10 Ways to Make Sustainability Sustainable For You
Many of us read a lot of information on the internet & elsewhere that a sustainable lifestyle is about living with less waste, eating organic food, and being kinder to the planet with various other “green efforts”. However, my own low-waste journey that began more than 2 years ago, started with plenty of challenges. I thought that I needed to create only a mason jar worth of trash in my lifetime (you’ve seen zero-waste influencers with their mason jar trash haven’t you?), go completely on a plant-based diet & remove ALL plastic from my life. How wrong I was. Not only was I putting unnecessary pressure on myself to ‘do it all or none at all’ causing self-doubt & mental stress, but my relationships with my children and husband suffered too.
I remember one time, my children wanted to eat fast food and although I was not happy about it, I started getting my reusable containers ready. As we entered the restaurant, I confidently walked up to the cashier & asked “Could we have our food in these please”? (This was before COVID-19 affected us and I didn’t think much about hygiene issues that might be brought up). The store manager then came to us and said it was against company policy to allow us to use our own containers and I told my husband that we should leave. I felt disappointed that they didn’t understand why I was doing this for the planet and felt wrong to patronise the restaurant chain. We had to look for an alternate location to eat and my family was less than pleased.
In hindsight though and after multiple discussions with my husband, I knew that I did many things wrong and could have instead:
Explained my intentions before my request (for takeout in our reusable containers, I now say “We are trying to reduce packaging waste in our family. Would it be possible at all to pack food in our own containers? We would really appreciate that!”).
Accepted & respected that not everyone is aware of reducing waste this way and that they’re on their own journeys towards that.
Not had any expectations that everyone has the same values as our family and that it is perfectly fine.
Left the restaurant with grace and a smile & show my kids how to problem-solve with better alternatives.
Eat at the restaurant with the disposables so my children could satisfy their hunger. Learn lessons from the incident AFTER.
Have you gone through similar instances or even felt similarly? While I understand that talking about mindful living or living with less comes with privilege, I choose to use that privilege to bring awareness to how we can all take small steps in making progress in our sustainability journeys. It doesn’t need to look the same for everyone and the only person we’re “competing” with, is ourselves. So long as we start, somewhere, however “small” our efforts might look, it is better than not doing anything at all.
Here are some ways you can begin making small efforts in loving our beautiful planet:
Bring your existing plastic bags or other bags you have in your home to reuse while shopping for groceries. You don’t need to buy specific “reusable bags”. The latter is just a BIG marketing gimmick. I learnt this the hard way.
Think multiple times before you need to purchase something. Ask yourself “Is this a WANT or a NEED?". If it’s the latter, see if you can do without for sometime before you buy it.
Reduce and reuse wherever possible. I personally believe recycling should be our last priority in our sustainability efforts. Overconsumption in all aspects is burdening our planet and so look at creative ways of reducing what you bring into your home & reuse what you already have.
Do a trash audit in your home (download the checklist below this article). Look at your trash bins for a week and note down what you’re throwing away before looking for more low-waste alternatives. This raises your awareness of what you can do better with your waste production either individually or as a family.
Go meatless and/or fast once a week. If doing this is hard, cut back on red meat first before white. Or eat more plant-based food during the day with fewer meat dishes. Get comfortable with this while listening to your body’s cues before completely eliminating animal products from your meals. I have a long way to go as I still use butter and eggs in some foods.
Love shopping for clothes because you like variety? Swap with friends/at a swap store or try a clothes rental subscription service. You’ll soon realise you enjoy what you already own in your closet and find creative ways to make “new” outfit combinations. Remember that we are not defined by what we wear or own.
Plan your meals ahead of time and cook simple meals by using up whatever you have in your pantry before purchasing more groceries. According to @ozharvest, 80% of greenhouse gases warming the planet are caused by food waste. Another scary fact is if food waste was a country, it would be the third-largest emitter after China and the USA. Reducing food waste therefore should be a priority for all of us.
Make your own cleaning solutions. Not only are you reducing packaging waste, you reduce clutter and are kinder to the planet. Read my blog article here on how I use Castile soap for everything!
Say no to physical gifts and if you really need to gift, opt for experience-based ones. Read my blog article here on ideas for gifting children more earth-friendly alternatives.
Join a like-minded community. When you begin your sustainability journey, you’ll find that you may be the only one in your social circle or even family who is making efforts in reducing waste and living a simple life. That may make you feel lonely or feel like giving up on your efforts. For me personally, joining Facebook communities who had members in different stages of their low waste journeys, help me learn constantly about local regulations, and be inspired by others’ sustainability efforts.
I hope the above points made the thought of starting your sustainability journey less overwhelming. I’d love to hear from you in the comments below! Do lookout for more sharing about my family’s efforts in various areas of our home in my future blog posts.