How to live a Sustainable lifestyle?
If you noticed some of my content is slowly shifting towards sustainable and mindful living. I even say that in the tag line under the website’s name and the short answer is: I care.
The long answer is I care about this Earth that I live in. I care about my impact. I care how my presence, my needs and my desires are shaping this world for generations to come. I would love to leave this planet better than it was when I arrived. I would love for my future children to breath clean air and eat healthy food that’s not contaminated with oil and litter.
Therefore, I am looking at myself first before asking others to change because really every little effort helps and everything we do has an impact. I want mine to be positive as much as possible. I am still a long way from saying that I live a a completely sustainable zero waste life, but I have started especially with reducing my waste and the use of plastic. I don’t want this world to be a landfill. I want it to be less crowded with STUFF! Gross stuff that are pure litter and pointlessness.
Below are eight steps that I have taken forward:
How to switch to a more sustainable lifestyle?
These are eight steps I have taken so far and they work for me. Not everything works for everyone and I am not saying I am forever going to live by these things, but this is what I have done for now.
Switching Energy Supplier
I am so pleased to say that we have changed our energy supplier for the London flat to Bulb so our gas and electricity run on green energy from renewable sources and it makes me so happy we are not contributing to harmful types of energy to have a comfortable life. The price is also reasonable and we are paying a flat fee of £70/month for gas and it’s much cheaper than what we paid for the usual suppliers.
Replacing Groceries
There are so many issues with modern day groceries, from the almost fake fruit and veggies to the obscene amount of plastic wrapping everything. I am trying my best to avoid it and I am getting a weekly vegetables box from Able and Cole for £14.50, which is enough for the week if you plan it right.
Growing my own herbs
I love seeing fresh herbs on my windowsill and I am making a serious effort to keep them alive because buying herbs in plastic and then hardly using them hurts my heart! Now, I have the four I use the most: mint, thyme, basil and rosemary. They taste even better being so fresh!
Supporting local trade
After moving to the new flat in London, we needed a mattress as you do when you only get a bed frame and one of the criteria that I was looking for was UK made mattress and it was not easy, but I found “Rest Assured” and it is British made. It took them three weeks to deliver it, but I am so glad I supported a local trader and didn’t contribute to the carbon footprint. My travels are enough carbon footprints. I always pay to offset my carbon footsteps when I fly if there is an option.
Ordering in bulk
I love Amazon Prime and I cannot lie. It’s just so convenient, but I am aware of how negatively it can impact the environments if I keep getting deliveries and lots of packaging for little items, so now, I group my items as much as I could to order them at once. I am also trying bulk ordering for grains, oils and hand soaps, just so I am using less of smaller packaging and ordering less frequently.
Taking my cloth bags wherever I go
I am so glad they introduced the 5p charge in stores because now more people are bringing their own bags and reusing them and so am I! I have different size bags and I always have one tucked in my handbag just in case I do some shopping!
Plastic Free Personal Care
I am trying my best to minimise my plastic use. I am still a long way from the plastic free lifestyle, but I am working towards it and hoping for the best. I switched my shampoo and conditioner to solid dry format in metal tins, my tooth brush to a bamboo one, my toothpaste for tablets, powders and gels (still testing which one I like best) and my deodorant for a solid one too!
Reusable items!
Reusable items are my new favourite thing! I love love love my reusable tea cup, my reusable wooden cutlery, and my reusable menstrual cup. Minimising my waste just makes me so happy!
I would love to make more switches in the future for a more sustainable and mindful lifestyle. I would also love to make some of my own personal care products and home cleaning supplies