Five Ways to Lower Your Carbon Footprint Right Now
Transitioning from your modern lifestyles to a 100% sustainable is pretty daunting.
Climate change is real, see the evidence here, and everyone on planet Earth needs to take action.
Where do I even start? Will my individual actions make a difference? The answer is yes! Not only do your individual actions matter, but when you make positive, sustainable changes, you’ll influence your circle to do the same. We don’t have to change everything at once. We need to incremental changes to our habits so we can move closer to a sustainable model.
Here are 5 easy ways you can lower your carbon footprint and move towards a more sustainable lifestyle.
Shop vintage
Fast fashion hurts our environment by using way more resources and creating an excess of waste and vintage clothes are way more fun.
Eat local
Try doing a portion of your grocery shopping at your local farmers market. It’s usually more expensive than a chain supermarket, which allows you to think twice about the quantity of food you buy. In the US and Canada about 40% of all food waste is thrown out by consumers. This means our demand is much higher than our consumption and thus the cycle of overproduction and subsequent waste continues.
Eat more plants
If you are unsure about the impact of the mass production of meat and animal products, read this and this. I’m plant-based and will start posting my favorite recipes soon!
Bike
I currently bike to work 2-3 times per week. It’s a great workout, much cheaper than owning and operating a vehicle and you’re lowering emissions (unless you have an EV or a hybrid).
Stop using single-use plastics
Okay, maybe this one isn’t so easy, but reducing our plastic use is so important. Recycling doesn’t always work out the way you’d think it would, so it’s important to just not use throw away items in the first place. Reduce plastic use with reusable items below. Interested in more? Read my list of the best reusable products for reducing waste.
Produce bags (large and varied sizes)
Buying from bulk bins at your local grocery store
When it comes down to its core, sustainability is about remaining conscious and educated about where you spend your money and time.
Start by implementing one new change a week. Even saying no to plastic bags often offered without a second thought by store clerks or water bottles offered by friends and family as you head out the door will make a difference. You’ll have lessened the demand of plastic and hopefully cause them to stop to think about why you said no.
