7 Unique Ways to Live More Sustainably

sustainablelivingreport | July 18, 2017 | Green & Eco-Friendly Living, Sustainable Living

There are hundreds of ways to live more sustainably, besides just changing your lightbulbs and recycling. Here are 7 unique tips for reducing your carbon footprint that you probably haven’t thought of!

Choosing to live more sustainably means taking responsibility for your impact on the world, and doing your best to minimize your consumption while protecting and caring for our natural resources. This can take many different forms, and whether you choose to support sustainable companies and products, to change your daily habits to reduce your carbon footprint, or to take an active part in conservation efforts and environmentally focused organizations, every little bit can make a difference. If we all do our part, together we truly can change the world!

The article below shares 7 unique ways to live more sustainably and help keep this planet a clean and safe place to live. Some of these you may already be doing, and some you may never even have thought of before. Commit to making one or two of these a new habit in your life today.

1. Become a member of a community garden: It isn’t just about growing your own food, being a member of a community garden helps to promote sustainable living in your area. Gardens create green spaces and the garden waste can be mulched and returned to support healthy soil. Green spaces aren’t just important for your state of mind; in urban areas they can play an important role in offsetting carbon emissions.

2. Practice minimalism: Minimalism doesn’t mean living without anything, it means that you are making sure that everything you own and use is put to its maximum purpose. This means waste materials as well. With a minimalist lifestyle, you will recycle more, and be more mindful of the items you support being produced so that sustainability is emphasized.

3. Become more efficient with your errands: You don’t have to buy a hybrid to reduce your reliance on fossil fuels. By choosing to become more efficient with your errands you can create a system of sustainable living that is based in reducing the amount of natural resources you consume.

4. Start using natural cleaners: Take an hour or so to research some home-made options for natural cleaners. Vinegar and water can clean most surfaces, and the saponin from quinoa is a natural laundry detergent. By using natural homemade cleaners you are reducing the amount of plastic packaging being made, and the amount of chemicals that are being introduced to the water system.

5. Spend more time reading and playing games: How can this be a part of sustainable living? By reducing your reliance on entertainment forms that require energy and natural resources you can help to reduce the demand and drain on them.

6. Try to get on a more natural sleep schedule: Getting on a natural sleep schedule means becoming more attuned to the natural light in the day. Not only is this better for your health, it will begin to lessen the amount of power that you use while you are up.

7. Practice keeping a “zero energy balance” budget: A zero energy balance budget means that what you take in, you also return back. This is really the core of all sustainable living. If you practice keeping a budget that has a zero energy balance, you will be surprised how your habits of consuming will change and reduce your imprint on the world.