Make Your Way To Sustainable Lifestyle

Sustainability is not a new topic, but it seems to be gaining more traction lately. It’s something we should all be striving for in our lives, both personal and professional.

But what does that mean for each of us? What are the small steps we can take to make a big impact?

Whether you are looking to reduce your carbon footprint or just want to be more mindful of your choices by living a self-sustaining lifestyle, we have got you covered. So read on and get started today!

For the last few years, the word of sustainability comes across very often. According to Sustainable Street 2030, sustainability describes lifestyle and attempts to reduce the use of earth natural resources.

Lester R. Brown, an environmentalist and founder of the Worldwatch Institute and Earth Policy Institute, says that sustainable living means shifting our way of life to a renewable energy-based, reuse/recycle economy with a diversified transport system. Sustainability includes our aspects of life, including fashion. 

We have to be aware that earth natural resources are not all renewable. And with the fast growth of the human population, we are using the resources at an unsustainable rate.

Soon there will be nothing left to use from earth if we don’t start living sustainably.

The effects of unsustainable living are massive, including climate changes. One of them is the rise of global temperature that we are facing right now.

Even 2℃ rise can cause heatwave, water shortage, changing of crop yield, and habitat degradation.

Living sustainably means living in a minimalist way. It isn’t as hard as it sounds. We can apply it in every aspect of our life. 

Fashion

Sustainable fashion has been a great deal of movement in the fashion industry.

Starting with the accident at Rana Plaza several years ago, the fashion people are trying to bring up the awareness of “who made your clothes”.

It’s goal is to make people aware about how we can switch our habit into sustainable fashion.

• Changes fast fashion into slow fashion.
• Quality over quantity. Buy more fashion items with good quality that can last longer. 
• Buy what you need, not what you want. 

Food

In 2011, the Food and Agriculture Organization of The United Nations presented that there are almost 1,3 billions of food waste all over the world.

It is almost ⅓ from the food that is produced for humans. This number represents how much we waste from our food, that is actually still can be used and nutritious for our body.

• Use all parts of the food, pick ingredients that produce less waste. 
• Buy from the local market to  support the local economy and support sustainability.
• Choose organic food and vegan products.
• If it’s already a waste, we can process it into a compost for plants. 

Green Cosmetics

More than ever, people are also more aware of what kind of ingredients that they applied on their body. It’s not hard to find green cosmetics with its label. 

• Use cosmetics with natural oil and agricultural plants based.
• Use cosmetics with a natural and environmentally friendly making process.
• Choose cosmetics with environmentally friendly packaging.

Travel

In general, sustainable traveling means traveling with eco-friendly practices and without harming natural environments. But for individuals, it also means how to create social impact on your journey. 

• Buy souvenirs or products from local markets and local sources, to make sure the money stays in the community. 
• Join the social impact travel that offers not only travelling, but also creating social impact.

Renewable Energy

Renewable energy refers to energy produced from clean natural resources that constantly replenished in nature, like sun, wind, and air. 

• Use renewable energy as a source of everyday power. 
• Saving electricity by reducing the use based on your need. 
• Reduce power and the use of products that you don’t really need.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Reduce means reducing our waste and reducing the use of materials that cause a bad impact on the environment.

Reuse means reusing items that still can be used and not replacing it with new stuff. Recycling means turning waste into products that are useful for daily life.

• Choose products with less packaging.
• Bring a water bottle and refill it.
• Using recycled products.

Recycle Product

Using recycled products means we can use waste and process it into another form that is useful for everyday life. 

• Use compost as fertilizer that is made from food waste. 
• Separating our waste. 
• Giving the recycled waste to the community or institution who process recycled stuff. 
• Buy things that are made of recycled things. Usually we can see the info in the label. 

Going Paperless

It’s not hard to go paperless in this digitized area. Most of all our correspondence has been shifting to digital. 

• Use email for correspondence.
• Make an agreement as a soft copy. 
• Use e-receipt instead of paper receipt.

Saving Water

Water the number one resources of our planet. Even though most of the country doesn’t suffer from the water crisis, it is still the energy that we need to conserve.

It is not only to save water, but also to save the energy we are using from earth. It is just little simple things that we do everyday. 

• Closing the tap when it is not in use. 
• Reducing the use of the washing machine. 
• Fixing plumbing leaks. 
• Cutting short the shower time. 
• Reuse the water to water your plants.

Selling or Donating

Do not throw your unused things in the bin. What dont have benefits for you might come useful for someone else. That way, you are contributing in reducing waste.

