For many people, they have spent years building the life and living the lifestyle that they have aspired to be a part of since they were young, and with consumerism being such a mainstay of modern living, it is not surprising that some habits are hard to break.
However, for the sake of the longevity and ultimately, the survival, of the planet for future generations, it has become everybody’s responsibility to live an eco-friendlier and more sustainable life; and with that in mind, here is a guide on how you can do that.
Reduce the Amount of Energy You Use
Firstly, the simplest way in which you can reduce your household’s personal carbon footprint and indeed, reduce the negative impact that your daily actions and habits have on the natural world, is to monitor how much energy you use and serve to drastically reduce your consumption.
From turning off ceiling, floor, and table lamps when you leave the room, to turning electrical sockets off at the wall rather than leaving appliances on standby, to switching energy providers to a more sustainable alternative, positive changes should begin right away.
Support Sustainable Suppliers
Ever since the beginning of the worldwide industrial revolution (as impressive and indeed, fundamentally life-changing, inventions and developments in technologies and manmade construction have been—and will continue to be) manufacturing more often than not harms the natural environment.
One of the biggest contributors to the rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere is the manufacturing industry, with the steel manufacturing carbon footprint being one of the largest. Now, in the case of some purchases—namely larger appliances for your home—you may well have no option; but for smaller purchases, including food and drink shopping, being much more aware of the supply chain of a particular business (and looking for eco-friendlier alternatives where possible) would be an ethical decision to make.
Use Your Car Less
Obviously, if you are someone who needs your car to commute to work each and every day, especially if you work in an area of town whereby public transport would add an hour or more to your daily travel time, you are always going to prefer to drive.
However, for more social occasions like shopping excursions, for example, you will increase your level of eco-friendly living tenfold if you begin to make sustainable travel choices, such as by taking the bus or ridesharing with friends.
Wear Sustainable Clothing
Worldwide, the clothing industry is one of the largest contributors to pollution as a whole, with the World Health Organization estimating that a whopping 92 million tons of waste is produced by clothing manufacturers and suppliers every year.
As an individual, making sustainable shopping decisions (not only with what you wear, but also with what you eat and drink) is the most effective way to help bring this traumatizing number down.
Choosing to purchase your clothing secondhand from online sites, swapping clothes with friends and family members instead of buying new, and of course, donating and shopping at charity stores are all easy ways of making a positive difference.
