Live environmentally consciously
Sustainable everyday life without sacrifice
Have you ever looked at where there are unpackaged stores near you?
© Natalia Deriabina / Shutterstock
Living environmentally consciously every day is easier than most of us think. We show you simple ways, such as shopping, furnishing and recycling, to conserve resources and live sustainably.
In principle, it’s just small, everyday habits that you can change and you’ll not only reduce your personal carbon footprint, but you’ll also do something about your guilty conscience about not being able to do anything. Living environmentally consciously is not difficult! To prove this to you, we have collected a selection of ideas on how you can effortlessly make your everyday life more conscious.
1. Shopping:
… with the jute bag
Neither plastic nor paper bags are ideal for shopping sustainably. We recommend having your own fabric bag or shopping basket. And if it does happen and you have to buy a bag, it’s not that bad. The fewer bags you buy, the better. And then you can use them a few more times.
Solid instead of liquid
The good bar of soap is celebrating its comeback! Whether for the hair, the body or the hands – packaging in cardboard is even better than in plastic and therefore a super sustainable alternative to liquid soap, liquid shampoo and shower gel.
Ugh on the outside, wow on the inside
Of course, completely eliminating packaging is even better! Have you ever asked where there are unpackaged stores near you? There are a lot more packaging-free grocery stores than you think. Business is booming, especially in big cities. No wonder, more and more people are getting the taste of having the containers they bring with them filled up and thus reducing packaging waste. And let’s be honest: It doesn’t have to be the entire weekly shop, small steps are enough.
Double thrift
As the British “Huffington Post” writes, a study in 2015 showed that a woman spends an average of around 20,000 euros on period items in her lifetime. Tampons and pads are expensive, but fortunately there are menstrual cups, so-called “Menscups,” thanks to which we can not only save money, but also a lot of waste. Just try it out, ladies!
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2. Recycle
Recycling and upcycling means reducing waste, disposing of it consciously and reusing products that most of us would probably throw away. Ask yourself what you are disposing of: Is the item in question still usable or could it serve another purpose? Ask yourself how you dispose of it. For example, many fashion and cosmetics companies take back plastic packaging and not only make it easy for buyers, but even reward them with cheap refill prices. In general, when shopping sustainably, you should focus on quality and make conscious purchases over the years.
Taking off make-up in a different way…
You can also save a lot of waste with reusable cotton make-up removal pads or silicone cotton swabs. Unusual at first, but we use our toothbrush several times. If you don’t like that, you should dispose of conventional cotton pads properly. Because: Cotton wool is disposed of as residual waste and therefore cannot be recycled!
3. Nourish
Less is more
For many people, the salami slice ends up on bread in the morning, turkey breast in the salad at lunchtime and beef on the burger in the evening. For the sake of the environment, how about eating meat only once or twice a week instead of several times a day? This doesn’t mean that we have to go vegan overnight! Nevertheless, it doesn’t hurt to know that producing meat requires up to 28 times more land than producing grain. In addition, the production of one kilogram of meat is just as harmful to the environment as driving 250 kilometers by car, because animal husbandry and the provision of animal feed produce large amounts of air pollutants.
Leftover cooking
Have you ever heard of no-waste cuisine? So much food ends up in the trash every year. You can use valuable resources sparingly by avoiding spontaneous shopping and only putting what you really want to use in your shopping cart. If this is difficult for you, we recommend planning a creative cooking day once a week. Here you look for leftovers in your own kitchen and spontaneously think about what kind of dish you can conjure up from the leftover ingredients.
4. Set up
Living environmentally consciously, in everyday life and within your own four walls? No problem! Whether furniture, decoration, lighting, wall colors or plants – we can easily minimize our own ecological footprint with sustainable furnishings. Firstly, don’t rely on every living trend. The fashion and interior industries are fast-moving. This means that not every flower vase that is being hyped needs to be bought. Find your own taste and you will enjoy the furnishings for a long time. Second: Buy second-hand furniture. Thirdly, pay attention to the quality, the materials and avoid furniture made from tropical wood.
Sources used: Umweltberatung.at, utopia.de