Happy Earth Day Bio Lovers! Today we celebrate and advocate for our home, planet Earth. It is up to us to live a more sustainable life to help heal the planet. By adopting a sustainable lifestyle and making a conscious attempt to reduce our use of the earth’s natural resources, we can play our part in making the world a better place for future generations. It’s a daunting prospect, but we’ll start you off here. Below we have compiled out top 10 tips for living sustainably in 2021:
1) Choose sustainably packaged products
We care about the products we use and consume, but have you ever stopped to think about the packaging and waste that is produced once the product is finished? With many of us choosing to shop online over 2020 (maybe a little too much!), now is the time to start making conscious decisions around product packaging and contributing less waste to landfill.
2) Heading back to work, shop for clothes with intention
Fast fashion is fast for a reason, and more often than not these items are not built to last. Shopping intentionally and reducing your wardrobe’s fast fashion intake is an easy way to reduce your footprint. Give clothes a second home by selling or donating, and try op-shops such as Savers and Salvos for items you won’t find at the shopping centre!
3) If fast fashion is a must, try eco-conscious fast fashion
Many fast fashion brands nowadays have a ‘conscious’ range. More often than not, these conscious ranges use recycled or upcycled material or are produced in a more eco friendly and environmentally conscious way. We’re all about the little swaps, and this one is a great way to slowly transition your wardrobe.
4) Keep cups are back in a big way!
2020 saw cafés reject the keep cup for hygiene reasons but guess what… they’re back! Everyone’s favourite eco accessory is back in business and there’s no better way to make a conscious daily decision than by bring out that keep cup for your morning pick me up.
5) Swap out those light globes
Keep this in mind for when that pesky downlight blows out and ruins the mood at your place! Many houses all over Australia have made the switch to LED light bulbs. Making the switch offers significant savings to your energy bill, but also makes a huge impact to your home’s environmental footprint. LED lights consume 80% less energy compared with incandescent and other light bulbs. It’s time for an upgrade that is better for your wallet and the planet!
6) Grow your own veggie garden
Autumn is a great time to get that green thumb, and is there anything better than home grown? 2020 gave us the time to start new endeavours, and why should we stop now? There are so many great free standing veggie gardens on the market, but if you don’t have the space why don’t you try growing your own herbs? Compact herb gardens can be wall hung or sit on the kitchen counter. Not only are they super handy for when you need an instant flavour enhancer, you can say goodbye to unnecessary supermarket packaging and hello to your sustainable (and great to look at) patch of goodness.
7) Time to reconsider public transport
2020 drastically changed the way we commute. With so many of us working from home and freeing up our roads, many essential workers (or workers unable to work from home) opted to drive to workplaces all over Australia. Now we’ve reached ‘COVID Normal’ and working from home is slowly becoming a thing of the past, it’s time to reconsider public transport. With cities going virtually car free, we saw levels of pollution and nitrogen dioxide drop considerably. Let’s keep up the good work and *safely* get back to public transport. Just make sure you adhere to your state’s rules surrounding face masks, social distancing, and as always – use hand sanitiser after touching any surface.
8) Make conscious decisions around waste
Do you know the difference between recycling and soft plastics? Did you know you can drop off soft plastics at most supermarkets? What about which parts of a product you can recycle vs which parts must go to landfill? Did you know you can’t recycle an entire coffee cup? It’s time to educate yourself on the little things – what can you do in everyday life to make little changes that add up to a huge result?
9) Keep it green and on the screen!
With many of us returning to the office, let’s not forget the efficiencies that got us through 2020. Let’s print out less documents and ask for less in return. Consider adding a disclaimer to your email signature asking for emails to not be printed out. Does your workplace get monthly subscriptions of newspapers or magazines? Consider asking the question of whether or not this is necessary. Little thoughts go a long way.
10) Consider your diet
Living sustainably is internal and external. We can make a huge difference to the longevity of our planet by making conscious decisions around food. Vegan too big of a jump for you? Try having a vegan day once a week. Try eating less meat throughout the week and adopting a flexitarian diet. Try swapping traditional products for plant-based products. It’s all about making small changes. If we all work on living sustainably together, we can help protect our planet for future generations.
- MyLife HQ