15 Ways To Be Sustainable In Everyday Life

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Everything you do in your day-to-day life has an impact on the planet.

Some actions are better and more sustainable for the planet, while others – not so much.

Finding simple ways to be sustainable in everyday life could lower your environmental impact, and it can be a great way to become more eco-friendly.

In this post, you will learn about:

15 ways to be more sustainable in everyday life
Sustainable living VS Zero waste
The 3 most powerful actions
Summary

Let’s begin!

15 Ways To Be More Sustainable In Everyday Life - Almost Zero Waste

15 Easy Ways To Be Sustainable In Everyday Life:

1. Eat more plants

The most sustainable diets are the vegan and vegetarian ones, while the least sustainable one is the omnivore diet.

You don’t have to go vegan overnight to eat more sustainably.

However, eating animals is terrible for the environment.

Livestock takes up most of the world’s agricultural land (77%) and only produces 18% of the world’s calories.

It releases most land use, cattle methane emissions, manure management, and fertilizer use.

Our World Data says it perfectly:

Less meat is nearly always better for your carbon footprint than sustainable meat.

Some easy, actionable tips include:

Eat more plant-based foods. Challenge yourself, and become a weekday vegan (or vegetarian).
Incorporate in your diet more of the foods with the lowest environmental impact, like whole-grain cereals, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and olive oil.
Eat more plant-based protein sources like tofu, beans, peas, and nuts, as they also have the lowest carbon footprint.
Try to go vegan slowly.

One of my favorite places to find some amazing & simple plant-based recipes is on Youtube.

The channel I can recommend you to check out first is Pick Up Limes:

Meal prep on a budget » under €2 / $2 meals

Watch this video on YouTube

Other ways to become more sustainable with food are:

Eat local – Local food has a lower environmental impact. Whenever possible, support and buy from local farmers’ markets and shops.
Avoid food waste – Food waste contributes to excess fresh water and fossil fuel consumption. Reducing food waste will save you money while saving resources, energy, and water.
Meal prep – Make food at home and bring it to university or work. This will save money and reduce plastic packaging from to-go foods or snacks.
Choose organic food – Typically, it requires 30-50% less energy during production. Plus, organic goods keep away harmful pesticides from our land and water.
Compost – It can be more challenging than all the other options, but composting your food scraps is a fantastic way to live more sustainably. Read my article with 7 composting methods to find out more about it.

2. Save energy

By using less energy, you can save money and reduce carbon emissions.

There are many easy ways you can save energy at home.

Some super easy, actionable tips are:

Heating – If the heating/air conditioner works, ensure the windows are closed. Bonus tip – stop the heating 2 hours before going to bed.
Light – Turn off the light when you are not in the room. While it is obvious, I often see lights on in empty rooms.
Hang dry clothes – Air drying can save energy and money.
Unplug your devices – Always-on, inactive devices can add 1,300 kilowatt-hours, or $165 annually, to your household’s electricity bill. Try to unplug things you don’t actively use. That can be a plugged-in phone charger, printer, radio, alarm clock, microwave, etc.

You can implement these changes right away.

Some additional tips that can help you to save energy but require more time and effort include:

Switch to LED Lighting – One of the most energy-efficient forms of light. Just ensure the heat is not trapped around the bulb so it doesn’t get too hot and burns out faster.
Invest in energy-efficient equipment wherever possible – because older devices often use more energy than new ones.
Green energy – Sign up with alternative energy providers to generate electricity without releasing fossil carbon. It might be solar or wind. You decide what your best options are.

3. Save water

Saving water is another effective way to reduce electricity use, greenhouse gas emissions, and other energy-intensive operations.

So, a couple of actionable, easy tips that you can implement right away are:

Run the dishwasher with only a full load – Can save more than 3,400 gallons of water each year. Wait for full loads of your clothes, too.
Reuse water – Try washing vegetables in a bowl and reuse the water for your plants or garden.
Take shorter showers – Add a 4-minute shower timer to remind you when to get out of the shower. I like to play a cool song on my phone and use it as a “timer.”
Take cold showers – Cold water uses less energy, plus you are likely to stay in the shower for less time. So, if you are brave enough, start taking cold showers. They are pretty good for you anyway. (have you ever heard of Wim Hof?)
Stop the water – When you wash dishes or brush your teeth.
Eat less cheese – Did you know that cheese is a food that uses the most freshwater in its production? 5,605 liters of fresh water are used to produce a kilogram of cheese.

4. Recycle

Recycling is tricky; unfortunately, only a tiny percentage of the waste is recycled.

Even though it isn’t as effective as we all wished, separating your trash and placing waste in the correct bins is still good.

The two easy, actionable tips here are:

Follow the recycling rules in your local area – There are different rules everywhere, so the best thing you can do is follow local recycling guidelines.
Try to reuse items as often as possible before throwing them away – You can find some cool inspiring ideas on reusing plastic items in my article.

