We have one life, live on one planet. Isn’t it our duty to take care of the planet that we live on?
Earth has limited resources and we end up taking all of it for granted. We actually believe that there is enough for our lifetime.
But it is time we think about the future and what we can do for future generations.
By adopting these lifestyle choices, our planet will stay healthy for a longer time.
Here are the Top 10 Ways you can live more sustainably
1) Conserve Water
Saving water is something that we have been told to do since we were kids. While for some, this teaching has become in-grained, a lot of people are still guilty of wasting water in various ways.
You will find some people letting water run for a long time as they brush their hair or wash dishes. Or water plants more than that poor plant requires!
And then there are those who let the water run while they are showering as well.
Conserving water should be everyone’s first goal.
2) Reduce Waste
Without realizing it, how many times have we picked up items we don’t need and chucked them into the bin?
A smudge on a sheet of paper, a spot on the tissue, sometimes even food items, all of them are thrown into the bin with hardly a thought towards it.
If you have to clear out your waste baskets everyday, as well as your bins, take a look at how much waste you have produced in a single day.
Are you sure that piece of paper you threw away, couldn’t be repurposed? Or that tissue used to clean something?
Unless the food has become rotten and inedible, try keeping leftovers or giving it off to people in need rather than throwing it.
3) Turn off Electricity When Not in Use
We take electricity for granted most of the time and realize the consumption only when the bill comes in. But once it is paid, we get back to using electricity without realizing that we are wasting energy.
When you are not in a room, consider switching off the lights and removing the plugs of gadgets that are not in use.
Mindful usage of electricity can go a long way to attain a sustainable life.
4) Walk or Ride a Bicycle Instead of Driving
If you have to go to a nearby grocery store, unless you are planning to buy a trunk load of items, do you really need to take a car? Walking or riding a bike can help the environment more than burning fuel in a car. Consider walking rather than driving for shorter distances.
5) Turn off gadgets once a week
Can we imagine a life without our smartphones, laptops, virtual assistant technology or gaming consoles?
Probably not.
But the more gadgets we use, the more charging is required and the more electricity is used.
Consider using one day in the week to go gadget-free. Take a walk in nature and appreciate the opportunity to experience the time where you don’t have to continuously check your phone or laptop.
6) Go Paperless
There was a time when everything was done on paper. But with the advancement in technology, we no longer have to depend on paper any more. Consider using your phone to take notes and set reminders. When you go for shopping, choose the Go Green option to have your bills sent to your email rather than a printed receipt.
Save paper whenever you can.
7) Opt for Shopping Bags instead of Plastic ones
A lot of countries have now enforced the ‘no-plastic’ rule which means that you can no longer get plastic shopping bags when you go shopping. Even if that rule does not exist in your city or town yet, consider buying a reusable shopping bag that you can take with you whenever you go shopping.
8) Recycle
Many cities have made recycling easier by keeping separate bins for plastic, paper, and general waste. So it is easier to recycle in a lot of countries and you can throw trash in the appropriate bins.
At home, you can repurpose items instead of throwing them. Consider using newspaper to wrap gifts. Buy items that can be used multiple times instead of single use.
9) Use LED bulbs around the house
The biggest benefit of LED lighting is that it uses less energy. Which means that your electricity bill will be a lot less. LED lighting also has a longer lifespan which means the money you spend on replacing bulbs will also be less.
LED bulbs may cost more than traditional ones but their energy saving and long lifespan, are factors to consider.
10) Shop Smart
Shopping smart goes hand in hand with reducing waste. If you buy only the things you need, you are less likely to waste those items.
Before purchasing any item, consider carefully whether you really need to buy groceries when you may be planning a trip in the next few days which would lead to food wastage.
Even when buying clothes, decide on buying outfits that you would wear for some time before discarding them.
If you shop according to your needs rather than desires, you are bound to save more money.
Do practice mindful shopping.
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