I have to admit that I have been pushing myself a bit more this year to keep on top of the game when it concerns to more sustainable life.
As you may understand, these changes are happening gradually, but going greener has its rewards as well. Especially if they concern to fairly easy steps that you can make at home.
Step 1: Don’t waste food
I don’t think I need to tell you this, but keeping track of the food you eat and consume is the easiest step to make. No waste means saving, of course. And being a non-meat eater always helps.
One of the changes that made a lot of difference in my life was the fact that we tend to finish all food we have at home before doing the grocery. We save money and consequently, the environment.
I also keep on top of home composting. And if you have a garden, there is no excuse to not create a natural fertiliser at home. Your plants will be thankful.
Step 2: Keep the Shoes Off
Another measure that I have been trying to put in practice is keeping the shoes off the carpet. It would certainly reduce the need of hoovering rooms often, saving electricity.
But as I have an indoor pet cat at home, it is quite difficult to keep my living room cleaner. We usually hoover the house once a week but leaving the shoes out of these rooms can be helpful, anyway.
You should also consider to switch to renewable energy. I guess it must be done when you own a house.
Step 3: Dry your hair naturally
I know it may be more like a girl’s problem, but the truth is that hair dryers are synonymous of waste of energy. It consumes a huge amount of energy, and some models can be worse.
So, instead of spending hours in front of the mirror drying your hair with those appliances, why not going natural? At least once or twice a week would already help. Think about it and check how much electricity we are using.
Step 4: Shop at the Deli
We’re luck here in the UK to live in some areas where it’s easily to find delicatessen and grocery shops that offer bulk vegetables and local sourced products. Shopping local is not only an excellent way of helping our economy, but it’s also Eco-friendly. When you choose delis to supermarket, you can actually save money as well when buying only the amount of what you need and not the whole package.
Step 5: Forget plastic, shop bamboo
If you already checked my post on Zero Waste Kit for Beginners will already noticed that I have started to use bamboo toothbrushes. Bamboo is not only environmentally friendly, but also more absorbent that products made of cotton, for example. Besides, it’s an excellent substitute for plastic products.
Step 6: Less take away wasting
I know, cooking every day is not for everyone. Sometimes, you just don’t have time or patience to face kitchen tasks. But we also rely so much at take-away that don’t even notice how much waste it comes together with every single package that it’s delivered.
I was shocked when I watched this video (below) made by Vox. There is so much waste on take-away packaging, and it doesn’t need to be like this.
So, if you are going to ask for food, make sure that it comes form a company that prioritise recyclable packaging.
Step 7: Invest in reusable items
Imagine the amount of trash you avoid every time you sue your reusable bag to go shopping or take your coffee with you on a flask or bamboo cup? It’s simple as that. You can keep drinks cold o hot without being tempted to buy bottles wherever you go.
We do need to reduce the use of disposable items, and there are plenty of other substitute products available nowadays. It just needs a bit of research.
