Let’s talk about the environment for a minute… In specific, what eco-friendly tips we can implement for more sustainable living…
We all know the catch phrase…”There is no Planet B” yet the choices we make in our homes and everyday life often don’t seem to reflect that.
Most of us have grown up in “disposable” culture – use something once, and just throw it away as waste. But the point is…where does the waste go once it is discarded?
Here are 10 easy and eco-friendly ways to embrace more sustainable living and change how we live in our homes, as well as make better choices for the planet.
10 eco-friendly tips for your home – say hello to sustainable living!
1. Say NO to plastic bags
This one is really easy to accomplish. Just say no to purchasing any plastic shopping bag. Bring your own reusable bags along to the shop – plastic shopping bags have an average lifespan of about 12 minutes and take hundreds of years to decompose. Make it a rule that if you forget to bring your reusable shopping bag along to the shop with you, you have to purchase a reusable/recyclable option, not a cheaper plastic one. I promise (I’ve tried!) within a couple of weeks, you’ll have a collection of reusable bags and you’ll stop forgetting to bring them along! 😉
2. NO plastic straws
Once again – what a waste! A single use item that has a lifespan of a few minutes but stays in the environment for generations to come and is terribly harmful if it ends up in the ocean – just not worth it! Especially when there are so many great alternatives available – stainless steel, glass and silicone straws being just a few of the options worth mentioning! And these days most restaurants offer plastic free alternatives if you forget to bring yours along…
I’m always impressed when restaurants come up with creative straw alternatives…recently we ate at an Italian restaurant that brought pasta straws with the drinks…!
3. Switch to a more eco-friendly and sustainable toothbrush…hello bamboo (or something more eco-friendly)!
Sadly many toothbrushes are not recyclable, as the small pieces of plastic can get stuck in recycling machinery. Consider how many toothbrushes end up in landfills (or the ocean) when the recommended time to change a toothbrush is every 3-4 months! Environmentalists say that every toothbrush ever made is still on earth. Switching to a bamboo toothbrush, or one with a replaceable head can cut down on the environmental waste by up to 30%.
4. Say no to single use plastic water bottles
Instead of a single use plastic bottle, invest in a stainless steel or glass flask – both better options for drinking water – both from an environment as well as a health perspective! It takes up to 1000 years for a single water bottle to decompose – and during this process it leaks harmful chemicals into the environment. The manufacture of these single use water bottles also uses far more water during production than the water that fills the inside of the bottle when you purchase it.
5. Purchase items in bulk for more sustainable living
Purchasing items in bulk, or in recyclable packaging (think glass, paper, or even your own containers (bulk bins)) can save the environment huge amounts of plastic waste annually.
6. Recycle what you can – eco-friendly and easy!
Here in South Africa recycling isn’t compulsory – but I firmly believe it should be! However there are companies that will collect your recyclable waste directly from your home for a nominal fee. Alternatively there are drop-off points for various recyclable materials – find your closest local drop-off point. If there isn’t a recycling point near you, why not suggest that your local shopping complex or nearest school or nursery get recycling bins for the community to use? Even some electronics can be recycled – this is far better than them ending up in landfill!
7. Go for a walk and pick up the trash
Go for a walk as often as you can and pick up any recyclable items that you come across. Shocking statistics say that as much as 91% of plastic made has never been recycled and is sitting in landfills or has ended up in the ocean. Every little bit makes a difference.
8. Switch to better, more sustainable home products
You would be surprised by how many of these items are found during beach clean-ups! Items such as earbuds, sponges, plasters and many others have a way of ending up in our oceans. Choose biodegradable items that aren’t as harmful to the environment where possible.
9. Choose items with less packaging – in other words: the lesser of two evils – and more eco-friendly!
When some packaging can’t be avoided – choose items with less packaging, or packaging that has less plastic. The environment will thank you. If on each shopping trip you buy one “better” product for the environment – your pocket wouldn’t feel it – but over the course of a year – or 5 years, just imagine how much of a difference you would have made and how much needless packaging you would’ve avoided.
10. Lets talk clothing – sustainable and environmentally conscious clothing
When choosing new clothing, avoid polyester, as tiny micro particles are released into the water with every wash. Look for clothing grown from sustainable resources and with low environmental impact. Good options include organic linen, organic cotton, bamboo and recycled materials.
I hope some of the points I have mentioned will help you along your journey to a better, healthier, happier and more environmentally friendly home.
Sometimes it is easy to get discouraged – but just start somewhere. Pledge to do just one small thing for a whole month (#plasticbagfreejuly) and then the following month add another thing…and soon you will be seeing opportunities to change!
Happy #plasticfree month!
If you’ve enjoyed this post – and would like to see some similar posts in the future about eco-friendly, sustainable living…let me know in the comments below, or hop on over to Instagram and leave me a message – I’d love to hear from you!
