Helpful Tips To Live A More Sustainable Lifestyle

We all want to live a healthier, more sustainable life, but it's hard to do when we are surrounded by products and habits that harm the planet.

The good news is that there are many easy ways for us to make small changes in our lives that can have a big impact on the environment.

Check out these ten easy ways to live a greener life at home - many are so simple that you can implement them as early as this very moment.

Eat Less Meat

One of the easiest ways you can live a greener life at home, every single day, is to just change what you eat.

Okay, maybe that doesn’t sound simple - it is our diets we are talking about, after all!

However, this is something that doesn’t have to be done in one huge, fell swoop. Instead, make small, incremental changes and adjustments to improve your contributions to the environment over time.

Just cut back slowly. Did you know that more than 30% of the earth’s surface is being used to support livestock? The livestock sector contributes to a large share of greenhouse gases, so cutting back on your meat consumption is a great way to help improve the health of the planet.

Not ready to ditch the nightly steak and potatoes habit? You don’t have to, necessarily - there is another way you can live a greener life while still enjoying your carnivorous diet.

Consider shopping around to find local sources of meat, ideally those that are raised in accordance with regenerative agriculture principles. This style of farming focuses on soil health and on raising animals in the least impactful way in terms of the environment - in many cases, the carbon that is produced by these animals is sequestered back into the soil.

By choosing local meat and local slaughterhouses, you can reduce your impact on the environment without having to ditch meat entirely. In some cases, choosing local meat can be even more sustainable (and healthier) than a totally vegan diet, since products don’t have to be trucked across the country to you.

Use Paper Less and Recycle More

The good news about our day and age is that we are growing increasingly less reliant on paper products and more reliant on digital technology and computers. It’s easier than ever to go more than a day without even touching a piece of paper.

That’s great to hear, because the less paper you use, the less paper there is that needs to be produced - and fewer trees that need to be cut down.

If you can’t totally cut out the paper, just make a conscious effort to recycle more. By recycling just one short ton of paper you can save 17 mature trees! So if you must use paper at work or school, you can recycle all the paper you use in order to live a greener lifestyle at home.

Use Canvas Bags

It’s no secret that plastic isn’t doing the environment any favors. It is difficult to recycle and plus, how many times have you seen those “artificial tumbleweeds of plastic bags rolling down the sidewalk?

Plastic bags are unsightly and detrimental to the environment. Instead of relying on them to tote your groceries home, opt for paper - at least you can recycle it.

If that’s not an option, then canvas bags are the way to go. Although you will likely have to pay a bit in order to acquire some canvas bags, the beauty of using these bags is that you can wash them and use them again...and again...and again. It’s going to take a long time for them to wear out!

Plus, canvas bags tend to be much more durable than paper or plastic bags and they can also hold more goods. You can store items in them or use them to pack items up when moving - they are truly multipurpose products!

Investing in a few canvas bags is, ultimately, a smart decision.

If even that is not an option - we’re looking at you, plastic worshippers - then at the very least, don’t drop your plastic bags into the garbage can when you’re done using them. There are plenty of other ways you can use plastic bags around the house. Use them as small garbage can liners or at the very least, recycle them. Little steps make a huge difference!

Cloth vs Paper

Ah, the cloth versus paper dilemma! Whenever Possible, choose clothes. This can not only help you save money but it can cut down on the damage to the environment, too.

Rather than rushing to the grocery store and buying a dozen rolls of paper towels for cleaning, use old rags or bits of old towels or tee shirts. They’re just as effective and you can toss them in the wash when you’re done.

Just save all of your worn-out clothes and rags and stash them in a basket. Once you’ve used them for cleaning, you can wash them and repeat!

The one paper product we probably won’t swap out any time soon, though? Toilet paper. Yeah, we’ll leave that one where it is!

Start a Compost Pile

If you’re not composting yet, you’re missing out. This is a practice that beyond being green, also poses many benefits in terms of finances and how you run your home. It’s likely to become increasingly widespread, too - there are some states, like Vermont, that now have mandatory composting laws in place that require all citizens to compost food waste like kitchen scraps instead of throwing it in the trash.

Composting is a huge trend - and for good reason. You’ll not only reuse things that you ordinarily would have thrown out but you can also save money and help plants grow better in your garden (all without synthetic fertilizers, to boot). Why go to the store and buy expensive potting soil or compost when you can make your own at home - with things you would otherwise throw out?

It’s genius.

