Top 5 Easy Ways To Live A Sustainable Life

A sustainable lifestyle is a direct vote for the health of our planet & its inhabitants.

It’s the elixir to ensure we get access to clean air, fresh food, a healthy body & a beautiful planet! Because let’s not forget there’s no?PLANET B!??

Also, there’s a ton of information about the benefits of living a sustainable lifestyle.

But the real scoop lies in how to:

• Take action to live a sustainable life.
• Perform the right choices to decrease your carbon footprint.
• Extend support to safeguard the environment.

Here are 5 actionable steps you can take to live a sustainable life, without making any drastic changes in your everyday life:

1. Shun single-use plastic:

Single-use plastics such as cups, bottles, wet tissues, polythene bags are primarily made from fossil fuel-based chemicals. They make it to the trash bin a few minutes after use.

And are eventually dumped in our oceans or landfills. Our marine creatures cannot distinguish between plastic & food. And this plastic food chokes them to death!

Also plastic never decomposes. Once produced, plastic will remain on the planet in one form or the other.

Did you know?

Humans generate 300 million tons of plastic waste each year.?

And the only way to stop this frenzy is by reducing our plastic use.

But what can you do to live a plastic-free, eco-friendly lifestyle?

Follow these tips & you’ll be able to say “NO” to single-use plastic like a pro.

• The next time you go veggies & fruit shopping, don’t ask for a plastic bag. Instead, carry your cloth bag.
• On your next cafe visit, ditch the plastic straw. If you can’t do without a straw, carry your reusable steel straw.
• Every time you leave home, carry a bottle of water. This practice is not only healthy for our planet but also your pocket!
• Every year thousands of trees are axed to manufacture tissue paper. Replace tissues with cloth wipes.
• Frozen & packaged foods “may seem” convenient, quick & tasty. But they create havoc for your health. And even for the planet. Minimize buying them as much as you can. And embrace the idea of eating freshly cooked food.

2. Unplug & turn off electronic devices:

This is shocking-

The production of electricity generates 2nd largest share of greenhouse gases!

About 62% of electricity comes from burning fossil fuels, coal & natural gas.

But are these statistics mentioned to stop you from using electricity?

No way, that would be impractical!

But you can definitely be practical & take a step towards living an eco-friendly life.

Do this:

• When you leave your room, turn off the lights & fan. Sounds basic, but many people forget.
• Once your laptop/ phone is charged, turn off the switch.
• Did you know the wi-fi radiation is hazardous to health? Though you can’t turn off the wi-fi router during the day. Make it a point to turn it off in the night. You’ll sleep better & reduce your electricity bill too. It’s a clear win-win!
• Minimize using ACs & geysers. They not only create a dent in the pocket(because they consume a lot of electricity) but also increase your carbon footprint.
• Switch to solar power chargers, batteries & panels.
• Unplug your devices from the socket when not in use. Even though the switch is off, a plugged device continues to draw electricity.

3. Start composting:

Composting is a natural process that breaks down organic material such as?vegetable peels, fruit scraps, and flowers into organic fertilizer.?This compost, popularly referred to as black gold, helps to enrich soil quality & boost plant growth.

Unfortunately, most of our biodegradable waste ends up in landfills. When this waste rots, it generates methane & CO2 – the two infamous greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.

According to a?study done by America’s waste management company,?

“Globally, organic matter decomposing in landfills estimates for 7% of the total methane emissions (greenhouse gases) generated.”

Isn’t that alarming!

But the good news is –

You can do your bit to stop this “precious” waste from entering the already overflowing landfills by diverting it into your compost bin. This is the most important step towards sustainability & taking responsibility for the waste you’ve created. More than anything, the joy of seeing all the kitchen waste transform into compost is invaluable.

But yeah, I know you’re having an inner dialogue in your mind.

I hear you say, “Composting has great benefits. But it…

• Is too complicated
• Can be done only in huge houses
• SMELLS !!!!”

Didn’t I catch you off-guard??

I totally understand your concern. But composting is one of the most simple ways to?live a sustainable lifestyle.

All you need is a bucket, wet waste, dry leaves & the pure intention to help the planet.

Imagine if every household adopts composting, in a few years, we’ll be able to?slow down the manic speed of global warming.

4. Adopt a vegetarian diet:

Before jumping into the buts, ifs of adopting a vegetarian diet, let’s look at some appalling figures:

• A vegetarian diet produces?2.5 times fewer carbon emissions?compared to a meat diet.

A chicken breast takes over?542 liters of water to produce,?which could fill up your bathtub 6.5 x.

• Cows need to be fed up to?10 kilograms of grain?in exchange for 1 kilogram of meat.
• In the last 50 years, the fishing industry has eradicated 90 percent of large fish populations, and today,?13 of the world’s 17 major fisheries are depleted or in serious decline.
• A vegetarian diet requires only 1,137 liters of water per day, while?a meat-based diet requires more than 15,160 liters of water per day.

I understand that it’s not easy for a traditional meat eater to suddenly give up meat. To arrest the overwhelm, take baby steps towards vegetarianism.

Ask yourself –

Is giving up your taste buds for the welfare of our planet too much to ask for?

5. Use water cautiously:

Climate change has created havoc on the water cycle. Some parts of the world have a scarce water supply. And some parts are engulfed in unforgiving floods.

Sadly, we often forget that water is a limited resource. If we don’t come together to save this asset, future generations will face the worst water crisis.

According to a?Unicef article,

Half of the world’s population could be living in areas suffering water scarcity by as early as 2025.

Let’s take action at an individual level to save water. Here’s how:

Take bucket baths. Give the long showers a miss.

Repair leaking taps. Because each drops counts, isn’t it?

Consciously turn off the tap when brushing your teeth and shaving.

Use the washing machine & the dishwasher ONLY when the load is full.

Adopt rainwater harvesting techniques.

Got a water bottle that you filled weeks back? Don’t throw away the water. Instead, use it to mop the floor.

Don’t you already feel that nature doesn’t ask for much to live sustainably?

It’s all about making those teeny tiny lifestyle changes.

And these changes help to restore the failing health of our planet.

Wishing you lots of luck and enthusiasm to embark on this journey towards sustainability.

Trust me you’re gonna love it!

Tell me, which step are you most pumped to take?

Comment down your thoughts below, I’m excited to read your answers!