After binging old episodes of Wife Swap with Tyler and seeing examples of extreme environmental activists, I can see why many people don't really think they want to or can live a sustainable life. But this just isn't true! This is something I am VERY passionate about, but sustainable living is all about your mindset, it is NOT a specific lifestyle.
You don't need to stress out any longer about living a 'picture perfect' or even an extreme sustainable life, because you can still make an impact while still maintaining your current lifestyle.
Okay okay, so we know that being eco is all about your mindset, but what exactly does that mindset look like?
The key ingredients to an sustainable mindset can be looked at as the 5 Rs: Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repair. No matter what type of lifestyle you live, the hobbies you enjoy, or the job you have, you CAN develop these 5 habits and attitudes into your life!
Rethink & Reduce: The key to this is watching what we bring into our lives! Are you overconsuming? Are you buying things you are just going to get rid of soon? Do you take too much stuff that you go on to never use because it's free or on sale? One of my challenges for January is to look at how much we impulse buy... in general, I've gotten a lot better at limiting this, but this month I've been struggling again! I've previously gone over tips on how to become a smarter consumer, so check that out if you want to feel more empowered in that area!
Another way you can reduce what you bring into your life in the first place is be more willing to borrow things from others. You can also get stuff in other sustainable ways, like swapping with friends/family or buying things secondhand! There are so many options for this nowadays! Local and online thrift stores, Facebook Marketplace, Buy Nothing Groups (I just joined one - I definitely recommend it!), free swaps... If you aren't comfortable with any of these options yet, that's alright! You can also choose to buy new from sustainable brands and choose eco alternatives when given the chance. I believe we should use up what we have first, but of course, nothing lasts for ever! Once you've used up what you have, there are sooo many eco alternatives in ever category that you can potentially buy. You don't have to do all of these, and some may suite your lifestyle more than others, but it's good to identify all the alternatives and their impacts when we're shopping!
Reuse, Recycle, Repair: Do you find creative ways to use what you already have in new ways? You are already being sustainable and practicing an eco mindset!! By repairing and reusing what you already have, you are extending the life of those items before they go the landfill AND also making it so you don't need to buy new items, which would create even more waste. You don't have to go crazy with repairing and reusing to still practice these things! Some examples of this in my own life is reusing can and containers everywhere! Learning basic mending & how to treat stains is also helping me keep clothes longer than maybe I would have before.
Again though, sometimes the product has made it to the end of its life :( There are lots of options besides just throwing it out! You can recycle and compost! I've put together a basic guide to recycling. There's also companies you can send fabric waste too - including things like old socks, underwear, dog toys, etc. We are so lucky to live in a time where there are so many options besides landfills!
I hope some of these habits resonate with you are you're able to see some things you might already be doing, even if they're for different reasons! The goal isn't to be 'perfect', but to be doing what we can!
Want even more guidance and tips? Sign up for my newsletter and download my FREE Beginner's Guide to Sustainable Living! You can download the guide and sign up here.
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