While the concept of sustainable living has been around for decades, society still has several misconceptions about it. These misunderstandings often turn off newbies. People new to eco-friendly living shun the idea of an expensive, inaccessible, and unsustainable lifestyle exclusive to wealthy tree huggers. This idea is far from reality. No, you don’t have to throw all your trash in a compost bin or waste money on niche organic brands. Sustainability revolves around making an eco-friendly lifestyle consistently. Build conscious, mindful habits geared toward minimizing your carbon footprint.
Don’t worry if you haven’t found a good starting point for living an eco-friendly lifestyle yet—we can help. Keep reading for some best practices to help you live sustainably!
Create Eco-Friendly Beauty Routines
Many beauty products rely on wasteful fancy packaging. Statistics show that the beauty industry produces over 120 billion units of plastic waste packaging per annum. Maintaining clear, glowing skin is great, but not at the expense of the environment.
To minimize the harmful impact of the beauty industry, opt for sustainable alternatives, such as:
- Reusable Cotton Pads: Manufacturing cotton rounds requires a significant amount of water. Brands exhaust over 5,700 gallons of clean water just to produce two pounds of cotton. As such, opt for LastRound reusable makeup round instead. You can reuse a pack of seven washable pads up to 1,750 times, which should last more than a year.
- Eco-Friendly Lipstick: Gabriel Cosmetics carries a solid lineup of vegan, all-natural, non-toxic lipsticks encased in 100% recycled packaging.
- Beauty Soap: The thick glass container that perfume comes in leaves a sizable carbon footprint. If you want to smell alluring without hurting the planet, opt for the Chanel No. 5 bath soap.
Avoid Hair Products in Bulky Plastic Packaging
Shampoo bottles contribute to the planet’s growing plastic waste problem. Over half a billion end up in landfills every year, and a large portion never gets recycled.
Moreover, manufacturing shampoo bottles requires massive resources. These bottles’ bright, fancy labels, thick caps, and intricate pumps take more time to produce than plain water bottles.
To eliminate the need for plastic shampoo bottles, switch to shampoo bars. Eco-friendly brands like Ethique carry a wide range of vegan-friendly, all-natural options for various hair types, from curly strands to dandruff-prone scalps.
Rely on Less Toilet Paper
The reliance on toilet paper worsens the planet’s growing waste problem. Since most people exhaust 20,000 sheets of toilet paper per annum, global brands have to manufacture over 83 million rolls daily.
However, cleaning your bottom with toilet paper is neither hygienic nor eco-friendly. Wash with soap and water instead.
Install a Clear Rear handheld toilet bidet in your bathroom, so you won’t have to use as much toilet paper anymore. Just aim the bidet at your bottom, press the nozzle, and start cleaning.
Fly Coach
Air travel accounts for over 3% of global carbon emissions, making it one of the biggest contributors to air pollution. They also exhaust an ungodly amount of fossil fuel. Most commercial flights consume a gallon of fuel every second, so an international flight spanning 10 hours burns upward of 36,000 gallons.
Fortunately, you don’t have to give up air travel for the environment. To minimize your carbon footprint while traveling, opt to fly coach.
Economy flights aren’t just affordable; they’re also better for the environment. These flights transport more passengers and typically burn less fuel. Moreover, the luxurious features and amenities on business-class flights further increase the carbon footprint left by each passenger.
Shop Less Often
Fast shopping trends support a consumerist-driven throw-away lifestyle. Consumers keep buying things that they don’t need to look “cool.”
Unfortunately, trends exist in every industry. Digital natives upgrade their phones almost twice a year, fashionistas go on shopping sprees every week, and wealthy executives use spacious SUVs as a status symbol.
Remember: mindful consumption is just as important as waste reduction. Only purchase what you need, recycle whenever possible, and maximize the lifespan of all your belongings.
Buy Your Groceries in Bulk
Many grocery items rely on single-use packaging. Unfortunately, even seasoned eco-conscious advocates cannot wholly avoid this plastic waste since groceries come prepackaged.
However, you can minimize unnecessary plastic waste by buying in bulk. Items in single-serving portions typically use fancier, more elaborate plastic packaging. For instance, a dozen tiny packets of chips produce more plastic waste than a single large bag.
Just make sure to stock your groceries properly. Buying foods in bulk will not help the environment if they spoil due to poor storage habits.
Buy Second-Hand Items
Start buying more second-hand items. Our consumerist-driven society preloved products as cheap, but they’re actually pretty cost-efficient and eco-friendly. Remember: buying used items maximizes product lifespan.
Start Living a More Eco-friendly Lifestyle Today!
Don’t overthink your plans to live sustainably. As we mentioned, sustainable living revolves around making mindful, eco-conscious everyday choices—not taking on grand, unsustainable projects. Waste reduction habits take precedence over extravagant efforts.
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