7 Easy Ways To Live A More Sustainable Lifestyle Without Much Effort

Learn what sustainable living means, why it’s important, and how you could live a more sustainable lifestyle with small changes that have much bigger positive impacts than you might take credit for.

Are you the type of person who wishes to make the world a better place, with less poverty, environmental impact, and food wastage?

If you answered yes, give yourself a tap on the back. You’re already halfway towards making this planet a healthier place for us all.

But as we know, intention without action is as effective as speaking Chinese without ever having lessons (that is… unless you’re already Chinese, of course).

Like you, many of us would love to contribute more to a better world. The issue lies when we get overwhelmed with what to do to help.

You might even believe that as an individual, nothing you can do will ever be enough. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Small, individual actions have a greater effect than you might be led to believe. And, like you, there are many others around the world who are also making a conscious effort to minimize their impact on the environment.

The sad reality, however, is that most of us aren’t necessarily apathetic… we’re simply ill-informed on what we can do to improve. We might even believe that we’re not doing much to harm the planet… that “we’re the good guys”.

Know this: everything you do in your day-to-day life has an impact on Earth— from the food you eat (or worse: waste) to how you commute to work. So even if you make an effort to recycle, there might be other areas of your daily life that are harming the world that you might not be aware of.

This doesn’t necessarily mean you should only eat plants and sell your car to start riding bikes everywhere you go (even though this wouldn’t hurt. Plus, this will positively impact your health and well-being).

But it’s really all about the small daily changes that will help you to lessen your environmental impact. And the best way to implement change is to be aware of how your current lifestyle can be tweaked into being more sustainable.

In this post, you’ll learn what sustainable living means, why it’s important, and how you could live a more sustainable lifestyle with small changes that have much bigger positive impacts than you might take credit for.

So, to make sustainable living more doable, we’ve created a list of 7 ways to inspire you to live greener, healthier, and happier.

You may already be doing a few of these things, which is wonderful! But hopefully, you’ll pick up some new ideas to further the Mother Nature support team.

What is Sustainable Living?

Unlike the hippies from the ’70s might have initially promoted, environmental sustainability doesn’t necessarily mean a life without luxuries.

Rather, it means being aware of your resource consumption and how to minimize unnecessary waste (be it of food, energy, water, plastic, among others).

Truth is, every day we make unconscious choices that affect the environment, the climate, and animals. From how many children we have, to the effort of recycling and avoiding consuming more than we need… there’s a lot we can do to reduce our environmental footprint and our impact on the planet.

The Importance of Sustainable Living

So now you know that the key to living sustainability is first to recognize that each action we take affects the world around us.

Granted, on the surface, it can be incredibly difficult to reduce your environmental impact — especially when you see that others around you are not doing their part. But when you break it down into easy action points, you realize you have more power than you ever imagined.

And every little bit counts.

Seemingly harmless objects such as bottle caps and straws can disrupt entire ecosystems (no wonder nowadays there are so many alternatives to plastic straws, for example).

In fact, simple purchase decisions such as avoiding buying bottled water to using a filter and a reusable bottle will greatly reduce your plastic waste.

Plus, you’ll soon notice that once it becomes a ritual, you’ll increase your awareness and start thinking about what else you can do.

(trust us, being sustainable can get really addictive — in a good way, of course).

How Can You Be more Sustainable In Your Day-to-Day

Sustainable living is a daily practice and there are plenty of easy ways for you to instantly become more eco-friendly. In fact, you can start off small and build your sustainable lifestyle one change at a time.

With that in mind, here are some simple adjustments we can all make to leave the world a better place for future generations.

1. Reduce your water usage

Conserving water means using our water supply wisely and responsibly. According to The United Nations world water development report, “only 2% of the Earth’s fresh supply of water is locked in icecaps and glaciers, while 97,5% of the earth’s water is saltwater”.

This might help you realize just how important it is to be conscious of your water wastage.

Here are a few tips on how to minimize your water wastage:

Close the water faucet when washing the dishes and brushing your teeth (this Colgate commercial is a great example of how much water is wasted when we leave the faucet running while we brush our teeth)
Check for leaks in pipes and toilets
Only use the washing machine when it is full (this will also help with your energy consumption)
Take shorter showers. Reduce your shower time and try to avoid baths when you can

2. Don’t throw away food

Global food waste is a major problem with huge financial, social, and environmental costs. According to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, an estimated 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted globally each year, one-third of all food produced for human consumption (that’s HUGE!).

