How and why to create sustainable living
It can be said that in the 21st century, environmental concerns have become the biggest concern of mankind. As a result, many people prefer to have a lifestyle that causes the least damage to the environment and preserves the natural resources on the planet for a longer period of time. Such a lifestyle is called a sustainable life.
Having a sustainable life is actually a kind of life philosophy that affects various dimensions of life and ultimately reduces the impact of people on the environment such as their carbon footprint as much as possible. To have such a lifestyle, there are several solutions in different fields that you can use in your personal and social life.
What is sustainable living?
Currently, sustainable living is defined as meeting the current ecological, social and economic needs without compromising these factors for future generations. According to this sustainable living definition, perhaps attention to the environment is one of the most important aspects of sustainability, but social and economic aspects can also be considered for a sustainable life.
From a social point of view, less consumption of various materials and less production of carbon dioxide will lead to the reduction of problems such as food shortages in different parts of the planet, air pollution and climate changes. From an economic point of view, it is considered a sustainable economic activity that includes both sustainable social aspects such as the human rights of workers and their adequate wages, and environmental aspects, like causing the least damage to the environment, and use of renewable resources.
Importance of sustainable living
Many people think that one person's action to have a sustainable living will not make a significant difference in decreasing environmental degradation and pollution. But we must keep in mind that the actions we take in each of us will have small effects in our individual lives.
Now, if more people choose a sustainable lifestyle and prioritize sustainability in their daily choices, the impact will be huge.
However, we know that the big oil companies and the actions taken by governments have a much greater impact on the production of greenhouse gasses than the individual actions of each citizen. As a result, there must be a strong determination to hold governments accountable for the environment at the global level. Individual actions of each of us can strengthen public efforts to take extensive measures to protect the environment.
There are many sustainable living ideas that help us experience more stability in our personal daily lives. Since nothing in the world is perfect and our ecological footprint on the planet will never be zero, don't expect your whole life to be perfectly sustainable at once.
Three tips for sustainable eating
Each year, the average American family of four loses $1,500 to uneaten food. It seems that it is time to make fundamental changes in our eating habits. Throwing away less food and eating foods that do less damage to the environment are simple tricks we can try.
Reduce meat consumption: Meat production consumes a lot of water and releases a lot of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. Indiscriminate grazing of animals in nature causes the loss of natural vegetation and soil erosion. On the other hand, there are many doubts about the morality and fairness of the working conditions in the meat industry. You don't have to choose an all-vegetarian diet for yourself, but you can reduce the consumption of meat and animal products.
Drink tap water: If the tap water in the area where you live is treated and standardized, you can avoid using bottled water as much as possible. This will both reduce your costs and affect the amount of plastic you use.
Waste less food: One of the ways you can make sure you are in the way of having a sustainable living is to waste less. So it is better to control your purchase. Buy only the things you really use. Try to cook enough food so that your food waste is less. If you have a food item that you don't know what to do with, just google the dishes that are made with that food item.
Two tips for sustainable cleaning
Many of the detergents that we use in our homes somehow find their way into the sewer and water system and have a detrimental effect on the environment. Therefore, it is better to abandon the use of chemical detergents as much as possible and replace them with natural cleaners such as vinegar.
Find natural cleaners: You can use salt to clean the stove and polish your wooden furniture with olive oil. Lemon juice is also a natural and strong cleanser. Use a combination of lemon juice and salt to remove stains from the stone. With a little research, you can find natural cleaners that are both non-toxic and environmentally friendly for many household cleaning tasks.
Beware of factory products: If you prefer to use detergents that are manufactured in factories, you should know that it is difficult to determine the exact formula of detergents. Because most companies keep a large part of the detergent formulation secret so that competitors do not copy it. However, in the U.S., manufacturers are required by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to list ingredients that are active disinfectants or potentially harmful.
Four tips for sustainable shopping
To achieve a sustainable life, we must keep important points in mind. One of these things is shopping. Every dollar spent on a product has an impact. It's a choice to spend your money on a product that a lot of pollution has been produced to make it or a product that went the extra mile to make it sustainable. Therefore, we must answer this question before buying. Have people or the planet been exploited to make this device?
According to Statista, the average greenhouse gas production per American is 14 tons per year. This number is three times the global average and shows that American society should take a second look at its lifestyle. There are practical and simple tips for sustainable living that we can use on a daily basis in our lives, especially when shopping, because if we have a sustainable purchase, the rest of the path will be easier.
Know the materials: No matter what you buy, you can always consider the carbon footprint. For example, if you buy clothes, look at the material. Usually, there is a lot of information written on the clothing label. Avoid plastic and non-environmental products and go for cotton fabrics.
If you are interested in wearing cotton products, you can visit articles related to cotton underwear, cotton t-shirts, and cotton leggings.
