Top 20 Sustainable Living Ideas (The Ultimate Guide)

If it can’t be rebuilt, repaired, resold, refurbished, recomposted or recycled, then it’s not worth production – Pete Seeger. 

Whether you want to go green to save money, save the environment, or just to see how the process works, every eco-friendly living step you take saves the world in one way or the other.

The question is, why sustainable living? 

Benefits of Sustainable Living?

Saves money 

Practicing sustainable living is indirectly equivalent to saving money. Most times, Huge savings! 

When you solely rely on yourself for life essentials, you’ll be free from large companies waiting to milk your money. A sustainable lifestyle will make you think of purchasing products or services you initially thought were irrelevant. 

Simplifying   

Sustainability revolves around fact-checking the big pictures. Is the big house really worth buying? Or can we just live happily ever after in a decent apartment? Do I need to stock my wardrobe with the latest fashion clothes/shoes? Or should I just manage a few fashion staples? Should we go catch fun at the amusement park or just spend some time gardening? 

These are a few questions your sustainability lifestyle will keep in mind. You need to buy less, want less, and spend less. 

Prevent Waste

When you buy less and use more of your product, you won’t have to worry about packaging. Ever wondered why some companies focus extremely on packaging? More packaging means more waste. Sustainable living encourages using what you have until you can’t anymore. 

 That said, If you’re a newbie looking for the best sustainable living ideas, the following 20 tips will help you get started. 

1. Turn Off Those Appliances 

Conserving energy is one of the most important steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint. 

According to research from energy central, US wastes over 58% energy per year 

Leaving your electricals turned on without using them can really suck up a lot of energy. Turn off all unused electronics and you’ll see great improvement in your energy conservation and even in your energy bill. 

2. Use Eco-friendly Appliances

Want to do more than hit the turn-off button? Try to invest in electricals that utilize energy-sufficient technology. Modern freezers, ovens, stoves, and dryers are good examples. This lifestyle helps you save up on energy use and save some money too. 

3. Use renewables 

One of the best eco-friendly steps you can take is to switch your energy source to renewables. And they’re pretty easy and all your electricity investment is zero carbon. 

4. Reduce Meat Intake

Another important eco-friendly step is to get conscious of what you eat. Cut down on your meat intake. Only take red meat 2 or 3 days max in a week. Doing this can help reduce your carbon footprint. If you want to reduce your carbon footprint without stopping meat, turkey and chicken are great options. They do not produce much methane and they both require less water. 

5. Do Not Waste Food

Food wasting is not eco-friendly. According to statistics, over 6.7 million tonnes of food are wasted every year in the U.K. Not only does this waste money, but also increase the amount of landfill CO2. 

6.Compost 

When you want to dispose of your food, it’s best to compost them instead of having them trashed in the bin. Not only are you going green and creating natural fertilizer for soils, but also reducing the amount of waste going into the landfill. 

7. Recycle all

If you’re already going green, then you might be recycling already. But do you know that you can improve your recycling ability? You can recycle just about anything. From papers to batteries to cars. Don’t dispose of it yet. See if they can be recycled.  

8. Reduce Plastic 

Plastic has sneaked into virtually all aspects of our lives. In the U.S, the averge plastic produced per year is 37.5 million. However, it’s difficult to give up plastic totally. Come along with a canvas bag when shopping. Avoid bottled water. Try your best. 

9. Invest in LED Light Bulbs

LED light bulbs are more efficient and long-lasting than traditional bulbs which means you’ll consume less power. You won’t need to replace your bulb too often. A win-win. Those LED bulbs are available in different brightness levels. So invest in a bulb that meets your requirements. 

10. Keep Your Home Insulated

A non-insulated or slightly insulated home is usually difficult to keep cool in warm weather. Or keep warm in cool weather. Insulating your home is one of the best sustainable living ideas you can practice. 

11. Do Home Delivery

Home deliveries are the pathway of groceries. Instead of having boatloads of over 20 cars leading to the grocery store-  a home delivery truck that can deliver to everywhere is fine. In addition, it can help reduce food wastage as it prevents impulse buy. 

12. Don’t throw it away. Fix instead 

Fixing or repairing an item is more ecological than just disposing of them. Although disposing of them can be cheaper and easier, it can be damaging to the environment. The Internet provides just about every information you need to fix anything. And if you’re unable to fix it, you can turn it into something else. 

13. Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products are the Real Deal

Most cleaning products are not eco-friendly to throw away. Regular exposure to the product can be harmful to your health and the environment. Some green cleaning products use natural and safe cleaning methods. Use them. 

14. Avoid Driving

 If you could go somewhere by foot, bike, or bus, then do it.  Driving is a harmful ecofriendly practice unless you’re driving in an electric car. It adds to the carbon footprint. And when driving is the only option left, be sure to follow all driving instructions. Reduce the speed. Ensure the tyres are well inflated along with a smoothly run engine. 

15. Use microwaves 

You can save more energy with microwaves, compared to the traditional microwave. Apart from that, you’ll be surprised by the number of things you can cook with a microwave. 

16. Go local 

From foods to clothes, the less the distance of transport from where the product is made, the lesser the carbon emitted during transportation. Besides, you’re also contributing your quota to the local economy, which means better local products to buy in the future. 

17. Choose your Fly

 Flying damages the environment. A flight from Florida to California can create up to 0.75 metric tonnes of carbons. You can just reduce your travel frequency especially if it’s for vacation purposes. California has lots of amazing nature to explore. Hiking, biking are some of the fun, frizzling activities you can enjoy in California. And the good part: these are low carbon activities.  

18. Grow Yours 

Grow your veggies. Not only will you save money but also reduce your carbon footprint and embrace eco-friendly activities. No outdoor space? Londowill boxes are a great option.

 Apart from being aesthetically pleasing, these boxes also filter out air entering your room and provide space for herbs. 

19. Plant Trees 

One of the best ecological lifestyles is to embrace ecological sustainability. No environment can thrive successfully under an unstable ecosystem. It’s important to plant more naive trees to support and replace the felled ones. 

This is one of the many ways individuals and businesses can support the environment while improving air quality. 

20. Choose a Healthy Personal Care 

When you’re choosing personal care products, you need to consider products that support an eco-friendly lifestyle. Microbeads, for example, are harmful to the ecosystem because they’re non-biodegradable and can enter the food chain to damage the environment. Make sure you use toothpaste, body wash, face scrubs, and other care products that do not contain microbeads. 

Final Thoughts 

Going green is one of the best life decisions you can ever make. Not only will it save you money but also protect the environment. Implement these  20 sustainable living ideas and you’ll notice positive changes in your life, your finances, and in the environment.