7 Ways to Live More Sustainably

There has been lot of talk about environmental sustainability over the last 10 years or so. Sustainability, in short is about ‘avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance.’ There are a number of ways we can look after our environment, we can plant a tree (the right kind for the ecology of course), we can start walking more often, so that we don’t pollute the air around us and we can be more mindful of what we buy and where we buy it.

There are a plethora of things we can do to make our natural environment better to best sustain us and the other beings we share the earth with. Personally, have made big steps regarding how I manage my own household, so that we are less of a burden on our natural resources. One big thing has been to reduced my weekly rubbish down from the usual 2-3 large bin bags of rubbish to half a bag.  There are things you can do to cut down waste and live a more sustainable life. The following is a short list of what you could do to produce less waste.

Compost Everything Possible

I bought a big composter, where I can dispose of fresh vegetable waste. Because I have been pre-storing that waste in a dedicated bin before it makes its way to the composter, I have noticed how much waste we have cut down on. If you have a garden, a composter will also ensure you can reinvigorate your soil every so often; it’s great for the environment and great for your plants!

Use a Bokashi Bin

Bokashi bins are like composters where you can put all food waste, including fat, meat, fish and even small bones to decompose. The only thing you can’t give the bokashi treatment, are tea bags; but that’s okay, they can go directly into the composter. 

Normally, they come in the form of a small bin with a tap.  Inside is separated with a grill.  You put your leftover food in there and cover it with bran.  This bran is infused in microorganisms and molasses which breaks down the food matter and ferments it.  The bran also stops the bin from smelling and allows you to keep it indoors, where it is warmer, which speeds up the process.  The liquid produced drops through the grill and you can use the ‘soup’ to feed plants and even clean your drains. It smells like vinegar.  After around two weeks, when fermentation is complete, you can then put the waste in the composter.

I love my Bokashi bins so much I use one for my work shed to dispose of left over fats and other waste.

Recycle

Normally you can recycle paper, some plastics and glass. It’s important to make sure you clean any bottles and jars before putting them in recycling or they will likely go straight into the landfill. Not all plastics can be recycled, usually harder plastic like bottle lids aren’t going to be recycled, but bottles can be repurposed into other things.

Reuse

Don’t throw furniture, clothing or shoes away, take them to the charity shop instead. Often, the local dump has specific areas that you can take electrical goods for recycling. I like to buy second-hand furniture as much as possible. You can often buy very good quality solid wood items that can be upcycled. I bought a beautiful second hand lab cabinet from my local charity shop that now has centre stage in my dining room.

Buying Food and Other Things

Have you noticed that supermarkets wrap almost everything in plastic wrap? This annoys me more than anything.  They do it because they want to you buy more than you need, which means more money for them! We in the West have got so used to every carrot being the perfect length and size and wrapped in unnecessary plastic. If you can, buy loose vegetables. I tend to go to my local independent grocers and not only are the vegetables better value for money, they are also not pre-wrapped, and you can choose to buy only what you need, which also limits waste. As a side note, I have also stopped putting vegetables in the cupboard, keeping them in the fridge significantly increases their shelf life – especially root vegetables like potatoes and carrots.

Don’t Use Plastic Bags

Plastic bags take a long time to decompose, it is estimated to be anywhere between 10 and 1000 years. They are dumped into landfills and into the ocean, causing damage to our environment. I now use reusable bags and make sure I shop in places that offer compostable bags, just in case I forget them. Not many supermarkets do this, but there are some.

Stop Buying Unnecessary Stuff

We live in a throw away society. All we want to do is buy more and more. Most items are now made so that they do not last a long time and they end up in the landfill relatively quickly. You can live a more sustainable life if you simply stopped buying things you don’t need. Minimalism is the key to a happy clutter free life!

Those are my top 7 pieces of advice that are super easy to implement and will get you on the way to being an environmental warrior!