How can I be more sustainable at home? What are examples of sustainability? Why is it important in daily life?

Unless you live under a rock, it’s practically impossible to make it through a week without hearing about the dire state of the world on the news – which can get terribly depressing at times. With so much negativity in the world, it almost feels like there is nothing that we as individuals can do to make a difference.

Rest assured, there is. In fact, there is much that you can do at home and in your everyday lives to contribute towards a more sustainable global society and in this article, we’re going to share some of those ideas with you. 

If you aren’t quite convinced of there being any point to it, let this excellent quote proceed over the article: 

“If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito” – Dalia Lama. 

How can I be more sustainable at home?

So, what’s the first step to leading a more sustainable life? Well, it all begins at home! But how does one go about being more sustainable at home? 

You’ve already taken the first step and that is doing some research. You have proven that you are conscious of your impact on the environment and would like to do more to reduce your carbon footprint. That is a very big step – very few people have any interest at all in the impact that they have on the environment and the lives of others around them. Bravo. Now onto the next step: 

• Eat more sustainably

• Shop more sustainably

• Travel more sustainably

• Consume more sustainably 

• Dispose of waste more sustainably

What are examples of sustainability at home in everyday life?

To expand on the points listed above, what are some examples of sustainability at home? 

• Be conscious of where your seafood is caught: overfishing in many areas is rife and whilst there is little you can do about that as an individual, being conscious about where and from who you buy your seafood is critical.

• Drink tap water where possible: avoid single-use plastic bottled water like the plague. Provided the tap water in your area is safe to consume, make the switch. There are many filtration systems you can have installed at home quite easily. 

• Reduce your meat consumption: you don’t have to give up the occasional steak dinner, but be mindful of how much meat you are consuming. There are plenty of delicious vegetarian dishes that will leave you equally as satisfied. 

• Cook more: not only will cooking at home more often save you a tonne of money on dining out and getting takeaways, but it will significantly reduce your single-use waste. 

• Shop with reusable bags: there’s no excuse to be using plastic bags any longer. Stock up on reusable bags and keep them handy when you go shopping. 

• Purchase certified sustainable goods: take your time to find and buy certified sustainable goods. Some might be more expensive, but if you can afford to swap it will make a big difference (plus, you can save a significant amount of money in other areas when being more eco-conscious) 

• Buy and consume less: in the US alone, nearly 40 million tonnes of food go to waste — every year. This is largely due to overconsumption (buying what you don’t need and throwing out waste that invariably spoils). 

• Shop seasonally: buy local seasonal produce as and when it comes in. Do you need to have a Dragon fruit from Southeast Asia? Importing produce from all over the world is terribly wasteful, particularly when there’s plenty of local produce available. 

• Switch to eco-friendly products: read the labels of your beauty products and start throwing out any that are not eco-friendly. Shop more responsibly and fill your home with eco-friendly products.

• Ditch fast fashion ideologies: yes, you can wear that dress more than once. Fast fashion is terribly harmful to our environment and it can all change when individuals like yourself to make a conscious effort to resist. 

• Use public transportation: you don’t have to drive everywhere, particularly if it’s within walking distance or you are on a bus route. Be mindful of your travel habits and you may just save an awful lot of money on fuel consumption. 

• Fly less: that’s not to say that you shouldn’t treat yourself to a holiday, but try and fly as little as possible. Can you get there by train? Is there a ferry that will make the journey? Perhaps a road trip? 

• Grow your own produce: tend to your garden and start growing fruit and vegetables of your own. There is so much garden space in the world that is left empty and untended because people can’t be bothered. And yet, you can produce so much food for yourself with a little effort. 

• Replace single-use items: even something as seemingly insignificant as switching to glass straws at home can make a big difference. 

• BYOM to work: bring your own reusable coffee mug to work with you. Do you need to use single-use foam cups every day? 

• Upcycle: get creative and start thinking about ways that you can upcycle certain items before throwing them out. Can that item of furniture be saved with a lick of paint? Give your waste items some love and rehome them where possible. 

• Ditch your bad habits: smoke less, drink less, and spend less time binge-watching television. There are so many harmful habits out there that are not only detrimental to your physical and mental health, but to the environment as well. 

• Compost: buy an electric indoor composter and start turning all of that organic food waste into food for your plants! This is even better if you have made the decision to grow your own fruit and veg at home as well.  

Why is sustainability important in daily life?

Sustainability is so important for a wide variety of reasons, namely because it can reduce your carbon footprint thus lowering the number of toxins released into the environment. Not only that, but leading a more sustainable lifestyle sets a good example for those around you. When people see you thriving whilst leading a cleaner life, other people may be inspired to join you – not to mention teaching your children how to be conscious consumers.