8 easy steps for a more sustainable lifestyle

Ready to change the world this year? Tania Pescador, an environmentally conscious fashion & lifestyle blogger gives us some easy tips on how to reduce our footprint on the world!

Today we live in an increasingly polluted and profit-at-all-costs world, with exhausted natural resources and tons of plastic filling our oceans, lakes and rivers. Sustainability is now more important than ever! In this article, I will give you a few easy steps for a more sustainable lifestyle.

I am a true believer that with small actions we can all make a difference. Making sustainable choices in our everyday activities is so easy. However, we seem to turn a blind eye and go on with our old bad habits.

In the steps below, I show you that it is easier than you may have thought to make eco-conscious choices, and, as a result, reduce our footprint on the planet.

1. Start applying the 3 Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Do it in that specific order: buy less, try to reuse as much as you can of what you already have and adopt the habit of recycling.

2. Bring your own reusable bag to the supermarket

Think about how you are contributing to the about 8 million metric tons of plastic that is thrown into the ocean annually by getting a new plastic bag every time you go grocery shopping! There are so many long-lasting reusable bags on offer. Get a few of them and make it a habit of bringing them with you every time you go shopping.

3. Buy local and shop at farmers markets

Have you noticed how (almost) everything in the supermarket comes in plastic containers or wrappers? I find that very unnecessary and prefer to invest time into getting my fruits and veggies from local and seasonal markets and health food shops.

Foods there have not been pre-packed and the impact created by transporting the goods is a lot less as well. Plus, it is a lot of fun! Make it a morning out, invite a friend, talk to the vendors. It’s way better than standing in line at the supermarket.

4. Stop buying coffee in disposable cups

I know this one is tough for all the coffee drinkers, including myself. But many types of disposable coffee cups are often not recyclable (even if they say they are), due to the plastic coating that makes them waterproof.

If you know that you can’t wait till you get to the office for your first (or third) cup of coffee, consider investing in a reusable cup. In the beginning, it may seem like a burden to have to carry your own cup around, but you will get used to it.

5. Stop buying bottled water

Did you know that the average time for a plastic bottle to completely degrade is at least 450 years? It can even take some bottles 1.000 years to biodegrade! Really guys, plastic bottles are not cool.

To satisfy your thirst, invest instead in a nice reusable bottle. Nowadays, you can find several types with really cool designs! And they can keep both cold and hot drinks at the right temperature for hours.

6. Turn off all your gadgets and lights if you are not using them

As simple as that, just push the off button! If you leave your computer, TV, radio, washing machine, etc. on while they are not being used, you are wasting energy. Also, unplug your devices if they don’t need energy while they are off.

Our collective actions can make a huge impact!

It may seem very innocent to you, but your phone charger shouldn’t be left plugged in the whole day. Only five percent of the power drawn by a phone charger is used to charge your phone, the other 95 percent is wasted when it is left plugged in!

7. Wash your clothes at 30 degrees or less

Yes, most of your clothes don’t need to be washed at 60 or even 90 degrees to come out clean. I know your mom and grandma may have a different opinion, but washing at a low temperature helps you to cut CO2 emissions, save energy and money and still have clean fresh clothes. Win, Win!

8. Sharing is caring!

As I said before, our collective actions can make a huge impact. Sharing and helping educate others and leading by example are the best ways to get more and more people involved in reducing the footprint we have on our planet.

Let's commit to protecting our environment and creating a more sustainable future! Are you in? Do you have any other eco-tips?