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Tweak Your Lifestyle with 12 Easy Ways to be Sustainable at Home

The decisions we make daily impact the environment, the climate, and other creatures. There’s a lot we can do, from what we consume to how many kids we have, to lessen our environmental imprint and make space for wild animals and plants. When you start being sustainable at home, you are helping to improve the environment. 

It’s about time now for each of us to give sustainable living some serious thought and make adjustments in the lives we conduct if we really want to save what’s left of our environment. This article will define sustainable living, why it is important, and how you can live a more sustainable life.

sustainable at home

What is Sustainable Living?

Simply put, sustainable living is a way of life that uses as few of the Earth’s natural resources as possible and tries to do the least levels of environmental damage and help protect the planet. It is possible to be environmentally friendly and sustainable in various aspects of our lives, such as minimizing the amount of energy we consume, using eco-friendly items, and adjusting our diet, all of these count as sustainable practices at home. 

The change starts with you, even if it’s just turning off your tap while brushing to become sustainable at home. All efforts matter because if we continue to live our current lifestyles, depleting our natural resources and causing ongoing environmental damage, future generations will not have enough resources to sustain life on Earth.

The Importance of Being Sustainable at Home

Being sustainable at home is one of the greatest ways to bring change at an individual level. We are currently producing resources, using energy, and generating waste unsustainably. This causes environmental problems such as pollution and global warming, damaging the environment, wildlife, and humans. We need to change our habits and adopt sustainable practices at home. Several people struggle to make significant changes because they don’t know where to start. It can range from a modest change, like regularly using a recyclable bottle of water, to a larger expense, such as installing solar panels to switch to clean energy for our houses. By making these lifestyle adjustments, you may lower your carbon footprint and assist in addressing these challenges.

How to be More Sustainable at Home

There are numerous methods to answer your question about how to be more sustainable at home. Embrace more sustainable living practices and live a more environmentally conscious existence. Small changes in your behaviour, products, or consumer habits will also positively impact the environment.

Save Energy

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The first and foremost point to being sustainable at home is saving Energy. You may help to reduce carbon emissions by using less energy. There are several ways to save energy at home, like hanging clothes to dry rather than using a dryer. Use power strips to make it easy to unplug multiple items at once, and make it a practice to leave things unplugged that you don’t use often. 

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the cost of idle but plugged-in equipment in the United States is roughly 19 billion dollars per year, generating 44 million tonnes of carbon. Use LED or CFL bulbs, which have a longer life, higher energy efficiency, and contain fewer harmful metals, making the conversion reasonable. Solar panels generate energy that can be used to power your homes. We can power our houses with a renewable source that emits fewer carbon emissions than fossil fuels by using energy sources such as solar. 

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

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The most well-known way to become sustainable at home is to keep up with this famous mantra of recycling, reusing and reducing. Everything we buy has an environmental impact, from the materials needed to make it to the pollution generated during manufacture to the packaging that ends up in the ocean.

So, before you buy, consider whether you need it. And even better, think if it’ll act as a resource that stays sustainable at home for a longer period of time than just being thrown away in trash after a day or two. Avoid wasting money by using what you currently have before shopping for new items. Consider buying slightly used rather than new, and look for minimal packaging and delivery items. Instead of buying storage plastic bags, use reusable containers or recyclable sandwich bags. 

Purchasing products created from recycled materials is beneficial to the environment and generates additional demand, encouraging greater recycling. Put your trash in the appropriate bins to ensure that you are recycling. All you have to do is get creative, and you’ll save a tonne of money while also helping the environment. To reduce waste, strive to reuse products and items as many times as possible before discarding them, hence helping you become sustainable at home.

Save Water

Most people are unaware that water is a limited resource. Because of our wasteful behaviors, the globe is rapidly running out of water. To live sustainably, make a concerted effort to reduce household water consumption. You may save water in and around your house by making modest modifications like taking shorter showers, installing water-efficient toilets and showerheads, utilizing energy-efficient dishwashers and dryers, adding aerators to sink faucets, or putting something heavy in your toilet tank to minimize the amount that is flushed down the drain. To avoid wasting drinking water, construct a water butt and use gray water; these are great methods to save water.

Use Eco-Friendly Cleaning and Bathroom Products

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Most cleaning products have chemicals that are potentially hazardous to the environment. You may assist in avoiding these chemicals from having a harmful influence on the environment by committing to utilizing green/eco-friendly cleaning solutions. 

White vinegar is about to become your greatest buddy when it comes to green cleaning. You’ll be able to handle everything from your improper garbage disposal to your shower with a little elbow grease and no dangerous chemicals. Use environmentally-friendly toilet paper, such as bamboo toilet paper, which is more eco-friendly than normal toilet paper. Hence, making it easier for you to be sustainable at home.

Eat Less Meat

Meat production is one of the leading causes of climate change and pollution of landscapes and waterways and is harmful to the ecosystem. For raising cows, 70% of the Amazon rainforest has been destroyed. Meat production also produces the highest amount of carbon emissions of any protein. 

You have three chances a day to help the planet’s health – one of them is to lower your meat consumption and thus your carbon footprint. Furthermore, nearly 40% of edible food in the United States is thrown away, wasting all of the natural resources used to produce it. If you can’t go vegan, make an effort to eat more plants than meat.

Green Your Home and Travel

Make sure your home is well-insulated and has energy-efficient windows, and use a programmed thermostat for more effective heating and cooling – as well as energy-saving light bulbs to be sustainable at home. Reduce indoor air pollution by using eco-paints that produce fewer chemicals and are less harmful. Gaps that cost you money in heating and air conditioning can be eliminated by replacing leaking weather stripping and covering cracks with foam tape. Many states now provide low- or no-cost benefits to help you green your house.

