I am a firm believer that anyone can develop more sustainable habits and live a sustainable lifestyle - no matter their financial circumstance. Sustainability is often portrayed as something only the wealthy can achieve. This is far from the truth. My goal is to give you ideas that won't break the bank and guide you to a more sustainable and fulfilling life.
Fashion + Beauty
Did you know that the fashion industry is one of the highest polluting industries? According to the EDA, there are 16 million tons of textile waste - and that's just from the United States! This is not a small problem. More sustainable and eco-friendly brands are starting to pop up, but not everyone can afford the higher-priced items. Does this mean we have to give up style if we can't afford to buy sustainable clothing? No!
I have always loved fashion but have started to become more mindful of how my consuming affects me and the world around me. Instead of convincing you to buy from pricy sustainable brands, I'll teach you realistic ways you can create a sustainable wardrobe now, based on my own experiences.
Home
Not only can you be sustainable with your wardrobe, you can be more sustainable with every aspect of your house! It can be overwhelming when you start being more conscious about it - that's why I'm going to help you one simple step at a time and break it down.
I'll cover how to be more sustainable and eco-friendly in different aspects of your home, such as decoration, technology, holidays, and more! Shifting to a more sustainable lifestyle is a big undertaking, but there is no rush! By focusing at one area at a time, you'll soon notice other areas falling into place naturally.
In the Kitchen
Something I didn't know about when I first started getting into sustainability was the effects of food waste. Before, I believed that discarded food turned into compost, and maybe you think this too. However, when food is thrown out instead of specifically composted, it just rots. This creates methane, which is a greenhouse gas worse for the environment than carbon dioxide. And we haven't even covered the waste produced by packaging, grocery bags, etc.
Don't fret though - because with small adjustments, you can create a more sustainable kitchen! I have recently been focused on my own kitchen and what I can do to be more eco-friendly, so everything I recommend will be tried & true! These tips and tricks will also be affordable and hopefully realistic so that you can integrate them into the systems you already have for you home.
Intentional Living
I'm a big advocate of intentional living. And a huge part of becoming more sustainable is shifting your mindset to be more intentional about what you consume. We live in a culture that is centered on mindless consuming. In order to successfully change your lifestyle, you must change how you think about what you consume! Whether you're rich or poor or anywhere in between, we can all become more intentional in our lives.
Habits are a major component of how you live you life. By smarting small and taking sustainability and intentional living step-by-step, it won't be long before you start to see big differences. I can't wait to start sharing some of the ways that I've changed my small habits in order to see those big results.
As a college student, I don't have the resources to buy all the sustainable products that I would like to or to try all the big hacks I've seen online. And if you're here, you're probably in a similar boat. I've found lots of ways over the past couple of years from research and my own personal experiences to be sustainable but still spend within my means. A graphic I've seen floating around several times shares the message that we don't need a few people living perfectly sustainable, we need lots of people doing it imperfectly. I'm definitely imperfect at it, but my hope is that I can inspire you so that way you can start thinking of ways that make sense in your own life to be more sustainable.
This article was originally published on 7/8/2022.
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