Find below practical tips to avoid any further food waste from now on:

If you have leftovers, don’t throw them away. Either freeze them or make a conscious effort to eat it before it goes bad.
Freeze fruits and veggies before they rot.
Don’t cook more than you will eat.
Avoid buying food if you realize you’re throwing a lot of away at the end of the month.
Opt for longer-lasting products.

3. Grow your own food

By growing your own fruit and vegetables, you guarantee you’re not using pesticides that contribute to water and air pollution. This will also help to reduce the carbon footprint used to transport produce to supermarkets.

Growing your own food is not only a healthier alternative to the world, but it is also a lot of fun. Here are some easy-to-grow vegetables you could plant in your garden.

4. Eat less meat

If you still enjoy your weekend burgers and chicken barbecue, you don’t necessarily need to become a vegetarian.

The idea here is to reduce your meat consumption. According to Marion Nestle, an author and professor emeritus of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University, “People are very concerned about protein, but it’s a nonissue. It’s in grains, it’s in vegetables, it’s everywhere. It will find you.”

Here are some awesome ways to reduce meat consumption while maintaining a healthy level of protein intake:

Only eat what you need and don’t over-indulge.
Avoid buying more meat than you need so it doesn’t go to waste.
Turn to High-Protein Grains (Pasta Counts!)
Embrace Nuts and Seeds

5. Say NO To Plastic

Plastic never goes away. Today billions of pounds of it can be found in swirling convergences making up about 40 percent of the world’s ocean surfaces.

What’s worse, every year thousands of innocent birds, fish, sea turtles, seals, and other marine animals are killed after ingesting plastic or getting tangled up in it.

You can start cutting down on your plastic waste in a few simple steps:

Use reusable bags when you shop,
Ditch single-use water bottles, bags, and straws
Avoid products packaged in plastic whenever possible (e.g., select unwrapped produce at the grocery store, shop local, cut down on online shopping).

6. Drive less, Drive green.

Walk or ride a bike to your destination instead of driving if it’s close enough – it’s better for the environment and your health.

Using public transport is another good way to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Changing your driving habits can dramatically reduce your carbon footprint.

Buy a bicycle and pedal your way around your city
Use public transportation whenever necessary for longer commutes (i.e. avoid using a car)
Take the stairs over the elevator (this is also great for your heart health).
Combine errands to make fewer trips.

7. Consider sustainable grocery shopping.

Sustainable grocery shopping relates to how you buy goods and services, taking into consideration the most efficient and beneficial options for all the species and systems on the planet.

A sustainable shopper opts for products that will have the least negative impact on the planet, such as:

Shopping locally from smaller vendors
Avoiding buying new plastic bags every time you go grocery shopping (buy a grocery cart or a reusable grocery bag)
No more bottled water (time to invest in a filter)

8. Hasta luego, Fast Fashion!

The fashion industry is one of the main polluting industries in the world.

To lessen the impact this industry has on the planet, you could buy more of your clothes from second-hand shops and sustainable clothing outlets.

Here are some other easy ways to shop more sustainably:

Invest in better-quality items that last longer.
Buy second-hand clothes whenever possible.
Support fashion brands that are ethical and eco-aware.
Learn the basics of sewing to take care of your clothes instead of throwing them away because they have a small hole.

Shop at sustainable clothing outlets such as Swiss Impact Store that offer post-purchase repair services.

Start a More Sustainable Lifestyle Today With Simple Action Steps

Nearly every decision we make — from how we go to work, where we shop, what we consume, which products we use to keep our home fresh and clean— is an opportunity to make a healthy choice for the planet.

Read this post carefully and make a conscious effort every day to comply with a few of these items. Better yet, make it a challenge to adhere to as many (if not all) of the items in this post.

These small, seemingly invisible actions you take are certain to have great sustainable impacts on the planet.

We’re all in this together.

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Author Bio

ANA PALOMBINI

Ana is the voice (erm, hands?) behind Ana Palombini Copywriting, where she provides B2B copy for SaaS, Tech and entrepreneurs. Once graduated from a university where suits were mandatory, she is now a firm believer that work + sweatpants are a better match than ketchup and fries. When she is not furiously typing ‘till her fingers are numb, you’ll find her watching Friends for the millionth time or having late-night sushi from her couch (or both). Say hi on Linkedin or check out her website.

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