5. Get sustainable reusables

Single-use plastics account for around 40% of the total production of plastic. (Source 1, Source 2)

Using so many single-use plastics is completely unnecessary when there are SO MANY sustainable alternatives.

You can reduce your trash by being more conscious of your consumption and waste patterns.

Simply get a couple of reusable items that will help you to avoid all that single-use plastic.

For example, you may consider getting:

Reusable water bottle – to avoid plastic water bottles.
Reusable coffee mug – instead of getting single-use coffee.
Reusable utensils – instead of using single-use plastic utensils.
Food container – bring food from home, save money, and avoid pre-packed foods and snacks.
Foldable tote bag/backpack – use what you already have, or invest in something sustainable and reusable.
Reusable menstrual products – such as a menstrual cup, reusable pad, or menstrual underwear
Reusable safety razor – A super durable, sustainable, and affordable alternative to plastic razors.

These are just a couple of ideas. You can see over 140 sustainable alternatives for wasteful products in my article.

However, before buying any reusables, see what you already have.

Maybe you already have many things you can use (we all have reusable utensils already, right?!), and you don’t need anything new.

6. Drive less

Did you know that transportation accounts for 29% of greenhouse gas emissions (in the US)? That’s a LOT.

Bicycles can play a massive role in cities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

So, consider walking & biking more often. It is better for the environment and your health anyway!

If the destination is too far, use public transportation or carpooling.

For example, I mostly went to university on my bike while studying in Denmark.

I used public transport only when it was extremely cold or rainy.

7. Travel carbon efficiently

There are a couple of simple ways to travel more carbon efficiently:

If possible, replace business trips with online conferencing
Stop domestic air travel
When you need to go to neighboring countries, choose alternative ways of traveling, such as – trains, buses, or carpooling.

Reducing and eliminating air travel would be optimal.

However, not everyone can stop flying forever and ever. If you must travel by airplane, then:

1) Direct flights – It’s best to fly direct rather than with a connection because about 25 percent of airplane emissions come from landing and taking off.

2) Travel lightly – Heavy luggage = greater fuel consumption to fly larger loads. You will have a lower impact when you travel lightly with just a carry-on.

3) Avoid waste – Reduce your general waste, and avoid getting things on the plane since everything is single-use plastic. Bring your reusables and meal prep for longer flights.

4) Offsets – A carbon offset does not reduce emissions. It is a way to “compensate” for the greenhouse emissions of activity such as flying.

It works by paying an organization that uses the funds for a climate-friendly activity such as planting trees.

8. Boycott fast fashion

Fast fashion is the rapid production of inexpensive clothing in response to the latest & quickly changing trends.

The clothing industry is extremely harmful to our planet because:

Textile production releases large amounts of GHG emissions and hazardous chemicals into the environment.
It significantly contributes to plastic entering the ocean (around half a million tonnes annually). That happens during the washing of plastic-based textiles.
Most inexpensive clothing is made with synthetic textile fibers such as polyester, nylon, or acrylic. They require fossil fuels and are NOT biodegradable.

The few easy ways to be more sustainable here are:

Avoid impulsive shopping desires
Support ethical & sustainable brands
Avoid buying clothing made from synthetic fibers

Related post: 33 Fast Fashion Brands To Avoid

9. Buy second-hand

Another fantastic way to shop sustainably is to choose second-hand items.

Shopping for vintage clothes or second-hand electronics can significantly reduce your impact on the environment and give the items a second life.

Second-hand doesn’t demand new items, and it is not contributing to the waste stream.

For example, recently I bought a super cute dress in great condition, for less than 1 euro!

Or I needed a hairdryer, so I found one from a local second-hand marketplace.

A couple of months ago, I also bought a second-hand soy milk maker in perfect condition.

While I don’t always buy second-hand things (because it is hard to always stumble upon something good), I always try to find whatever I’m looking for in second-hand shops (online or local).

This will always be the more sustainable option and can save you some cash.

Related post: 39 Best Online Thrift Shops

10. Support local brands

Supporting local coffee roasters, food vendors, beer brewers, and other small businesses are not only good for the local economy, but it’s also good for the planet.

Less transit time means less CO2 emissions. You will get bonus points if you purchase products that are fair trade certified.

“Fair Trade Certified” label on products encourages environmentally friendly production methods and ethical working conditions for workers.

11. Just buy less

Merely buying less stuff is an excellent path to lower emissions.

Let’s say you need something for a special occasion. Instead of buying something you know you won’t use a lot, try to borrow it from someone.

For example, I usually go skiing once yearly, so I always rent ski equipment and borrow ski pants from a friend.

And I use my normal jacket, which isn’t a ski jacket, but it works well enough.

