We do hear a lot about the positive difference that can be made through sustainable living, but knowing how to live sustainably and practically is not always well understood. The good news is that practical, sustainable living is not as complicated as it may sound.
As sustainability experts know, changing your lifestyle and features of your home, brings you opportunities to enjoy cost savings, a simplified life and a healthier approach to living.
Even small steps towards practical, sustainable living can make a huge difference. Also, once you start to implement particular changes, others will logically follow and seem all the more easy and manageable to do.
So, how can you live in a more practical, sustainable way?
Examine your energy use and consider alternatives
Many people now enjoy the benefits of renewable energy by way of solar panels on the roof of their own home. With solar panels, not only do you help with the generation and contribution of a renewable source of energy, you will quite soon appreciate reductions in your energy bills. Although solar panels do involve a significant financial investment, many people find that they soon recoup the money paid to purchase and install their solar panels and sometimes never pay an energy bill again.
Opt for biodegradable
A very good way to live more sustainability is to stop, or limit, your use of plastic bags. Make the conscious change to biodegradable bags, as this alternative reduces future toxicity and involves the use of less petroleum.
Understand what is different about being ‘green’ and being ‘sustainable’
On many occasions, being green has little to do with sustainable living. It’s crucial to understand that being sustainable means taking the actions that cause the least impact, result in the least amount of waste and involve an indefinitely repeatable cycle that does not cause damage.
Limit and eliminate oil, gas and petroleum usage
It is increasingly understood that oil is a finite resource. Reducing and ultimately eliminating the use of anything that comes from oil, is absolutely vital to true sustainability. However, genuine, authentic sustainability requires elimination of all petroleum and fossil fuels.
Distinguish wants from needs
We are bombarded by marketing and advertising that tries to convince us that we absolutely need products. However, to adopt a sustainable lifestyle, it is essential to change this way of thinking. To live sustainably, products should only be bought when they are absolutely needed. This means, you should not own multiple numbers of particular items and you should learn how to properly care for the things that you have, rather than always paying for maintenance and repairs.
Reduce waste
Today, most individuals and households create far more garbage than they should. In order to genuinely reduce waste, changes across almost every aspect of life are necessary. It’s critical to look for areas of excess and implement changes in what you use and/or how you use it. For example you can reduce landfill and help the planet and your garden by composting your green waste.
Sustainable living is important and can also be very practical. The best thing about practical, sustainable living is that it simplifies and streamlines life, while making it more natural and healthy.
Photo Credit: Joi Ito under Creative Commons license. Neighbour’s Compost.