Sustainability: the avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance (Oxford English Dictionary)
Living a more sustainable lifestyle isn't an easy overnight switch; it takes patience, research and commitment. The good thing however, is that the smallest changes can actually make a huge difference. So if you're looking to become a bit more sustainable with your choices in 2021, I've made a little guide to some of the easiest swaps you can make:
Reusable water bottle // We all know this one by now, and a lot of people have already made the switch. A great example of a small change making a big difference; if you usually buy a bottle of water every day at work then by switching to a reusable one you'll be saving around 200 plastic bottles a year. This is a win not only for the environment, but also for your bank balance as the initial cost of a reusable bottle will soon be made back by the savings you'll make.
Reusable coffee cup // Similarly to a reusable water bottle, you'll save a lot of coffee cups from going to landfill if you buy a reusable one (if you're a coffee drinker that is). There are a huge variety of styles and sizes and pretty much everywhere accept them now.
Buy loose fruit and veg // Food packaging is a huge contributor to household waste (probably the most boring sentence I've ever written in a blog post) and although it's a minefield to attempt to completely change your shopping habits immediately, simply switching from buying pre-packaged to loose fruit and veg is an easy first step. If you don't like the idea of your veg lying naked in your basket you could use your own reusable bags (or at least reuse the ones they provide in the shop until they fall apart).
Soap & shampoo bars // Your bathroom is a sea of plastic, but also an easy place to make more sustainable. Swapping your shower gel for bars of soap and your shampoo bottles for shampoo bars will save heaps every year. Just make sure they come in cardboard packaging!
Cut down on fast fashion // Depending on how much of a fast fashion fiend you are, this swap could be a difficult one, hence why I've simply put 'cut down' rather than 'ditch'. The fashion industry is bad for the environment and often mistreats its workers and I'm lucky that I'm in a place where I only buy second hand or sustainably made clothing. Any amount of cutting down is a good thing when it comes to fast fashion though, even if it's simply skipping that Primark trip you don't need.
Have you made any small sustainable swaps recently?
Amy x
I feel bad I don't think I've used my coffee cups nearly enough to justify the effort that went into making them - I used to get them regularly filled as a treat about once a week while I was in the office but we've been working from home for so long now!
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely trying to cut down more on my fashion spend too - the true cost documentary was really eye opening for me and it's been changing my shopping habits since I saw it a few years ago :)
Hope that you had a great weekend! Ours was a nice quiet one at home with the 3 day Brisbane lockdown due to there being a case of coronavirus outside hotel quarantine, but lockdown ends tonight as there have been no more cases :)
Away From Blue
Awh yeah if you're working from home I suppose you won't need it - I'm sure you'll use it again once things are back to normal though :) That's great that you've cut down on fast fashion too! Awh that's fab that lockdown is ending for you, mine was quiet as we're still in lockdown over here! x
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