Are you looking to move away from wasteful living in favour of a more eco-friendly lifestyle? Every small step you take towards a greener lifestyle helps the environment, and it’s not that difficult either. You might even save some money and improve your health, too.
For some, living a more sustainable lifestyle means moving away from animal products and eating more sustainably grown produce. For others, it means leading a minimalist lifestyle and consuming mindfully.
Most importantly, it’s about decreasing your personal consumption of natural resources and reducing your carbon footprint. But that can seem like an extremely daunting task, especially if you’re not sure where to start. But when you break it down into small, achievable goals, it’s much more manageable.
If you’re just getting started, making these key lifestyle choices will help you lead a more eco-friendly life. If you’re already doing some of these things, that’s fantastic! But hopefully, you’ll learn some new strategies to help save our one and only planet!
Table of Contents: 8 Lifestyle Choices To Make That Can Help You Lead a More Eco-Friendly Life
Move Away from Animal Products
Many people don’t realize that moving away from animal products is an easy step that can have huge environmental benefits.
A shocking thirty per cent of our planet’s surface is used to raise and feed livestock for meat and dairy consumption. In fact, factory-like farming of livestock accounts for a huge portion of CO2 and harmful greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere.
If you’re looking to reduce your carbon footprint, this is the perfect place to start. Less livestock means less pollution and more land for wildlife and native vegetation. Incorporating more meat-free meals into the diet is an easy step anyone can take towards a more eco-friendly lifestyle.
Choose Sustainably Grown Produce
Shopping for locally grown produce at farmer’s markets and farm stands is a great place to start. Not only can it save you money, but it’s also better for the environment because it significantly reduces carbon emissions and waste required for shipping.
But you can make an even bigger difference by supporting farmers who use sustainable growing methods. Choosing produce that’s grown without chemical pesticides and fertilizers is much better for you and the environment.
Better yet, look for indoor vertical farms in your area. Vertical farming is better for the environment as it reduces waste, uses less water, and requires fewer chemical inputs since the environment is controlled. The plants are grown in ideal conditions, which means a better tasting crop, too.
Recycle Whenever Possible and Use Less Paper
Digital technology and the internet make it easy to go without using paper for communication and work. Cutting back on your paper use means saving trees, and what could be more important than that? The less paper produced, the more trees stay in our forests.
Even if you are required to use paper at school or for your job, you can still make a huge difference by recycling the ones you use. Paper recycling reduces the number of mature trees that need to be cut down to make paper.
You can also cut back on paper use by switching to cloth rags instead of buying paper towels. You’re just going to toss it anyway, so why not save some money and paper? Save all your old t-shirts and clothing, cut them up, and use them for cleaning, then wash, reuse, and repeat until they’re worn out.
As much as 40 per cent of the waste in our landfills comes from paper and paper products. And recycling uses less energy to create paper than creating new paper does. Recycling whenever possible and using less paper is one of the easiest and best ways to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle.
Avoid Plastic in Favor of Reusable Options
An easy way to make a difference is to avoid paper and plastic disposable grocery bags in favour of reusable grocery bags. Sure, you have to invest a little money to get the canvas bags, but they’re super useful and much more sturdy than single-use disposables.
Switching to reusable food storage containers and water bottles made from stainless steel or glass is another easy way to avoid plastic use. Even the smallest change can make a huge difference.
Learn How to Compost
There’s a reason composting has become so trendy recently! Not only does it keep waste out of the landfill, but it also allows you to reuse something you would normally just toss in the trash. Learning how to compost even saves you money on fertilizer for your landscaping and garden.
Switch to Eco-Friendly Light Bulbs
Of course, you wouldn’t want to replace your current light bulbs if they’re still working. But the next time one burns out, consider switching over to an eco-friendly option. Compact fluorescent light bulbs, or CFLs, use a lot less electricity than traditional bulbs, and they last a lot longer, too.
As a bonus, CFLs are brighter than conventional bulbs, so you won’t have to have as many lights on to light up your home either.
Conserve Electricity
There are lots of ways to conserve electricity at home. It’s a win for your wallet and a win for the planet! An easy place to start is to raise your thermostat a few degrees in the summer and lower it a few in the winter.
You can also unplug appliances when they’re not being used, do your laundry with cold water, and hang clothes to dry whenever possible. And remember, you don’t have to do all these things at once! You can reduce your energy use one small step at a time and still make a huge difference!
Borrow, Rent, or Buy Used Instead of Buying New
We don’t always think about it, but many of the items we buy new could easily be borrowed, rented, or at least purchased used. This saves you money and reduces the number of things that end up in the landfill.
For example, when you purchase something secondhand, that item won’t be thrown out or wasted. Renting or borrowing equipment that you’ll only use once or once in a while makes a lot of sense too.
Living an eco-friendly lifestyle doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go without the things you need or want; it just means you have to get creative. Check out the Facebook marketplace, local resale shops, and even garage sales for pre-owned items that are extremely useful and unique.
Wrapping Things Up
You deserve a pat on the back for wanting to make positive changes. No matter where you live, you can make a difference throughout the planet with these small, eco-friendly lifestyle choices. Not only that, but you’ll be saving money and leading a healthier lifestyle, too!
