What is the key to a more sustainable life? Even small changes to your everyday lifestyle can significantly improve your personal environmental footprint. We are all responsible for the environment, and living more sustainably is crucial for our long-term well-being.
Your home is a perfect starting point for making changes to your lifestyle. It might feel like a speck of dust in this huge problem, but your home is also the place you have the most control over – and therefore a great opportunity to make a difference.
1. Separate more waste
The first step towards a more sustainable life is to recycle more. Pay attention to properly separating your waste: paper, packaging, organic waste, glass, and leftovers. With correct separation, a great deal can be recycled, and much less ends up in landfills.
2. Optimize your diet
If the world's cow population were a country in itself, it would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases worldwide. You can take a step towards a more sustainable life by consuming less dairy and beef. You can explore a variety of plant-based, more environmentally friendly alternatives, such as oat milk or meat alternatives like seitan.
3. Wear more layers
When it gets cold outside, it's tempting to simply crank up the heating. However, heating apartments and houses is a major driver of global warming. In the future, you can simply follow the layering principle with your clothing – with a few extra layers and warm socks, you can easily keep yourself cozy and warm instead of heating your entire home. Additional insulation of living spaces can also be very helpful, for example, thicker thermal curtains.
4. Use less plastic
Plastic is one of the most pressing environmental problems, because the mass consumption of plastic we see today poses a threat to people, animals, and our soil. An important yet simple step towards a more sustainable life is to use less plastic. You can reduce plastic by using your own bags for your fruits and vegetables instead of plastic bags and by reusing empty containers. Ideally, you should try to avoid unnecessary packaging whenever possible. Perhaps there's even a zero-waste shop or farmers market near you?
3. Growing from home
A great way to live more sustainably is to grow your own fruit and vegetables at home. From broccoli to red cabbage, with an energy-efficient smart garden you can grow your very own microgreens 365 days a year. You won't need any plastic packaging, and the only journey is from your kitchen to your plate. Browse our selection here.
2. Opt for second-hand goods
Living more sustainably also means using what already exists better and, above all, for longer. Manufacturing new products is energy-intensive, which is why it's better to simply make the most of what's already available. Take a look at second-hand shops in your area or online – you're sure to find high-quality and unusual clothing, furniture, and more there.
1. Support sustainable businesses online
One of the easiest ways to do something good for the environment is through how you use the internet – for example, you can easily switch your default search engine to a more sustainable one. Ecosia uses the profits generated from advertising to plant trees! Every search query through Ecosia helps trees remove 1 kg of CO2 from the atmosphere. Once you've found a retailer, check how the company addresses sustainability (see our Sustainability Promise here).
