There are many things in life we feel helpless about Death, sorrow, pain, war, regaining lost time, you name it. There’s hardly anything one can do. But there are also things that seem overwhelmingly big, but we can alter them by our little, seemingly insignificant actions. For example, saving our dying planet through sustainable living.
The earth’s health is on a downward spiral. To make life more comfortable and advanced, many manufacturing processes and lifestyle choices are slowly poisoning Mother Earth, our own home. From the burning of fossil fuels and release of harmful gases to the atmosphere leading to global warming, piling up of plastic and other synthetic materials in oceans leading to the death of aquatic life, the evidence that we are harming the earth is all around us.
But just as our choices are constituting destruction to our planet, our decisions can save it as well. And this is by making sustainable lifestyle practices both in our personal life and business.
The role of sustainable living in saving the earth
Sustainable living is all about making choices to reduce your carbon footprint (how much carbon dioxide you release into the atmosphere resulting from your activities). We can see carbon footprint as the amount of harm our personal and business activities cause the earth. For example, when we dispose of plastics, they never decay. Instead, they are either taken to landfills (releasing CO2 into the atmosphere) or washed away into oceans. About 8 tons of plastic enter the ocean each year and lead to the death of about 100,000 marine animals through ingestion.
So as business people, what if we reduce the amount of plastic we offer our customers? What if we find eco-friendly ways to produce and recycle materials instead of burning non-renewable resources to produce and meet demands? And what if we show an example by living sustainably as we’d want others to?
We would be reducing our carbon footprint and making way for a healthier planet.
6 ways to practice sustainable living
There is so much we can do to save our planet, but consistency matters a lot. One way to be consistent is to stay reminded of your goal daily. To do so, it’s advisable to find Top Sustainability Blogs that will bring fresh tips your way daily. Tips from brands, designers, and innovators that can help you turn your business into a force for people and nature.
However, here are some great ways to start reducing your carbon footprint and save your world.
1. Consider your choice of fashion
Many clothing materials today contain synthetic materials like polyester and nylon, which never decompose. And when your customers wash, tiny plastics break off and find their way into the ocean.
If you’re into the fashion industry, you can sell brands dealing in sustainable fashion using materials like hemp, organic cotton, and linen. And when shopping fabrics, you can also check to see if the synthetic materials are reasonably low in composition.
2. Limit your plastic
Sadly, most products we sell contain plastic. And as you now know, plastic significantly constitutes the destruction of aquatic life. But the truth is there are ways to reduce how much plastic we offer customers that quickly end up as waste. Rather than offering non-reusable shopping bags and plastic packages, consider giving out reusable bags instead.
And when you go shopping, you can always take your reusable shopping bag instead of accepting single-use polythene bags. You can also choose to get your product’s in non-plastic packages.
3. Go for second-hand and vintage clothes
You may be tempted to purchase new, cheap clothes but they don’t last. Unfortunately, that means you have to dispose of them quickly and get new ones, thereby increasing your carbon footprint.
If you can afford it, buying more expensive and durable vintage clothing is a worthy investment as you can wear it for years. And when you get tired of it, you can pass it down, give it to the less privileged, or take it to a second-hand shop.
If you’re in the fashion industry, you can also sell quality second-hand and vintage wears.
By doing so, you’re playing your part to reduce filling up landfills.
4. Go zero waste
A great way to practice sustainable living is to minimize your waste to the barest minimum. Waste gets into landfills, and those non-compostable materials never really break down. So how do you go zero-waste?
Imbibe lean manufacturing processes. Don’t acquire too much of a resource than is required for production. Gather up and take your old non-decomposable products to recycling centers where they can be recycled into cartons, steel products, trash bags, aluminum cans, etc.
There are also so many creative ways to repurpose materials. For example, consider using that old tin as a candle holder or plant pot. You can also donate your used items to charity.
By doing so, you’ll be keeping non-compostable materials away from landfills.
5. Watch how often you burn fuel
Whether we all have cars or not, we all contribute to fossil fuel burning because we travel. It could be from home to the workplace. No, you don’t have to avoid using a vehicle; you only have to use it reasonably. You don’t have to use your car to make every 5-minute trip. Walking can be more eco-friendly and health-friendly in such situations.
As someone desiring a more sustainable lifestyle to save your planet, you may want to consider having a bicycle for short-distance trips.
6. Save energy
By using less energy in your workplace, you can help minimize carbon emissions. Non-renewable resources get burned to produce power, so you can reduce this by switching off your office appliances when not in use and when you close each day.
You can also turn your heating down and let your clothes dry by hanging rather than using a drier all the time.
Conclusion
Obviously, saving our planet requires business and lifestyle changes from all of us. But one does not have to wait for others; one can play their part, encouraging others to follow. For instance, the more you encourage and provide appealing sustainable fashion; the more customers consider purchasing your products when it becomes the trend.