My point is – whenever you need something, choose used or recycled items, and encourage sharing!

It can be anything from clothing, electronics, books, food, etc.

Reusing, repurposing, swapping, and sharing things is a great way to build community and reduce waste.

12. Go (almost) paperless

You can reduce deforestation by cutting back on your paper use.

A few easy ways to do that include:

Ditch paper towels – You don’t need them! Switch from paper towels to reusable rags.
Buy recycled paper products – This will reduce the demand for virgin paper.
Receive letters or bills over email – Nowadays, you can get most of your bills over your email, so make the switch.
Purchase recycled or bamboo toilet paper – Many great companies offer eco-friendly toilet paper. You can find 18 sustainable & plastic-free toilet paper options here. My favorite ones are: Who Gives A Crap (Worldwide) and A Good Company (Europe & Worldwide) – both are affordable, sustainable, and will last super long:

ways to be more sustainable — A Good Company TP

Related post: Who Gives A Crap Toilet Paper: Review

13. Eco-friendly cleaning

Many cleaning products contain chemicals that aren’t the best for the environment (or for you, for that matter).

Luckily, there are plenty of sustainable options.

By choosing eco-friendly cleaning products, you will reduce the amount of plastic packaging used and the number of chemicals inserted into the water system.

A couple of great eco-friendly cleaning products are:

14. Avoid plastic

Whenever you go out shopping, try to buy package-free products.

You can purchase foods and other things in bulk in reusable containers.

Since this isn’t always an option, the next thing you can do is – look for a plastic-free option.

Some ideas include:

Always bring a bag (or backpack) to the shop.
Ditch single-use thin bags for produce and switch to reusable ones.
Get a reusable water bottle and avoid getting drinks in plastic bottles.
Pick foods in glass, aluminum, or (recycled) paper. Reuse, upcycle, and recycle the containers.
Get a bamboo toothbrush and plastic-free toothpaste or tooth tablets for brushing your teeth.
Plastic-free personal essentials, like skincare, deodorant, etc.
When I order food, I always write a note to ask for plastic-free packaging (and no utensils). Usually, it works, and they bring everything on paper. If I’m not too lazy, I will go to the place with my own containers and ask if they can put the food inside.

15. Go zero waste

The production of anything usually requires energy related to greenhouse gases.

Moreover, some materials, such as plastic, emit greenhouse gases at every production stage.

Adopting zero waste practices can help you to reduce your impact.

The best way to become (almost) zero waste is through:

Rethinking what we need and the way we buy
Refusing things we don’t need
Reducing the things we use and focusing on long-lasting products
Reusing what we have
Repairing what we can
Recreating things whenever possible (DIYs)
Composting our food waste
Recycling as little as possible

Sustainable living VS Zero waste

First off, what is sustainable living?

Sustainable living is attempting to reduce your individual use of the Earth’s natural resources and reduce the environmental damage as much as possible.

A sustainable lifestyle takes into account:

eating
transportation
energy use
waste disposal
socialization, and more.

Various actions and lifestyle changes promote a sustainable way of living.

Encouraging and sharing the best practices will ensure the greatest environmental, economic and social impact.

And the good thing is that you don’t have to go crazy about it.

You can reduce your carbon footprint and leave a positive impact by simply changing some of your habits.

Sustainable living VS Zero waste:

Sustainable living and zero waste living are very similar lifestyles.

While they are driven to the same goal. While many overlaps, sometimes, each lifestyle prioritizes different actions.

Zero waste focuses on reducing trash, aiming to send nothing to a landfill. It is about redefining the system by how we buy, consume and dispose of things.
Sustainable living is a much broader concept that reduces the environmental impact of large-scale day-to-day activities. It doesn’t necessarily focus on the physical forms of waste.

For example, zero waste living strives to reduce food packaging, whereas sustainable living aims to reduce the food system’s impact.

People interested in sustainable living might get something packaged in plastic if it is organic and locally made.

A person interested in zero waste living might get a package-free product that isn’t organic or locally made.

Ultimately, getting the best of both worlds will be the best.

The 3 Most Powerful Actions

Do you wonder which are the actions with the most significant positive impact?

If you want to choose just 3 actions, the most effective in reducing your greenhouse gas emissions are:

living car-free
avoiding airplane travel
eating a plant-based diet

Summary

There you have it – 15 actionable ways to be sustainable in everyday life.

If you want to make a difference, then you must get involved and take the initiative.

You don’t have to do everything at once. Even a couple of these changes can positively impact in the long run.

Living sustainably may seem like a hustle, but try to answer this question: “Why do I want to live a sustainable lifestyle?”

Whatever the answer might be, don’t forget it.

Your “whys” will help you make better decisions, take action, and focus on moving toward your goal and the sustainable life you want to live.

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