Even if it’s simply to run a few errands on the weekends, ditch the car and walk or ride a bike instead. It’s healthier for the environment and health. However, it may be difficult to quit your vehicle, so consider replacing it with an environmentally friendly option such as an Electric Vehicle with zero or low emissions. Another smart strategy to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions is public transportation.

Go Plastic Free and Reduce Paper Usage

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How easy is it to stop buying those lousy plastic Tupperware containers and buy a chic looking one make of wood or glass the next time you go out to buy one? Super easy! This could not just help yu be sustainable at home, but would also make the place look classier. Win-win!

Currently, billions of pounds of plastic can be seen in swirling convergences that cover over 40% of the world’s oceans. In just a few easy actions, you can start reducing your plastic waste: When shopping, use reusable bags, avoid single-use water bottles, bags, and straws, and avoid anything made of or packaged in plastic as much as possible. Stop using single-use plastic straws and replace them with reusable metal or bamboo straws. It is not only better for the environment, but it is also less expensive.

It’s crucial to be attentive and invest in recyclable paper to avoid wasting paper, whether toilet paper, standard writing paper or wrapping paper. Choose to receive letters by email instead of regular mail and only print documents when necessary. You might also request the stores to send you your receipt by email rather than printing it. Seabirds, sea turtles, seals, and other marine mammals are killed each year in thousands of numbers after consuming or becoming entangled in plastic.

Use Ethically Made Fashion and Personal Products

Many of the beautiful fashion products you see on supermarket shelves are created by impoverished people in third-world nations who are paid pitiful wages. They’re also made out of hazardous chemicals like nylon. On the other hand, eco-friendly clothing manufacturers make sure that all of their employees are compensated properly and that they utilize environmentally friendly materials.

The majority of cosmetic products contain hazardous elements that are harmful to our health and the environment, which reduces your chance at being easily sustainable at home. When purchasing cosmetics, look for non-toxic makeup products that provide organic cosmetics. These items do not include chemicals, parabens, phthalates, and genetically engineered components. Switching to non-toxic cosmetic products will protect your skin and reduce your use of plastic, allowing you to be greener and more sustainable at home. 

Choose biodegradable, eco-friendly personal hygiene products for really sustainable living. Purchase non-toxic or plastic-free body wash, face scrub, toothpaste, and other hygiene goods. Use washable cloth liner and pads rather than tampons and sanitary pads. You can also buy organic cotton sanitary pads that are environmentally friendly. The Diva Cup, which is reusable, is preferred by certain women See? Even taking care of your own hygiene more consciously can help you become more sustainable at home.

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Green Your Diet and Don’t Waste Food

The Food you consume daily has a significant impact on the environment. It’s also crucial to cut down on food waste. If you have leftovers, don’t just toss them out instead save them for the next day’s meal or tea, or freeze them. If they go bad, you can use them to make compost for your garden. Look for food materials which have been acquired locally or produced ethically to be more sustainable at home. 

Adopting a sustainable diet and supporting the local farmers, as well as phasing out or at least reducing your meat consumption, would all help. This includes using organic fertilizer and purchasing products from companies that pay their farmers fairly.

Pay Attention to Labels

A great way to be sustainable at home is to check twice what you’re bringing into it. The variety of alternatives available, from coffee to fruits to clothing, might be confusing. Still, there are a few obvious leaders when it comes to limiting your influence on wildlife and the environment. If you like coffee, look for “shade-grown” coffee, which is cultivated in a way that preserves forest habitats for migrant birds and other wildlife. 

When feasible, buy Fair Trade certified products. The certification demonstrates that eco-friendly items are cultivated or manufactured using sustainable techniques and that fair pricing and wages are given for the goods and services. When feasible, buy organic Food; it may be a bit more expensive, but it keeps toxic chemicals out of our land and water, benefiting agricultural workers, wildlife, and your family while helping you become proportionately sustainable at home.

Grow a Garden or Plant Trees

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Growing our Food isn’t as difficult as you would think. On a windowsill, cultivate herbs and vegetables. You don’t need acres to produce a variety of herbs, fruit, and veggies; just a few square feet will suffice, which makes this a great initiative for you to be easily sustainable at home. Plant as many trees as you can and make sure they are well cared for. Trees contribute to climate stability by absorbing pollution, sequestering carbon, and producing breathable oxygen. They also help to regulate temperature, provide wildlife habitat, and have a beneficial social impact, among other things. 

Speak Up

Last but not the least, the most important way to be sustainable at home or anywhere at all is to speak up about this change needed. Discuss your enthusiasm for nature and environmental justice with individuals in your neighborhood or close group. Getting politically involved in your town and at the national level is one of the best things you can do for animals and the environment today and in the future. Candidates with a strong environmental platform should receive their vote.

Demand that your lawmakers pass stronger measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, combat climate change, conserve wildlife and public lands, and support reproductive health care access. Better education and access to community organizations help children and wildlife thrive by reducing our overall carbon footprint. Support organizations that rely on numbers to make a difference, or share your personal practices of being sustainable at home with family and friends to pique their interest. 

Conclusion 

Sustainable living is not easy; it necessitates lifestyle changes, with the best place to begin being sustainable at home. Even the littlest sustainable practices at home matter, and contribute to needed change. The good news is that no change is insignificant. All you have to do is be proactive when it comes to these lifestyle changes, and if you know how to be more sustainable, you will succeed in due time.

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Dr. Divya Goil

Dr. Divya Goil

Dr. Divya Goil is a Sustainability Researcher at Ecowiser. We empower individuals to make sustainable choices. I am a medical doctor with a passion for environmental conservation and have dedicated my career to finding solutions for a more sustainable future.

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