Everything that we do has an impact on the planet. If we want the world to last for generations to come it’s important that we all do our part to try to help it last.
Understandably hearing the term ‘sustainable lifestyle’ makes some people uncomfortable and they immediately jump to thinking that they’ll have to make drastic changes to their lifestyle that will make them uncomfortable. However, this is not the case at all.
Today I wanted to share some simple ways to start living a more sustainable lifestyle by sharing my best sustainable living tips.
Now, let’s get started.
Swap out simple household items for more eco-friendly versions
One of the easiest ways to start living a more sustainable lifestyle is to swap out simple household items for more eco-friendly versions.
For example, SeekBamboo.com – the zero waste store – has products such as natural kitchen sponges, bamboo toilet paper, eco-friendly dish soap, and more.
By swapping out simple household items for more eco-friendly versions you’re helping the planet and not disrupting your current lifestyle at all.
Use reusable products
Paper products can be convenient and cut back on the number of dishes that you need to do. However, by using reusable products you’re saving yourself money AND you’re helping the environment.
Instead of using paper plates and plastic silverware for meals invest in some reusable dishes and you can even swap out paper towels for cloth napkins.
Yes, you may have to spend a little more time doing chores each day, but the end goal is doing your small part to help the environment while also freeing up some of your money to reach some of the financial goals that you have in place for yourself.
Cut back on paper consumption
It’s amazing how much paper is wasted each year.
Cutting back on paper consumption is one o the easiest sustainable living ideas that you can implement into your lifestyle immediately.
When shopping in-store, opt for your receipt to be emailed to you instead of printed. Plus, sign up for paperless billing.
While cutting back on paper consumption does help the environment, you’ll also find that you’re able to keep better track of your finances when everything is digital versus you trying to keep up with receipts.
Donate unwanted items
“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”!
This saying is something that still holds true today. Therefore, before throwing out things that you don’t want consider donating them to your local thrift store (you’ll get a tax write-off in many cases for doing this) or listing it in your local Buy Nothing Facebook Group.
You were planning to just throw the items away anyways, so why not give someone else the opportunity to utilize it if it’s still usable before sending it off to a landfill somewhere?
Cut back on food waste
Food waste is another big problem in the world.
We’ve all probably been guilty of it at one point or another AND more than likely it wasn’t intentional.
I know before I started meal planning I would just purchase random items with the vague idea that it would be used in a meal only to find out that it’d go bad before I had the chance to make it.
Other times, I’d put leftovers in the fridge and never get to them.
However, by meal planning each week and working leftovers into the meal plan I have been able to cut back on the amount of food that we waste by approximately 85 – 90%.
This is another sustainable practice at home to implement that can allow you to start living a more sustainable lifestyle immediately without too much disruption to your life and it’ll save you time and money.
Conclusion: Living a more sustainable lifestyle doesn’t have to cause you major inconveniences
I’m not going to say that I am the role model for living a sustainable lifestyle. However, I am always looking to improve my lifestyle by implementing sustainable practices at home.
I’ve found that these simple ways were the easiest to implement and while they obviously benefit the environment by making these changes I’ve been able to make my life easier in some ways while also saving myself time and money.
What are some ways that you’ve started living a more sustainable lifestyle?
I love this! We have completely replaced paper towels with reusable cloths. I love these other ideas too!
Such great ideas! I have been trying to buy products that are reusable and recyclable. Plus, we donate our clothes and items time to time. Thanks for sharing these helpful tips
We’ve been using reusable products and we’re also recycling. Great tips!
I like to use reusable things, that way we can control the burden on the nature. I am doing my part for future. This is great tips we need to taken into account.
Great advice. We do try our best to reduce waste, especially food wastage. I “recycle” left overs and so far, no one in my family has complained. We also use cloth rags instead of paper towels for cleaning up in the kitchen.
these are really great simple tips. we can all do our part
I personally love using reusable products. I think it’s a great idea. It can be so helpful to the environment too.
There are so great ideas for starting to live a sustainable lifestyle. If everyone can adopt a new routine with just one of these things and move on to the next when you get comfortably consistent with the first. Love it!
I love this idea of reducing waste. yes, we consciously try to live a sustainable lifestyle at home.
Thanks for sharing these tips, they can make a big difference over time. I just switched to rechargeable batteries because we play a lot of video games and go through batteries pretty quickly.
We always try to donate unwanted items where we can.
Thanks for all these tips, I’m following all these and I hope more and more people would consider to change for the better.
I feel better knowing that I have a more sustainable lifestyle. I think it’s a good thing to show our kids that we can do more for our planet every day!
I’m already practicing all of these since I was a kid. Thanks for posting, so others would do it too.
I have been trying to cut back on waste and use more reusable items.
I love these tips. I cut back on paper use a while back and now prefer using cloth napkins.
Living a more sustainable lifestyle is so important, thanks for sharing these tips.
I am working on doing this! I try to use less plastic and I’ve been donating a lot of stuff.
I always use reusable water bottles to avoid all that plastic waste. I do need to cut back on my paper consumption but that is only for hygenic reasons