ECO-LIVING: How to start living an eco-friendly life

Living an eco-friendly lifestyle may appear unattractive and unexciting to those who are less aware or less concerned about environmental issues. However, the importance of such a lifestyle is always on the minds of those with a strong conscience.

It can be a bit daunting to change a lifestyle where our choices are limited, and what we desire is scarcely available. Many eco-friendly choices can also be costly, while some cost less but require effort to implement. To some, these options may seem less refined or stylish.

Nevertheless, the growing number of individuals who care about the environment and the future of our civilization ensures that we don’t shy away from this moral responsibility.

What is Eco-friendly living?

So, what is eco-friendly living? It’s simply a way of life where we are constantly mindful of our consumption, understanding how our choices can impact the planet. It’s about reducing waste and conserving energy, focusing on saving resources, purchasing eco-friendly products, and making wise lifestyle decisions.

Eco-friendly living encourages the application of the three Rs in our daily lives: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. While advocating for sustainable and eco-friendly living may sound like a cliché, it unquestionably merits the attention it receives.

We’ve engaged in extensive debates about climate change, yet we still struggle to protect our Earth. The ongoing dialogues often lack optimism and can become repetitive, which might be tiresome. However, we cannot reverse the damage; we can only minimize its impact for a limited time. While raising our voices with trending hashtags and sharing posts from activists like Greta Thunberg is essential, making large-scale changes isn’t straightforward.

Nonetheless, taking small individual steps to adjust our lifestyles slightly can lead to significant progress. We can only witness the positive effects of such conscientious changes if we put them into practice.

Here are some affordable lifestyle changes we can implement to take those initial steps toward eco-friendly living:

MINIMISE PLASTIC USAGE AND OPT FOR ECO-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS

Avoid buying from places which involve excessive plastic packaging.

In today’s world, ordering daily groceries has become incredibly convenient. However, when we purchase vegetables and fruits through online apps, it’s evident that excessive plastic packaging is often used. Even though some brands have adopted biodegradable packaging, there are items that still necessitate plastic for protection. While it’s challenging to completely eliminate plastic usage, we can certainly take steps to minimize it.

If you also have alternative options, try making a sustainable decision!

Change your Tooth Brush and Comb

Arguably, one of the simplest steps towards adopting an eco-friendly lifestyle is transitioning from traditional plastic toothbrushes to bamboo or zero-waste alternatives.

While we might not replace our combs as often as our toothbrushes, choosing eco-friendly options over plastic is an accessible choice.

These changes represent some of the most cost-effective means to bring about significant, positive changes in your life.

Opt for Eco-Friendly Trash Bag Choices

On a typical day, we might use one or two plastic bags to dispose of household garbage. Consider the collective impact when every household contributes these bags to landfills daily.

The decision regarding trash bags is entirely in our hands. If we are genuinely committed to making a positive impact, we can select 100% biodegradable plastic bags.

Embrace Eco-Friendly Female Hygiene Practices

Landfills are burdened with non-degradable sanitary pads that take years to break down due to their plastic components.

Thankfully, there are now biodegradable pads available in the market. For the younger generations, such as millennials and Generation Z, the trending option is menstrual cups. It’s essential to note that not everything that’s popular is without merit.

Menstrual cups are not only environmentally friendly but also highly practical. They can be washed and reused, offering numerous advantages to women living a modern lifestyle. So, if you aim to adopt an eco-friendly approach, consider going pad-free.

SAVE RESOURCES

Use water judiciously

From a young age, we’ve been taught the importance of saving water to protect our planet. But how many of us truly heed this call?

Often, tap water flows unnecessarily as we wash vegetables, linger in the shower longer than needed, overlook bathroom plumbing leaks until they become major problems, and flush toilets more frequently than required. Fortunately, numerous water-efficient, sustainable appliances are available on the market that can minimize water wastage.

