3 Ways to Live More Eco-Friendly for Beginners
Bonsoir mes amis! Last Thursday April 22nd was Earth Day which got me thinking about my daily habits. I won’t sit here and claim to be the most knowledgeable person on this topic. In fact, I still have to check to ensure I’m using the correct terms when discussing sustainability or carbon footprint. Not to mention, I have ways to go in my own efforts to be more eco-friendly. This list will not attempt to eradicate your current lifestyle but rather to suggest small changes to things you already engage in. With this in mind, in my own way, I have implemented more eco-friendly ways of living not only on April 22nd but year-round. While this is not an exhaustive list, I did want to commence by sharing 3 beginner-friendly ways that you can live a more eco-friendly life 365 days a year.
1) While I know this may not be the most original tip out there, I believe it is perhaps one of the easiest ones you could make starting today: get a reusable water bottle. Aside from the fact that carrying a water bottle will help remind you to stay hydrated, you’ll also be saving on what you’d spend buying single-use bottles x amount of times. And while yes, single-use water bottles are cheaper, in the long run what you spend on a reusable bottle will be far less than what you’d spend on single-use bottles throughout the year.
2) Buy secondhand. These days there are a multitude of sites where to can buy nearly anything secondhand. My personal favorites to buy secondhand are clothing and books. I’ve been wearing gently-used clothing my entire life, with my mom being the first to take me into a thrift store as a child. While I stopped buying secondhand clothing a few years ago, I’ve recently reconnected with it. Secondhand books I started buying less than 10 years ago, and while I’ll still buy a new book from time to time, I’d say that 95% of my book purchases these days are purchased in a gently-used format.
3) Reuse packaging materials. This is something I started doing a year ago and love for many reasons- the main reason being that it allows you to get creative. I don’t reuse everything from orders, only the things that I can find a use for- even if it’s not immediate. Whatever I can’t I recycle. Win-win.
In an ideal world, we could all stand to consume less. I won’t preach about this as I’d be a hypocrite; but I’m also going to continue to do better. I’m of the belief that little things can make a difference and while my list is neither exhaustive nor revolutionary, I do believe it is a reasonable exercise in beginning to live a more eco-friendly life. I have more tips and specific examples, websites, etc. that I can use to expand on the points above should anyone like to know more. Eventually I’ll write these points regardless but if you’d like to hear more sooner then leave a comment. If you have any beginner-friendly tips yourself I’d love to hear them below!
See you Friday!
xo