Believe it or not, you don’t need a large swath of land in order to start composting, either. While you can start a backyard compost pile in very little space, you can also compost indoors. There are below-the-sink compost bins you can make along with bins that rely on - get this - worms! - to do the composting for you! They require minimal space, produce no odors, and are known as “vermicomposting bins.”

Replace Light Bulb With Fluorescent Lights

Sustainable Living Ideas: Use Fluorescent Lights

What kind of light bulbs do you have in your home? While you shouldn’t run out and replace all of your lightbulbs that are still working, as they burn out, consider replacing each one with a more eco-friendly option.

Look for compact fluorescent lights, which last five times as long as incandescent bulbs and use far less electricity. They’re also much brighter so you can cut down on how many lamps you have in your home, too!

Consider Getting a Rain Barrel

If you live in a region that doesn’t get a lot of water, you may have wondered how you can water your lawn and garden plants without feeling guilty about using so much H2O. An easy solution? Install a rain barrel! Rain barrels are easy to assemble and fun to decorate.

Plus, they’ll help you save energy and water at the same time. You can install a rain barrel beneath your gutters where they will collect all the excess run-off from your roof during occasional rainstorms. Although this isn’t water you’ll want to drink (at least not without purifying it, since it can contain bird poop and contaminants leached from your roof), it’s perfectly fine for watering your plants.

The same goes for recycling greywater in your home from places like the shower or kitchen sink. Again, these aren’t great for drinking but can be used to water your plants rather than relying on water from the hose or faucet instead.

Cut Down On Energy Use In Your Home

Sustainable Living Tips: Reduce Energy Use At Home

There are plenty of other ways you can cut down on how much energy you use in your home, too. Consider lowering the thermostat in the winter and raising it in the summer. Even altering these conditions by as little as a few degrees can make a huge difference.

You can also unplug appliances when they aren’t in use and wash all of your clothes (whenever possible) on the cold setting. Most of the time, a cold wash is more than effective in getting your clothes clean - and it can also reduce the wear and tear on your clothes so they don’t become ragged and faded as quickly, either.

Borrow Instead of Buying

The next time you head to the store to buy the latest thing it is you “need,” consider carefully whether you actually need it. If you do, then think about whether you need to buy it - or if you could borrow it instead.

An easy way to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle is to borrow instead of buy. You can rent movies, borrow books, and buy second-hand items whenever possible. This will reduce items that need to be sent to the landfill and save yourself money at the same time (not to mention clutter in your home).

Buying used or borrowing doesn’t mean you have to settle for the second-best quality, either. Secondhand does not equate to subpar! There are plenty of used goods stores that sell items that are just as nice as the brand-new versions, so get creative in your search.

Reduce Water Waste

Many people don’t consider how much water they use, especially if they’re lucky enough to not have to pay a water bill.

However, an easy way to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle at home is to cut back on how much water you use. Try not to buy bottled water and use a reusable water bottle instead. Take a shorter shower in the morning and install low-flow showerheads.

It might not seem like much, but the low-flow showerhead will save you tons of money when you receive your next water bill. You’ll see it once you receive your new water bill!

You can also add a tap water filter to help take some of the aftertaste out of your tap water. This will make it much easier to make the switch from bottled water to tap water!

Buy Sustainable Grown Groceries

While composting is a great way to reduce your food waste, it’s not the only option. Buying sustainably-grown groceries is another good option.

There are several ways to do this. The best is to look locally for farmers and other growers who offer the food you need. Often, this isn’t any more expensive than what you’d buy at the grocery store, and often, you can find organic food, too.

You can also check apps like the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch app. If you’re buying seafood either for home or when you’re out at a restaurant, this app will tell you which options are best and most recommended in terms of sustainability. Even packaged items like tuna and frozen fish sticks generally come equipped with sustainability ratings so that you know exactly where your food is coming from.

Another idea is to start a garden in your own backyard. While this might not be an option for people in urban settings, you can always support your local community by [purchasing locally grown produce at the farmer’s market instead.

Start Today and Start Making Changes To Live a More Sustainable and Healthy Lifestyle

It's time to stop talking about sustainability and start making some changes. We've all been told that we need to make changes, but it can be hard to know where or how to start. Luckily, there are many ways you can live a greener life, a sustainable lifestyle at home with minimal effort on your part.

Hopefully, the tips above are enough to get you started in embarking on a more eco-friendly lifestyle - but why stop there? It might not seem like the actions of one person are enough to impact the environment in a meaningful way, but by taking small steps, one by one, you’re sure to make a difference.