When purchasing fixtures such as showerheads, faucets, or cisterns, we have the choice to select water-saving products. Additionally, a significant impact can be made by installing a rainwater harvesting system. However, if that seems too ambitious, consider the easiest and most cost-effective options:

If that is too much to ask for, then the easiest and most affordable options should be to: –

• Collect rainwater in buckets or containers and utilise it later.
• Wherever possible water plants by hand.
• Get pipe leaks repaired without delay.
• Take quick and responsible showers.
• Turn on dishwashers or washing machines only when they are full
• Just keep the water usage in check

If you still find yourself muttering, “Who cares?” then you may be on the wrong side of the conservation efforts.

Save Electricity

Our upbringing has instilled in us the habit of turning off lights and fans when leaving a room or classroom. This practice not only reduces the electric bill but also conserves non-renewable resources.

The following is a list of actions we can take to save electricity. We may be familiar with these practices, but the question is, when will we truly put them into action?

• We can use water heaters and AC less often.
• We can use alternative sources of energy.
• We can unplug appliances that are not in use
• We can turn off the lights when we don’t need them
• We can set the refrigerators to consume less energy
• We can use LED and CFL light bulbs and reduce energy consumption.

Which of these options sounds impossible to implement? Perhaps none, when you give it a try.

MITIGATE POLLUTION

t the individual level, it’s often challenging to make decisions that significantly reduce pollution on a large scale. Such decisions are typically within the purview of government authorities.

Under these circumstances, what we can do is persist in our activism, advocating for responsible decisions by those in power to protect our planet. However, when it comes to managing pollution on a personal level, there are several actions within our control:

• Use public means of transportation if there is such an option available.
• Use energy-efficient cars and get them inspected so that they reduce carbon emissions.
• Do not drain harmful liquid chemicals in local drains.
• Don’t spray chemicals unless it is quintessential to use them.
• Try using bikes for small distance travelling like going to the nearby stores to shop, or better still, walking for a change.

SWITCH TO SUSTAINABLE FASHION

Choose Eco-friendly clothes

Embarking on an eco-friendly fashion journey might seem daunting, particularly for those who are fashion-conscious or influencers in the world of social media. People who adore shopping and dressing up usually resist any restrictions on their wardrobe choices.

However, what if being fashion-forward and eco-conscious weren’t mutually exclusive?

In my case, I’ve never been overly concerned about being the trendiest dresser. Still, due to my inclination towards hassle-free clothing and a desire to save time, I’ve often opted for synthetic or wrinkle-free garments that are far from sustainable. However, in recent months, I’ve been gradually reshaping my wardrobe to include only sustainable clothing and products.

Making the transition to sustainable fashion can indeed be challenging and leave you feeling somewhat perplexed. Achieving 100% sustainability in fashion remains a distant goal. The aim should be to be as sustainable as your budget allows.

You can make environmentally conscious choices by selecting clothing crafted from fibers that decompose more rapidly. Moreover, it’s crucial to consider the sustainability of the entire clothing production process, from the fabric to the final product.

Numerous brands offer eco-friendly clothing options, but there’s still progress to be made. Perhaps if more individuals embrace sustainable living, we can collectively instigate a transformation in the world of fashion.

CONCLUSION: WHAT DO YOU CARE?

Gone are the days when someone’s intelligence and opinions were based solely on their life experiences and education.

In these times of social media, many of us support causes just for the sake of hashtags and trends. 

We carry borrowed opinions that we voice passionately but of which we don’t have any original understanding.

A crowd of frenzy voices, who keep complaining without a good argument, have hijacked true activism.

They have drowned the voices of the activists who like to speak about a problem with a solution in mind.

The conclusion of this article is simply this. 

Achieving a life with no waste, no harm to the environment, and no human error is an unattainable ideal. But this should not deter us from leading meaningful lives as sustainably as possible.

If you genuinely care about a cause, you will find a way to contribute to it. If you don’t, you’ll discover excuses to avoid it. Regardless of the path you choose, follow your true passions and don’t be discouraged by the fact that only a few opt for the road less travelled.

So, will you dare to take that path? Chances are, if you care, you will find the courage to do so.

Let’s make it happen!

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.”

— Jane Goodall

Also Read: SLOW LIVING: How to live in the moment

How to start living an eco-friendly life?