In today’s world, “sustainable living” is not a new word or a foreign concept. Some people have devoted their lives to creating a sustainable living space. However, knowing what it means doesn’t always mean that we KNOW what it is. At its most basic, sustainable means able to be maintained. From there, you have to figure out what it means for you. Again, in its most basic meaning, sustainable living is a lifestyle choice that allows us to reduce our use of Earth’s natural resources.
We will try to help you sort through the confusion of how you can do that as we proceed. It is not as complex as you may feel, but it isn’t always simple either.
A Sustainable Life
To live a more sustainable lifestyle, you must start with the basics. Reduce your waste and use what you have available. The goal is to reduce your personal and societal environmental impacts by making more positive changes. This reduces your “carbon footprint”.
There is no right or wrong way to live sustainably. What it looks like for you may not be what it looks like for your neighbor. Some may grow their own produce while others may opt to avoid the use of plastics entirely. The truth is any small steps you take will improve some part of our environment. Therefore, it does not matter what you do, as long as you are doing something.
Tips for a Sustainable Life
Sustainable living doesn’t mean you have to make drastic changes in your life. At least, not at first. As you begin to get into a routine, things may progress to a point that there has been drastic change in how you live. The transition should be relatively painless. Some ideas for sustainable living include:
- Use Your Cup/Bottle
- Handkerchiefs Over Paper
- Reusable Shopping Bags
- Towels Over Paper Towels
- Create Natural Cleaners
- Grow a Garden
- Lessen Your Vehicles to One
In no way are we saying or implying that you should sell your vehicles, completely stop buying paper products, and growing your own food or cleaners. But, if you do any one of these things, you are helping the environment. If you can do one of them, you may decide to try adding another. For most of us, the BYO cup/bottle is the easiest. Bringing drinks from home that you can reuse will lessen paper cups, Styrofoam cups, straws, and other wastes, with very little effort on your part.
The same could be said for switching to reusable bags. They are cloth bags rather than plastic. Easier to carry and less risk of busting, which is also beneficial to you.
Prepare to Begin Your Journey
No one wakes up and says, “I’ll change my entire way of living today.” The small steps will make the biggest difference. You may wake up tomorrow and just decide to change some small thing in your life and it will help you start setting good habits. From there, you can also encourage your other family members to do the same.