• Sell the unused things to secondhand stuff.
• Donate the unused things.
• Make a garage sale on unused things.

 Go Local Products

There are many local brands that have good quality products and save for the environment.

And most of the time they are more informative in explaining their production process and how they support sustainable lifestyle.

As a plus, buying local brands also means supporting local economics and cutting the long manufacturer and production chains.

• Find local brands that support sustainability.
• Find information about the brand production process.
• Find information about how the brand treats their labor.

Eco Friendly Cleaning Products

Every time we finish showering or washing, our cleaning products may stay for longer than we know and start to pollute the air and soil.

It will happen if we use cleaning products that are not environmentally friendly.

Their materials can not be quickly absorbed in the water. We can change it using eco friendly cleaning products that are biodegradable.

They will be quickly absorbed in the soil and won’t cause any harm to the environment.

• Use cleaning products with environmentally friendly materials.
• Read the label to seek information whether the product is biodegradable.

Less Plastic

You might hear it frequently, about how plastic is dangerous to our life and environment.

But, the fact is plastic waste can pollute the air, and it takes 50-100 years for plastic to decompose.

Meanwhile, plastic can release materials that are dangerous to the environment and humans. 

• Carry your own container to reduce plastic, whether shopping bags, food container, or water container. These containers can be reused each time you need it. 
• Use other alternatives that are more environmentally friendly, like bamboo straw, bamboo cutleries, etc. 

Buy Used Products

Used products have a new name that is popular, vintage products. Vintage products have become one of the trends. It is okay to buy used products, sometimes you can find treasure in used products. 

• Buy vintage clothes.
• Buy second hand cars, electronics.
• Find antiques furniture.

Walk More, Cycling More

In 2013, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and other vehicle pollution contributed to more than a half of air pollution.

The effect is very clear, the rise of global temperature, greenhouse effect, the extreme climate change. Our small habit really counts. 

• Reduce the use of cars and other automotive vehicles. 
• Switch your transportation into bicycle.
• Choose walking whenever possible.

Boycott Products That Endanger Wildlife

Be active in seeking information about your product. Find out if the products are using materials that may endanger the environment and wildlife. Find a product that is really environmentally friendly. You can search for it on their website.

• Do not buy souvenirs or products made of endangered species. 
• Do not eat meat from endangered animals.
• Check the ingredients before you buy product.

Natural Sleep Schedule

How can our regular sleep affect the environment? Well, it does. If we tend to work in the daylight and sleep regularly at night, it means we are using energy effectively.

Because in daylight, we use natural resources like the sun. But night activities use a lot of electricity energy.

So, making your regular schedule and sleep schedule can help you to save electricity.

• Finish your work on day, don’t wait until night.
• Sleep regularly and maintain an 8 hour sleep.
• Minimize night meeting.

Stop Using Single Products

Swift your product to reuse products. Identify your one time products, including tissues, wet wipes, shopping bags, razors, cups, plates, food storage, diapers, batteries, writing pens, ink cartridges, coffee filters, furnace or air conditioner filters. Change it into reusable or environmentally friendly products. 

• Use reusable shopping bags. 
• Use email instead of paper notes. 
• Use reusable diapers.

Making Home Garden

Making a home garden means you can be more selective in choosing food ingredients that you served on the table. You can use eco-friendly gardening methods and ingredients that are made from your waste. So, it’s a step to zero waste lifestyle. 

• Make use of your garden and plant food that you can consume.
• Plant your own food.
• Use the compost from your waste. 

Buy Less, Consume More

When we change our habit and just buy what we really need, we can reduce a significant amount of our carbon footprint.

Consume more means try to produce a very minimum waste of everything that we take, like food, clothes, books. 

• Reuse the product.
• Maximize the benefit of each product.

Going Zero Waste

It is a big goal, but we can achieve it if we start small. Start thinking about the products that we used.

How useful those products are to use and to others. Try to switch our way of looking at things around us. In the end, we can fully switch our lifestyle to live sustainably and produce zero waste.

What we do does matter, our effort to start a sustainable lifestyle does have an effect. 

If you’re looking for a more sustainable lifestyle, it’s time to start making your way to becoming self-sufficient.

It’ll take some effort and time investment upfront, but the long-term payoff is worth it. By growing your own food, generating your own energy, and taking care of basic needs like water and shelter on your own property, you can reduce your reliance on the grid (and all of the associated environmental impacts) while enjoying a higher quality of life.

What are you waiting for? Start planning today how you can make the shift to self-sufficiency!