Look at the product brand: Some brands are very transparent and specify in their reports how much greenhouse gas was generated to make the product. Some brands are even transparent about the conditions of their employees and workers. Many big and popular brands do not benefit from this virtue.
Pay attention to your needs: Buy a product that you will definitely use. Most of us have a stash of gadgets that we never use or throw away after a few uses. Mis-buying happens especially with cheaper items like clothes, so think twice before making any purchase.
You also need to be sensitive about the gifts you buy. Buy useful and durable gifts that are eco-friendly.
Pay attention to the quality: The longer use your equipment or clothing has, the more sustainable it is. Many items break down much sooner than they should, and for this reason, we will end up with a mountain of plastic and polluted waste in a very short time.
Two tips for sustainable transportation
Transportation is one of the important factors in the production of greenhouse gasses and pollution all over the world. It accounts for about 64% of global oil consumption, 27% of total energy consumption, and 23% of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in the world.
Rethinking and reforming public transportation in the U.S. can have positive effects for American society. Among these results, three cases can be mentioned. Lower vehicle fuel costs, improved air quality through reduced fossil fuel consumption and reduced carbon emissions, and better access to reliable and affordable transportation options for all Americans.
Use fuel-efficient vehicles: A good way to optimize fuel consumption is to use fuel-efficient vehicles. Normally, old vehicles have higher fuel consumption, so they should be replaced with new ones. Fuel-efficient cars save fuel costs and emit less greenhouse gasses.
Use public vehicles: Determining the best route for public vehicles not only can be effective in controlling the fuel consumption of cars, but also can increase the efficiency of the transportation system. The transportation system can be improved by examining the amount of traffic, the population of the area, and the routes available for cars.
Three tips for sustainable house
If you are planning to buy a new home or renovate your home, this is the best opportunity to have an eco-friendly house. For starters, you can take a look at eco-friendly homes around the world and get inspired by them. For example, the website of houses and gardens has introduced a number of eco houses. Even if you don't want to change your home, you still can have a sustainable living and make your house more eco-friendly in different ways.
Choose a small house: To have a sustainable house, first of all, you should choose a house that is not too big. Larger homes require more energy to cool and heat, and you have to pay more for their lighting and furniture. While you may not use all the space of the house and some parts of it remain practically unused.
Consider green house building techniques: Eco-friendly flooring such as bamboo, eco-cement, energy-efficient windows and solar-powered water heater are among the eco-friendly materials that you can have in your home.
Change the light in the house: Home lighting has a great impact on energy consumption. It is better to design the house in such a way that you can make more use of natural daylight.
As you know, we need to burn fossil fuel to generate electricity. Burning fossil fuel plays the main role in air pollution and global warming. The more you use natural light, the less you will need to use electricity. You can also use CFL lamps instead of traditional lamps, which consume less energy and last longer.
Three R's: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
To have a sustainable life, it is better to reduce your need for new products. Instead of buying low-quality products, it is better to choose more durable and high-quality options. In this way, your items will break down later, which means that you will not only have less need to buy new items, but you will also produce less waste.
Another solution is to reuse your old stuff. You can use old things in new ways. For example, a plastic water bottle can become a food container for birds. You can also donate the things you don't need to others. Clothes that are too small for you or your child's old toys can be good gifts for people in need.
Finally, check everything you have to throw away. Some of our waste can be recycled, such as plastic, glass and aluminum bottles. Prepare a separate bin for recyclable waste in your home and try to separate the items that can be recycled from the rest of the garbage.
Raise your voice
Each of us is active in social networks and we meet many friends and colleagues throughout the day. We have the opportunity to help our friends and acquaintances become more aware. From time to time, you can produce content about sustainable living on your Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and educate others.
You can also be picky about the purchases you make. Would you give your money to a company that does not treat its employees ethically? Has the device you bought been manufactured to be less harmful to the environment, or does the manufacturer not care about this issue?
You also have the opportunity to make a significant change in the country's policies by voting for politicians who care about climate change and its consequences.
Be creative
There are dozens of sustainable living examples around us. You can take inspiration from them; You can also use your creativity and come up with new ways to make your daily life more sustainable. For example, replace paper napkins and disposable towels with cloth napkins or towels. You can even use your old t-shirts instead of dusters.
You can also reduce the use of plastic in different ways. Buy things that don't come in plastic packaging, and if you have to use plastic packaging, separate the plastic waste and send it for recycling.
There is no fixed state for sustainable living. As our needs and circumstances change every day, so do our solutions. It is important to consider economics, environment and social justice in every decision you make. Then you will come up with many new ideas.
*Living a completely sustainable life seems more than ideal, but by making some lifestyle changes we can achieve our best performance.
Conclusion
Every step you take towards sustainable living is important. You may not be able to implement all the above in your life at first. You can start with simpler or more essential steps and then move on to more. It is true that what each of us does alone will not change the world, but together we have much more power and we can make enormous changes.
