.

Make environmentally friendly transportation choices when possible: Until electric cars are affordable for everyone, we can all just do our best to move around mindfully. If you are looking for a new car, investigate hybrid or electric options. If you’re just heading down the street to the store and the weather’s nice, head out on foot if you can. All it takes is a little extra thought to make better decisions for our planet.

10 ways to be sustainable in your home

1. Use less water. Many parts of the world are privileged enough to have access to clean water every day, but that doesn’t mean we should squander our water. Keep an eye on the length of your showers, and re-use unsalted cooking water to feed your plants! They’ll be glad of the extra nutrients.
2. Start a compost bin. Composting your leftover fruits and vegetables helps the soil retain moisture, reducing water runoff and conserving landfill space for things that we cannot recycle.
3. Consume fewer products overall. Whether we buy products in a store or have them delivered to our homes, we often forget the indirect damage these goods can inflict. When we buy a product, we’re also paying for the manufacturer and their daily commute to work, the material shipping, and the product’s delivery to our homes or stores. We can offset this by only buying what we really need.
4. Recycle everything you can. Items that we won’t recycle often end up in landfills, contributing to the noxious gases that affect our collective health and contribute to global warming. Simply check the packaging for a recycle symbol and put it in the right can
5. Purchase eco-friendly goods. You’d be surprised how many everyday items aren’t great for the environment: cleaning products, standard toilet paper, shampoo bottles, toothbrushes, and sanitary products are all often un-recyclable. Thankfully, there are many eco-friendly alternatives available today – it’s just a matter of doing a little research before you buy.
6. Monitor your energy usage. It’s tempting in winter to blast the heating, just as it is to have the AC on all day in the summer. Not only is excessive energy use costly, but it’s also wasteful and uses precious resources that will deplete one day.
7. Create less food waste and save money by pre-portioning. This simple practice will often save you from overeating and result in better physical health.
8. Reach out to your local government officials. We need to make personal changes for the sake of the planet, but government officials have the power to make changes that the public cannot. Write to your local government officials and urge them to champion green energy policies and ensure that public transportation is better for public health.
9. Support local shops to prevent shipping. When you shop local, you help support small businesses while offsetting excessive environmental transport costs. From an economic standpoint, shopping local also helps small businesses stay open and continue employing local people.
10. Use public transport when possible. Cars are a privilege, and they can be convenient when we need to drive locally, but if you need to run an errand a walking distance away, try to walk or cycle. It’ll have a positive impact on your health, save you money, and offset pollution.