15 Ways To Live Sustainably
How to Live Sustainable Life in 2021
With the rise in climate change and the serious consequences of such on the horizon, it’s more important than ever to live a sustainable lifestyle. This type of lifestyle means that you reduce your carbon footprint as much as possible. You can do that in several different ways. Here’s how you can live a sustainable life in 2021.
Energy
When it comes to energy, there are several different steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint. For many homeowners, energy costs are one of the biggest factors of carbon that they can reduce. It can also save them money.
Here are a few ways you can live a sustainable life by changing how you use energy.
1. Solar Power
One of the best ways that you can change your carbon footprint and live sustainably is by switching to solar power. This type of power is renewable. It takes its source from the sun.
Solar power has been around for a few years, and as such, the technology has seen a massive improvement. The panels last longer and generate more power. It’s also more affordable than it’s ever been.
Some areas will even help you pay to change to solar power in an effort to make their community greener.
2. Wind Power
If you live in a rural area, then you can take advantage of the various wind farms that dot the rural landscape. Wind generates a sizable amount of power, too. Although this type of renewable energy is still undergoing advancement, there’s no question that it can generate enough power for your home.
Talk to your local utilities company or government to get hooked up to wind power.
3. Energy-Efficient Appliances
If you’re not ready to make the change to clean energy, then you should do what you can to make your current energy consumption as minimal as possible. You can do that by buying appliances that have a high rating with Energy Star.
By using these appliances, you can reduce the amount of energy that your home consumes. Even that small amount can make a world of difference.
Water
Another area that you need to practice sustainability is water. Many parts of the country, and throughout the world, are experiencing severe water shortages. Moving water to new locations is expensive and not sustainable. Here are a few ways you can use water sustainably.
1. Water-Saving Appliances
Some manufacturers have decided to make water consumption one of their latest innovations. Their appliances reduce the amount of water that it uses. You should look for these appliances and consider using them in your home.
By using less water to run your appliances, you can preserve more of it for the rest of the world.
2. Don’t Keep the Water Running
A lot of people tend to keep the water running when they’re brushing their teeth or cleaning. This can waste a ton of water. By making this simple change to your habits, you can save a lot of water.
Only turn the water on when you’re actually using the sink. Turn it off between washing dishes or giving your pet a bath.
These small steps can make all the difference.
3. Water Ration
Understand how much water you use in a day. Then determine how much water you actually need. You can reduce water consumption by rationing your water usage. Take less time bathing or showering. Switch to showering every other day, if possible.
Move your laundry date to once a week instead of every day or every other day.
By making these changes, you can decrease your consumption of water and make it more sustainable.
Food
Food has a serious impact on climate change. What you eat and how often you eat it could make a difference in how you impact climate change. Here are a few changes you can make to your diet to live sustainably.
1. Make Your Own Food
Instead of dining out or driving to pick up takeaway food, you should try to make food in your own home as much as possible. Using food that you grow yourself is a great way to be sustainable.
You can also buy fruits and vegetables from the local farmer’s market at great prices. This ensures that their food doesn’t go to waste either. When you make food at home, you can use excess ingredients or leftovers to make even more meals.
2. Grow Your Own Food
Another great way to live sustainably is to grow your own food. Urban gardens are trending more than ever. It’s easy to purchase some planters and put them in your yard or on your balcony. By growing your own vegetables, you can eat fresh food and reduce carbon emissions even more.
3. Compost
Once you’re done with your food, if you have any leftovers, you should compost them. Not only will composting help your garden grow better, but it also nourishes the land. Composting returns nutrients to the soil.
It completes the ecological cycle that can promote a sustainable lifestyle.
Waste
One of the worst ways that people add to climate change is through waste. There’s a ton of waste in the world and most of it either ends up in the landfill or in the ocean.
Here are a few ways you can prevent being wasteful and live sustainably instead.
1. Use Bamboo
One of the best ways that you can reduce waste is to change the type of materials that you use in your home. Plastic is a serious problem. It lasts for decades and releases toxins into the environment when it does finally degrade.
One great alternative is to use bamboo. It’s replenishable, easy to harvest, and incredibly strong. Switching something like your plastic toothbrush to a bamboo toothbrush is a small step, but a great one, in the right direction.
2. Buy in Bulk
Another great way to reduce waste is to buy from bulk stores. Not only does it save you money, but you can reuse many of the things that you buy from bulk stores. Bulk glass jars, for example, can be used for everything from holding your toothpaste to being used for storage.
Finding new ways to use bulk items can help you reduce waste and live sustainably.
3. Recycle
Perhaps one of the best things you can do to reduce your waste is to switch to recycling. There are tons of materials that can be reused again. Putting them in the landfill is a waste. By recycling materials, we can reuse them. It cuts down on manufacturing costs and the drain we place on the world.
Many cities offer recycling services for free. Check with your county to sign up for this sustainable service.
Ecology
Promoting great ecology methods can be a wonderful way to live a sustainable lifestyle. If you’re not sure how to do that, then keep on reading. Here are a few ways you can live sustainably by supporting local ecology.
1. Plant Flowers
One of the best ways that you can help your local ecology is to plant native flowers. This stimulates the population of bees, in particular, honeybees. Bees are needed to help pollinate flora. Without flora, there’s nothing to soak up the sun’s rays or the carbon from the air.
Since bee populations are declining, it’s more important than ever to stimulate their growth.
2. Plant a Tree
Another great way to reduce the carbon in the air is to plant a tree. If you have a yard, then consider planting a tree in it. Even one tree will do wonders.
If you don’t have a yard, then there are several different organizations that will plant a tree on your behalf for a small donation. Supporting these organizations will help offset deforestation and allow trees to soak up the carbon in the world.
3. Clean Water Systems
Finally, you can make the water in your area safe by regularly cleaning it. If you live by an ocean, it’s even more important to spend time cleaning your beach. Make a weekend habit out of it. By cleaning up the beaches and water systems, even locally, we can have a greater impact on the amount of trash in the ocean.