Starting to become more environmentally friendly is not easy, and sometimes you feel that your change of habits won’t make a big difference. But, if everyone were able to make these small changes in their lives, it would create a positive impact on our earth. So, where shall we start?
- Recycling
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Yes, I know. The oldest trick in the book. For most people, recycling is how their sustainability journey begins. Recycling is great, but it’s how you recycle. Make sure to check what is recyclable and what is not, because many recycling businesses go out of business from having to constantly sort through their pile. So, make sure to check what you can recycle where you’re living!
- Reuse and Reduce
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Reusing items that can be reusable is a great way to reduce your ecological footprint and become more sustainable. Reusing your cans that had soup to make plant pots or your pickle jars can be great for storing new foods. Reducing how much you buy clothes or meats is also great. Finding a balance, and reducing from things you want to things you need is a great step towards sustainability.
- Second-Hand Thrift Shopping
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I think this one scares a lot of people off because they won’t think they’ll find cute clothes, but you can find a variety of different clothes at thrift stores, and they’re often cheaper than clothes you may be getting at large companies. Fast fashion is a huge problem in our environment and reducing the amount of “new” clothes you buy can help our environment tremendously. Plus, thrift shopping can be a fun activity to do with friends!
- Minimizing Your Lifestyle
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We all love buying things, but sometimes this isn’t always the best thing to do. When it comes to being more sustainable, it means reducing the amount of “junk” you have in your life. All those shoes that you just bought, did you really need them? Those millions of similar types of shirt…did you need that? Of course, you should be able to spoil yourself, but it’s all about the amount. Don’t overdo it. Living in a minimalist or a more minimalist lifestyle will help you focus on the things that matter more, and it has helped me unclutter my life.
- Changing Your Diet
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This is probably the hardest one to do, because food is a huge part of our lives. Excluding foods like meat, dairy, etc is very hard for many people, including me. I still struggle to lessen my animal consumption, but even just trying and slowly reducing is an amazing start. I think a lot of people think you have to do this cold turkey, but the truth is you should go at your own pace. Changing your diet this drastically can be very VERY hard, and it might make a lot of people unmotivated, so you should slowly do a day or two a week with no meat or animal products and go from there. Go at your own pace, and eventually, you’ll get there.
I know, this is a lot. But remember that this is a process. You’re not going to do everything right the first time, maybe not even the first few times. But slowly, you’ll get there, and if everyone were to make these small changes to their lives, it would create an amazing impact on our earth. Bettering our quality of earth will create a better quality of life for people.